Driving Skills Questions

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Aerin-Sol

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I am not a very good driver. I'm overly cautious and I have a bad sense of direction. Can I still be an EMT? I know I'll mainly be doing non-critical transport work as a beginner -- is it okay to be overly cautious there? Can I request not driving as a newbie? Will my partner hate me for it? If I do have to drive, can I bring my GPS?
 
You can be successful at whatever you want in life as long as you're willing to work hard.

I began working in EMS as mediocre driver with a horrible sense of direction who didn't want to drive the rig. I'm still a mediocre driver with a horrible sense of direction.

I spent many hours learning our service area, and relied heavily on my GPS at the time. I found that working in transport 99% of my partners liked driving rather than working the patient in the back. With some partners I spent the entire time in back, while with others I traded off every other patient.

As long as you're willing to learn you'll be fine in EMS.
 
Overly cautious is better than not cautious enough I would think. Your job as a driver is to get your partner and pt. to their destination in a safe, efficient, and as comfortable as possible manner. If you have a bad sense of direction, then you need to work on that. Bring your GPS if you need it, but, you should not be relying on it for every run. If you have trouble with street locations, sit down with your phone book, they usually have a city map in it. Learn how the house numbering systems work in your area. Get to know the "main" roads around and how best to utilize them to save time. Again, you have two people in the back of the truck, any G-forces you feel in the front will be multiplied by a factor of 10 in the back. If you are uncomfortable driving, talk to your supervisor and see if there is some sort of training program with your service.
 
Hey, everything ^ the previous poster said.

In addition, some companies will actually have an onboard computer/GPS system where you punch in an address for calls and will show you the fastest route.

Keep in mind that these are the nicer companies with a little more money and more sophisticated systems.
 
I'm so glad you asked. I hate to drive. And we still have some "wagon trail" roads around here. To take a left thinking you'll go left but you end up going south, north, east, west and then end up in africa. :P
 
Due to your area I have a feeling I know what transport company you'll be working for. If it's the one I'm thinking of (and feel free to PM me if you want about it) then you can request to be put on the non-driver list and you'll be put either in Indiana with a driver/tech or you'll be in Ky with an EMT who will drive around all day.

If you have a regular partner there I suggest figuring out the driving, while I didn't mind driving around every once in awhile, working with a non-driver every day got to me. You'll be fine, be careful around the hospitals here, we have some tight squeezes, especially downtown.

Look me up on aim sometime and we can chat about EMS in this area.
 
One of the reasons I'm going to medic school... I hate driving! :P
 
The "best drivers" have the worst accidents.

You will get better and more confident or you won't, but the former is more likely. They didn't let me drive on my second EMT job because I wasn't a native and didn't have a car most of that time (long story), so I was the one doing the care etc. They came to value me for that, and becuase I learned how to use their maps and so help navigate.
 
Just Because I Love this Picture...

Wise-Up.jpg
 
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