New emt nervous

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chickj0434

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Going to be starting very soon. My biggest thing im worried is dealing with stomach flu patients and puke and stuff. My question is how often do you get these kind of patients. Its not so much me seeing it and being there its more pf me being nervous about getting sick or catching it.
 
If you touch things like doorknobs and ATMs, shake hands with people and generally move about in public places… You have about the same chance of catching it.

When you're working in EMS, make sure you practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands as often as you can, for 30 seconds at a time. When you can't wash your hands, use hand sanitizer.

Good luck.
 
DEmedic said:
If you touch things like doorknobs and ATMs, shake hands with people and generally move about in public places… You have about the same chance of catching it.

When you're working in EMS, make sure you practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands as often as you can, for 30 seconds at a time. When you can't wash your hands, use hand sanitizer.

Good luck.
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This. The only thing I can add is wear gloves on these pts. When you start, you will get sick a few times, more respiratory stuff, until you have been exposed to all of the local bugs.
 
ERDoc said:
This. The only thing I can add is wear gloves on these pts. When you start, you will get sick a few times, more respiratory stuff, until you have been exposed to all of the local bugs.
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Thanks for the replies. On avg how many times do you have to deal with a puking patient
 
And how do you deal with that? Just hold a bucket for them to puke in and hope they dont miss.im good with all guts blood poop piss all that but puke i hate
 
Bigbadwolf25 said:
And how do you deal with that? Just hold a bucket for them to puke in and hope they dont miss.im good with all guts blood poop piss all that but puke i hate
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Give them a bag or bucket. They hold it, if they can't then tie a bag around their neck loosely for them to lean down and puke in.
 
luke_31 said:
Give them a bag or bucket. They hold it, if they can't then tie a bag around their neck loosely for them to lean down and puke in.
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Thats not too bad then. Are most of the throw up cases flu/bug related as in catchable or usually related to something else/ not contactible
 
Good BSI will avoid most communicable diseases, but as ERDoc says you will get sick a few times after starting the job. It's just the nature of working around people who are sick. You won't have the immunity built up until you are exposed to it a few times. As far as vomiting patients go it runs the gauntlet of over drinkers to people with serious but non communicable diseases. Just because you have a patient who is vomiting doesn't mean you are instantly going to get sick also.
 
luke_31 said:
Good BSI will avoid most communicable diseases, but as ERDoc says you will get sick a few times after starting the job. It's just the nature of working around people who are sick. You won't have the immunity built up until you are exposed to it a few times. As far as vomiting patients go it runs the gauntlet of over drinkers to people with serious but non communicable diseases. Just because you have a patient who is vomiting doesn't mean you are instantly going to get sick also.
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So your saying in my first few month expect to catch the stomach flu a few times?!
 
Bigbadwolf25 said:
So your saying in my first few month expect to catch the stomach flu a few times?!
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No. I'm saying that you may catch something at some point and it's not always the flu. Also it's not just the first few months, it is typically through the first year. You seem like you are over thinking the chances of getting sick. Unless you are living in a sealed bubble, you always have had the chances to get sick from people around you. In EMS everyone just assumes that you got sick from a patient, I've had coworkers who got sick from their kids getting sick at school, from being around other sick kids. Being in EMS doesn't suddenly raise your chances of being sick, you just might get exposed to different illnesses your body hasn't seen before, which would give you the possibility of getting sick. Best prevention is hand washing. Getting adequate sleep, and eating healthy.
 
You'll be fine. I have terrible hand hygiene and sometimes eat things off the floor. The last time I got so sick I threw up was due to a migraine and not anything I caught at work.

Be diligent and wash your hands often. You may get sick (with what they call "The crud." A Respiratory, mucus producing cough) when you first start, but that's about it. In the last eight years I've been sick maybe twice and those weren't "pukey" illnesses.

I've never been afraid of catching some stomach flu from a patient. What I fear is pink eye. I want nothing to do with pink eye.
 
luke_31 said:
No. I'm saying that you may catch something at some point and it's not always the flu. Also it's not just the first few months, it is typically through the first year. You seem like you are over thinking the chances of getting sick. Unless you are living in a sealed bubble, you always have had the chances to get sick from people around you. In EMS everyone just assumes that you got sick from a patient, I've had coworkers who got sick from their kids getting sick at school, from being around other sick kids. Being in EMS doesn't suddenly raise your chances of being sick, you just might get exposed to different illnesses your body hasn't seen before, which would give you the possibility of getting sick. Best prevention is hand washing. Getting adequate sleep, and eating

Thank you. Good advice. Was hoping to only deal with a patient throwing up maybe once a week haha looks like i gotta get used to seeing it every shift.
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Thanks guys good advice. Just a little paranoid and eager to start i guess. Always had a little emetophobia my whole life. Was hoping to only have to deal with wvwry now and then but guess i need to start preparing myself to deal with it every shift
 
.. Breath through your mouth and don't gag in front of the patient. Very unprofessional!
 
It doesn't bother me. A yak sak and some Zofran work wonders... But the booze puke smell can get me sometimes. :)
 
DEmedic said:
It doesn't bother me. A yak sak and some Zofran work wonders... But the booze puke smell can get me sometimes. :)
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How to you get zofran to keep on hand for myself. Like does it help to take here and there or if you think your getting a stomach flu
 
Sorry, I mean I give a yak sak and Zofran to the puking patients. Hahaha. I'm not a sympathetic pukey. :)


But I do have a script for Zofran ODT and keep a couple in my truck bag. I get a little carsick on long, winding roads. Never puke, but I get nauseous. I just asked my doc and she wrote me.
 
We all have that one thing that gets to us, melena for me. You will build up a tolerance to it as you gain experience. There are many more causes of vomiting than a GI virus which are not contagious such as MIs, appy, bowel obstruction, biliary colic, alcohol and a bunch of others. Honestly, I would be more worried about a Ricky Rescue getting you killed in an accident than I would getting a viral illness.
 
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