Ever concerned that you don't know enough?

rhan101277

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I have yet to start my job as a EMT-Basic. Sometimes I wonder if I will be prepared for every call, if I will know exactly what needs to be done without a doubt. I guess experience will only fix this. I mean I can have some hand in saving people, but most will need more care than I can give. If I can't get them to the hospital in time, meet with ALS on time, or make appropriate decisions then the patients under my care could suffer. This is why I feel I must strive to read as much and learn as much as I can. It is hard to do with another full-time job, I wish it paid enough so I could do it and nothing else.

Anatomy and physiology is very important, but so much information is given to you its hard to remember everything, months down the line. Knowing the information though could help you save someone, or at least know how bad of a shape they are in. Guess I just need to build my confidence up.
 

ffemt8978

Forum Vice-Principal
Community Leader
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I'm always concerned that I don't know enough.

The fact is that NONE of us know enough...and if you think you do, it's time to get out of this field.
 

Ridryder911

EMS Guru
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I do know enough, that I will never know enough. Hopefully, to be able to recognize my limitations and to continue to strive to be better.

R/r 911
 

marineman

Forum Asst. Chief
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I do know enough, that I will never know enough. Hopefully, to be able to recognize my limitations and to continue to strive to be better.

R/r 911

Did you double dip on communion tonight or am I easily confused? I think I know what you said only because I know what your typical response to this would be.
 

Sasha

Forum Chief
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Ick. I felt confident when I got my license that I wasn't a complete idiot. Not that I know everything, but I wasn't gonna ride around feeling like a helmet wearing short bus rider. Being here and working with a CCEMTP/CCRN made me realize I know enough from the BOOK to be a decent EMT, but compared to others and the knowledge available, I have half a drop in the bucket.

Hakuna Matata. You aren't going to know everything, ever, and you can always learn something, but you're not gonna learn 'til you start getting out there.
 
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rhan101277

rhan101277

Forum Deputy Chief
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Ick. I felt confident when I got my license that I wasn't a complete idiot. Not that I know everything, but I wasn't gonna ride around feeling like a helmet wearing short bus rider. Being here and working with a CCEMTP/CCRN made me realize I know enough from the BOOK to be a decent EMT, but compared to others and the knowledge available, I have half a drop in the bucket.

Hakuna Matata. You aren't going to know everything, ever, and you can always learn something, but you're not gonna learn 'til you start getting out there.

I am confident, I think I just need to get some more rides under my belt. I worry about finding places and everything.
 

Airwaygoddess

Forum Deputy Chief
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On going....... Always!!

I do know enough, that I will never know enough. Hopefully, to be able to recognize my limitations and to continue to strive to be better.

R/r 911

No truer words were ever spoken, everything will come in due time with time
and practice.
 

BossyCow

Forum Deputy Chief
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Be very careful of setting your expectations of yourself too high. Wanting to be able to do 'everything possible' on 'every call' and to do your 'absolute best'. is a sure path to disappointment. Much of what we do involves very ill or seriously injured people. Many of them will die regardless of what we do, how soon we get there or what we have in our jump kits.

Be very careful of 'Ifs' If I had this in my pack, I could have saved this pt. If I had gotten there a minute or two earlier, if my partner had gotten the O2 out sooner, if our ambulance had a......

We do the best we can with who we are, what we know and the tools at our disposal at the time. We strive constantly to increase our skills and our knowledge base. Every call adds to that base.

I teach, and my goal in my classes is first to learn something I didn't know before class begins and then to pass it on to my students. After a few years and call or two, I'm still finding things that I didn't know. Accept that this will be a constant learning experience. Accept that no matter how prepared you think you are, there will be always be a patient who will redefine those parameters for you.
 

fortsmithman

Forum Deputy Chief
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I'm always concerned that I don't know enough. In my opinion no one knows enough except maybe 16 yr olds and as we know they know it all.
 

firecoins

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Hey! When I was 16 I did know it all. Than dementia set in.
 

jochi1543

Forum Captain
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Let's put it this way, I know everything I'm required to know, that's the only thing that should matter.
 

aussieemt1980

Forum Lieutenant
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I sometimes work with a partner with over 20 years experience and I have seen him scratch his head over something.

There is no such thing as too much experience in this job, and training will give you the base skills in being able to do what you have to do.

To give a perspective about training and experience:

On a clinical placement at a hospital for the nursing degree that I am studying, I went into a patients room with 2 RNs, one of whom was the ships nurse on the ark he had been nursing for that long, and noticed the patient was laying rigid, teeth clenched and convulsing.

1st RN: What is going on?
2nd RN: Don't know, its been on and off....
Student RN (me): You know, I think he may be having a seizure....

Sure enough, check the patients file, and he has a history.... Push some midazolam down the EG tube and he was ok....

Dont worry too much, you will get through it.
 

Alexakat

Forum Lieutenant
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You will never be fully prepared for everything that's out there...as others have said, we're all still learning---everyday...it never ends.

But as you get more experience & exposure to the field, you'll be more confident...

When I first started out, I was SUPER nervous, but I had some great mentors (find a good mentor) & they encouraged me & the confidence & comfort level came the more I just got in there.

Good luck!
 
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rhan101277

rhan101277

Forum Deputy Chief
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Yeah I'm ready to start working and getting some experience in the field.
 

MattMedic

Forum Ride Along
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You have the right mind-set. You should be concerned, there is much to learn about EMS. Once you think you have reached a point where you can't learn anymore it's time to get out. I know this sounds cliche, but it's very true. You need to embrace this feeling your having and do everything you can to address your weak areas, we all have them.
 

ErinCooley

Forum Lieutenant
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None of us will ever know enough... however, I am confident that I know enough/knew enough out of school to do my damndest to keep a pt alive until we got to the hospital. Make sense?
 

theaussie

Forum Ride Along
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You only need to know enough to get you through the training you have recieved.

Some people have a thirst for knowledge, this can be good. However, it can be a bad thing also because they try to play doctor when it is innapropriate.

The secret is to know when to apply the knowledge & when to keep your mouth shut.
 

Melbourne MICA

Forum Captain
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Never enough

Medicine can be viewed as the Ross Ice Shelf in the antarctic - vast, seemingly endless.

The greatest world renowned medical specialist alive is a giant iceberg floating in it. Impressive-standing out but still humble by the scale of the ice flow as a whole.

Your average doc is a modest but still impressive one - there are many of them all different sizes and shapes.

The ice flow constantly moves. grows, changes - it's never the same.

As for the average ambo - he is an ice cube - still part of the ice pack, important and unique and helping to keep it together but yet to absorb more ice as the world of medicine melts and helps the ice cube to grow.


MM

PS (Lets hope global warming doesn't spoil our growth!!!!)
 
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