Any advice?

[angels.girl84]

I'm about 3 weeks out from finishing my EMT basic course and getting ready to test for the NREMT. I'm doing well in my class and have previously worked in various dr's offices for the past 7 years so I'm pretty comfortable in the medical field. I've got 2 clinical trainings scheduled, 1 at the Trauma center ER and 1 with the local Fire Dept. So going into clinical's I'm only semi nervous just because I don't know what to expect. Whats the best advice you have for me?


Thanks!

 

[Shishkabob]

Best advice?


Don't kill anyone.





Other advice?

Volunteer to do stuff, and don't be afraid to take initiative in patient care. Learn as much as you can while you have a safety net.

 

[clibb]

I always did the dishes at my fire dept clinicals. Shows character and that you really appreciate them for letting you ride along.

 

[angels.girl84]

Thanks for the advice Last night was awesome, had 3 trauma calls, gained respect from most nurses quickly by cleaning and prepping the beds as soon as they were emptied B) Only got messed with by one EMT that was bringing patients in, all others were nice, went thru their calls with me. I learned alot & can't wait to go back!

 

[Level1pedstech]

Glad to hear your first shift went well its nice to see a new basic getting offered the chance to do more than one 12 hour shift in the ER. Is your preceptor an RN or a tech?

On your next shift try and get some hands on with the little ones,hopefully since your in a level one facility they have a peds only ER. If its a combination ER that will work but the peds only ER is a whole different world and its good to experience the different culture. Your first dealings with very sick kids would go much better in the controlled environment the ER offers. I wont be the first to tell you that kids in general make some people nervous and you can imagine how they react with a very sick kid plus you often have the added bonus of very upset parents or care givers. Pay close attention to how the staff interacts with the family,you will find that a large factor in dealing with kids is how to utilize the parents or caregivers when your doing your assessments and putting together a treatment plan. Most basic instructors move quickly through pediatrics just offering what the textbook says largely because they have a very limited amount of time dealing with very sick kids themselves.

 

[feldy]

+1 for the peds. I work in a level 3 trauma center where we have a peds section. While im mostly in triage and the trauma part, i try to go over to peds just to see whats going on. The more comfortable you can get with them the better caregiver you will be.

Dealing with parents is a tough one. Some will come in very calm and some will come in hysterical and depending on the illness or injury you will learn how to read and deal with them. I still need more exposure to them. I wish i was more prepared for dealing with parents on my first ride along. Had a 14 y/o F overdose attempt suicide and the medics onscene made me deal with the parents and I was pretty much lost for words just telling them that she is alive and is in the best possible hands she could be in. I wish I could have been more comfortable b/c i was so nervous talking to them since it was really my first interation with a pts family in a life or death situation.