1st ambulance rotation on december 4th

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occipudding

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i'm sh*tting bricks. i was on an ambulance on wednesday but that was pretty uneventful. 6 hours, 1 patient. kid fell off his bike. i took 2 sets of vitals and that was that. now on the 4th, im gonna have to do patient assessment, transport, the whole deal. of course ill be supervised but i've never put these skills together and actually had the opportunity to do it all before. any tips?
p.s. on a sidenote, i got a 101 on my midterm yesterday (go me!)
 
your doing this in Queens? Where specifically are you doing your rotation?

My advice:

1. Jump in, be aggressive. Your in charge. You can't be afraid to do stuff.

2. You arrive on the scene. Ask the patient "whats wrong?" and start there. If they can answer, go through all your OPQRS and SAMPLE questions. If they can't, go through your trauma assessment.
 
it's in brooklyn. i think my instructor said it's with long island hospital (why that's the name of a hospital in bk is beyond me). thanks for the advice. be aggressive, be in charge. got it. i think im about to have a cva lol
 
I have my first Rotation on Dec 1 I have to ride with Riverside FIRE. Thats gonna be crazy. Nervous as hell.
 
occipudding said:
it's in brooklyn. i think my instructor said it's with long island hospital (why that's the name of a hospital in bk is beyond me). thanks for the advice. be aggressive, be in charge. got it. i think im about to have a cva lol
Click to expand...

I am a paramedic student at St. Vincent's in Manhattan.

Also do what the EMTs tell you. As I said don't be afraid to jump in and don't be afraid to ask questions. Your there to learn. In this industry you learn from doing.

If you don't know something, thats okay too. Let the EMT do it and learn.
 
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Artique said:
I have my first Rotation on Dec 1 I have to ride with Riverside FIRE. Thats gonna be crazy. Nervous as hell.
Click to expand...

Thats natural of course.
 
I'll add my $.02. Ask questions, many questions. Stay enguaged, dont zone out. Talk to the patient (if they are consious), hear their story. If it is a trauma try to understand the kinnematics, if it is medical, try to understand the disease process.
If you ask questions of the EMTs, ask them after the call, not in front of the patient, they will be happy to answer them.

Good Luck!
 
I just got off from my first practical about 12 hours ago (2000 to 0800, with interspersed moments of sleep, and a call 10 minutes before shift change which went until 1100 :P). I learned a lot, but my "mentor" later told me that I need to ask more questions. I guess I was afraid to bug him with mundane questions, but after hearing that I realize that that's why they're here.

So don't be afraid to be pick their brains!
 
I had my roation on Long Island when I did my class. It was a good time. My advice, as others have said, is get involved. Some techs may even have you run the call. As you will learn, what the book teaches you and what happens in the field are very different. Don't be afraid of making a mistake or forgetting to do something, there will be 2 experienced EMTs or Medics there to guide you. That is what this whole process is for, to learn.

When you get a call (most like when you just fell asleep, sat down to eat, or got a phone call from your girlfriend/boyfriend) your adrenaline will be pumping, especially with the lights and sirens blaring. You may experience putting on "blinders" where you just focus on the patient. Slow down, take a breath, and a look around. There are often sereral things in the surrounding environment of a scene that can tell you alot about the patient and why they are the way they are (ex: medicine bottles).
 
Lots of patients' home shave wheelchairs and other medical equipment around and you know something is up.
 
If you're not the one giving patient care at the moment, get in the habit of being an excellent assistant. Get right in there---hand off supplies, chart answers to questions, write down vitals/findings with corresponding times, write down when IVs are started, when meds are administered, etc. Be helpful. People will appreciate your helpfulness & will see that you're there to work (I've had trainees ride with me who were less than enthusiastic & didn't seem to want to be there at all... & I've had some excellent trainees who really impressed me).

During down time (if you have any!), put your hands on all of the equipment in the truck. Become familiar with everything...ask questions...jump right in...don't be shy. The more you do it, the more comfortable you'll become.
 
RELAX!!!!! I have been a paramedic preceptor since 1989---We want you to succeed. Just be methodical and follow the patient assessment technique you were taught. Oh...and after today---you will either be hooked on ems or not---you will know!!! So have a GREAT day.
 
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