Here's what I learned in my CNA class right from my instructor, who is an infection control RN.
Don't use the clock, use a watch. At the end of your shift, scrub your hands (as you should be doing throughout the day!) and "alcohol" your watch.
It's not enough for sure, but better than...
*strolls up to apneic, pulseless, cyanotic patient*
Hello, I'm eveningsky from the ambulance. Why did you request an ambulance?
...
May I ask your name?
...
You having a some chest pain today?
...
*ahem* Anyway, to address the OP, it depends on what type of service you...
I'm an extremely spiritual person, but I do not pray on a call. Too busy being "on the edge," so to speak.
I do pray, however, after a call.
If I can recall correctly, according to some studies, prayer does seem to have a positive effect on patients (even when the patients don't know that...
I'm not sure how it works in the failed state of California, but here's how it works where I live.
All employees are required to obtain an AVOC License within six months of employment. However, AVOC courses are few and far between, so the state allows the ambulance service to train drivers...
They come in with patients all the time. If only they were the ones taking care of the residents. (no sarcasm)
This is just another ZOMG EMT vs NURSE thread. Nurses are (mostly) trained to function within a clinical setting. EMTs are trained to function in a pre-hospital setting. Make what...
If the RNs are given courses in pre-hospital medicine, sure, they would be better. But paramedics are already trained specifically in that area, so a paramedic system would be simpler and, frankly, more effective.
Can you imagine sticking a nursing home RN on an ambulance? Yeah, no.
You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that has been directed at me, both as a nursing home CNA and an EMT. "You don't know how to do it", "Go find someone who knows what they're doing", etc.
Just ignore it. Especially elderly patients-- they tend to be more grouchy than most, in my...
No, I am not. Perhaps you could point me in the direction of these studies?
True that, but shooting these individuals is somewhat contradictory to the goals of EMS. Or even carrying a lethal weapon, for that matter.
I've had my fair share of those dreaded "behavioural emergencies" and I've...
Now let's just hang on here... I have a few words...
Even though a nursing home RN is technically a "higher" level of care, I would never under any circumstances leave a patient with them before ALS arrived.
I worked as a CNA for a few months in a nursing home, and I encountered quite a few...
I'm not a huge fan of the automatic vitals-taker contraptions, though if you are in a rush for time during a serious emergency, they can be helpful.
If the pulse is strong and regular, 15 seconds will do. If there is something off, go for 30 or 60. Oh, and if you are taking the apical...
My ambulance service does not operate BLS trucks; it's all ALS with a medic/EMT crew. But, there is a service not too far from us that is certified up to the paramedic level, but usually runs at the intermediate life support level.
Or something.
Anyway, I'm certain it's different with...
Did she start out as an EMT-Basic? The hospital must have trained the crap outta her. :ph34r:
I live in a rural area, so my local hospital may be different, but... The ER Techs we have are technically CNAs, who are trained in EKG, etc by the hospital. The training period is fairly...
THANK YOU.
The day EMTs have to worry about violence on the same level as LEOs, is the day society allows us to carry.
If EMTs want to wear stab or bullet proof vests, then by all means, do so. The vests will protect you much more than a flippin' handgun.