Class starting, need a list.

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by ffemt8978+Jul 20 2005, 03:33 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ffemt8978 @ Jul 20 2005, 03:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by rescuecpt@Jul 20 2005, 12:18 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-TTLWHKR

@Jul 20 2005, 01:27 PM
I sold 300lbs +/- of medical stuff on ebay, including several light bars, radios and a siren.

Therefore, I am no longer a whacker by way of property.

Awww, you'll always be a whacker to us....

Whacker = Anyone who defines how much medical equipment they have or have had by it's weight. [/b][/quote]
I define it's weight by how much it cost to ship... I had 13 Traction splints of various type, size and color in the Garage. Mostly military surplus. Most of them came from 99 cent ebay auctions, or stuff that was in the vintage ambulances that I've owned.

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by Ian@Jul 20 2005, 02:02 AM
Going to ask for some quick input. What type of scope will work best for me? I have no clue in the difference and I just can't seem to find a real difference on google...There are some economy ones for like $9, will that last me good enough? It's a single head type I believe.

No- they SUCK!

you don't need a Littmann Master Cardiology, but a Mid grade littmann or a high-end ADC...

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by MMiz@Jul 20 2005, 02:39 AM
Before I started class I had:

Several legal pads - I'd take notes and at the end of the day tear 'em off, 3-hole punch them, and stick them in a binder
Required scrubs from bookstore
Galls BP/Stethoscope kit for $20

This is coming from someone who would love to go out and buy everything. I spent more money on books / study guides than on my gear.

Things I carry with me every day to work:
- Littman Stethoscope
- Cell Phone
- Work Pager
- Glove Pouch (I dont work often so I tend to forget gloves on scene)

Keep it simple!

I carry my Shears, car keys, EMS keys (2 restraint keys, CPR mask, CH-751 key and metal o2 wrench), pocket guide, Nextel, spare battery, notebook, pens (only pens... pencils don't really work on legal documents) with me most any time I work. My Streamlight stinger comes with me if I'm working at evening / nighttime

I usually have a pair or 2 of gloves in my back pocket (no, they don't sit there long enough to decay) and more in a thigh pocket if I'm working.


If you are going for plain BDU pants - try Galls
If looking for EMS pants, and like BDU pants, try the Tru*Spec EMS BDU pants sold by Galls and actiongear.com

If buying boots, Galls is a good place to at least look, but look for a local dealer to at least try them on... 6" or 8" is normal, 10" and 11" paratrooper boots are great for muddy season.

Good socks are a must.


Jon

 

[KEVD18]

scopes.....

a littmann is a wast of money until you know what your listening for. if you cant tell crackles from rales etc, stick with a low end general exam scope.

of course, some would argue that you'll never get good at determining 5the difference with the 9 dollar wonder so you should start with a real good scope

to each his own

btw: mine is a master cardiology(tactical edition). back up is a lit classic 2

 

[usafmedic45]

Originally posted by TTLWHKR+Jul 20 2005, 06:52 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (TTLWHKR @ Jul 20 2005, 06:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by ffemt8978@Jul 20 2005, 03:33 PM

Originally posted by rescuecpt@Jul 20 2005, 12:18 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-TTLWHKR

@Jul 20 2005, 01:27 PM
I sold 300lbs +/- of medical stuff on ebay, including several light bars, radios and a siren.

Therefore, I am no longer a whacker by way of property.

Awww, you'll always be a whacker to us....

Whacker = Anyone who defines how much medical equipment they have or have had by it's weight.

I define it's weight by how much it cost to ship... I had 13 Traction splints of various type, size and color in the Garage. Mostly military surplus. Most of them came from 99 cent ebay auctions, or stuff that was in the vintage ambulances that I've owned. [/b][/quote]
And do please tell us how much it costs to ship 300+ lbs of medical equipment including 13 ( :blink: !!!?) traction splints. :lol:

God bless you, (FORMER)WHKR, you make me not feel quite so bad about having a 6000+ cubic inch Kelty hiking pack as my "jump kit". :lol:

 

[emtbass]

Here is some advice that I have. Don't think that just cause its on the ambulance you don't need ur own. When i went through class I didnt take anything with me on my 1st ride out, and the medic was ticked off cause I was asking to borrow t-shears, etc. some essentials that I can think of are
SMALL notepad
pen or 2
scope
t-shears
pen light

Also, I always took my class books with me on the box. If you do like me, I did alot of 24 hr. shifts. There was always time to study, and that you need!!!

In the ER, you dont need nearly as much stuff, cause your always busy, and you really dont need too many toys.

1 more tip. Just a suggestion. I would get black pants is possible. I had a good reason why, but it just slipped my mind.

finally DONT BE SHY, AND ASK QUESTIONS !!!!!! LOTS OF EM !!!!!

 

[vtemti]

I have seen this many times. The newbies are all gung ho and want to stock up, but after some experience learn that it is not necessary and also can get expensive. My advise is to keep it to a minimum.

Most of your truly lifesaving or should I say life sustaining techniques (ABCs), can be done without equipment. I have also learned over the years to adapt what I have on hand and only carry with me a radio, quick hitch, gloves, pocket mask, shears, flashlight, Hazardous Materials guide and my cell.

I used to carry alot more, but got sick of looking like Batman with his utility belt.

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by vtemti@Jul 21 2005, 12:22 PM
quick hitch

What is that???

 

[vtemti]

Originally posted by MedicStudentJon+Jul 21 2005, 12:31 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (MedicStudentJon @ Jul 21 2005, 12:31 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-vtemti@Jul 21 2005, 12:22 PM
quick hitch

What is that??? [/b][/quote]
Night hitch, Bunker gear, your choice of term.

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by vtemti+Jul 21 2005, 12:37 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (vtemti @ Jul 21 2005, 12:37 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by MedicStudentJon@Jul 21 2005, 12:31 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-vtemti

@Jul 21 2005, 12:22 PM
quick hitch

What is that???

Night hitch, Bunker gear, your choice of term. [/b][/quote]
so turnout gear?

Thought this was one of those "firefighter extrication" tools that some RIT teams play with....

 

[Nikki320]

LOL for my EMT-B class i had a 5 dollar cheap-o stethoscope, pens and pencils, a binder, ofcourse the book, and uh i bought some navy ****ies. On my ride-a-longs i wore tennis shoes, my ****ies, and the shirt they provided i brought with me my stethoscope and that's all. Wait until you're through with the class to buy all the expensive stuff who knows you may get through it go on a ride a long and decide you hate this stuff.
http://www.best-boots.com/original_swat_cl...9_3423_prd1.htm
Those are the boots i have, except theyre for womens but i think those are the guy equivalent. They're comfortable once you wear them in.

 

[Luno]

Yeah, pretty much what everyone else has already said, DON"Tgo heavy on equipment, what I've found is to know why you need something especially before you even consider buying it. I had been running a rig for over a year before I decided I needed a Littmann. There should be a required/suggested equipment list for your class, just buy the basics, you should be good. For pants, it depends on your climate, standard EMS pants work great in WA for 9 months of the year, then I switched to summer weight BDUs for the summer. Boots depend on your schedule, you probably don't want to be jumping out of bed, and then lacing your boots before you can head to the rig, side zips work great for that, but you also sacrifice some side to side stability. My all time favorites were (and still are, even though I'm not on the rigs anymore) Bates Sidewinders (tactical boots modeled after the GSG-9 Adidas boots) with zippers. For my work now I use the Falcons, which are just standard lace ups. A good resource for footwear, pretty cheap is botac.com, they are the cheapest for bates that I've found. Good luck, and welcome to EMS.

 

[emtbass]

i forgot one thing earlier. some kind of field guide is always a plus. I found it very useful. usually on calls, but sometimes i would just look in it after a call to see why we did some of the things we did (when medic was busy and I couldnt ask him)... but when possible ask medic. although i did get a medic once that hated students and never said a word to me... acted like I wasnt there. It was the most horrible day EVER. I finally just got off the truck when we were at the ER and stayed there to help.

 

[MMiz]

Originally posted by emtbass@Jul 21 2005, 09:47 PM
i forgot one thing earlier. some kind of field guide is always a plus. I found it very useful. usually on calls, but sometimes i would just look in it after a call to see why we did some of the things we did (when medic was busy and I couldnt ask him)... but when possible ask medic. although i did get a medic once that hated students and never said a word to me... acted like I wasnt there. It was the most horrible day EVER. I finally just got off the truck when we were at the ER and stayed there to help.

Great addition!

EVERYONE I work with, including the medics, carry a flip guide. I put a large white sticker on the front inside page that has:

Numbers to our local hospitals
FuelMan gas numbers - We use these at local fuel places to fuel up the rigs
And basic radio report info and numbers I don't use often.

I'm lost without it.

 

[emtbass]

It was just so much easier using a field guide, and it actually had somethings that my text book didnt have. and face it.. it would be very interesting carrying your textbook around in you pocket all day. I bought the field guide for like 5 bucks in my college bookstore.. BEST THING I EVER INVESTED IN

 

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by MedicStudentJon+Jul 21 2005, 11:41 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (MedicStudentJon @ Jul 21 2005, 11:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by vtemti@Jul 21 2005, 12:37 PM

Originally posted by MedicStudentJon@Jul 21 2005, 12:31 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-vtemti

@Jul 21 2005, 12:22 PM
quick hitch

What is that???

Night hitch, Bunker gear, your choice of term.

so turnout gear?

Thought this was one of those "firefighter extrication" tools that some RIT teams play with.... [/b][/quote]
Turn Out Gear = The Gear Firemen Turn Out in for a call

Bunker Gear = Bunk Room Gear

Started out as Bunker Pants. In cities they would wear high boots and coats during the day, and nomex pants at night.. They would be in their bunks, and Turn out.. in their Bunk Room Gear.

I read that in a book a long time ago.

 

[Luno]

Actually, I think my best investment ever was a drug book, it cost me about 8 bucks at barnes and noble, and was used on almost every shift. I learned more from that book than anything else.

 

[Ridryder911]

Before I would purchase any additional equipment or books, I would finish the program.. & see if this is really what you want to do. Again, my philosphy is it's not what you put in your ears, it is what is between them, that counts when purchasing a stethescope. Here, Basic EMT studnets only do about 50 hr EMS cliical time & 48 hr ER time, so touching or getting involved with patient care is very liimited. Purchasing equipment at this early stage of career, could be costly & a waste of time.

Good luck,
Ridryder 911

 

[Jon]

a field guide is a great thing to have... I use it all the time for "what is this med" - other day, we had a "soma" OD - I looked it up and went "Oh, crap" because Soma is a muscle relaxant... not quite Sux, but in an OD can have a similar effect (and it did... GCS of 5) - Having the guide to look up the med BEFORE arrivial let me know what I was walking into, and I was able to tell the medic EXACTLY what it was and the obvious risks with the OD....

Also, great as a peds referance... can you tell me what a good heart rate is for a 6 month old off the top of your head????

I carry pocket guide, gloves, penlight, pens, Sharpie, scope (with BAAM and tape) and napkins with me almost all the time....

My favriote point is when we get a ride-along..... "I brought my blood pressure cuff" .... yay... I've got a spare, in case the 3 adults, 2 large adults and my full set of ped ones ALL cease to work

Jon

 

[Ian]

thanks for all the help, I have everything I need, and all of it fits into two pockets besides my book and paper. Everyone is stressing not to carry much, and from the looks of it, I won't be.