First Medic Event job as a basic EMT

Medicgirli87

Medicgirli87

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Good morning everyone,
I finally received my state license as an EMT...I've been working part time as a Examiners assistant at the school I went to for my EMT classes. But with no real life medical experiences there I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I'm starting another contract job as an event medic and I am a bit nervous. It's a race for athletes to obstacles. I'm going to be reviewing all my skills and some notes of mine from school to brush up my knowledge. I'm just a bit nervous is all. So would anyone have any tips or advice on what to expect? Any input you may have is much appreciated...thank you♡
 
Hi 87,

As the esteemed DEmedic advised, bring something to do. I have worked events like these for a few years and can say with some confidence that there is a flow to how these races pan out. First, most folks doing the race (most), know that they are capable and trained enough to do it. But some are not and will end up walking and needing a ride. There will be a couple of legit injuries but those will likely be ankles and knees and will be swarmed by the medics and the GI rescue Joe types. (nothing wrong with that) Point is, you won't be alone and will have plenty of time and space to observe and get a few pts under your belt. Curious what company and where?

All in all, review and practice your basic assessment skills and remember that some injuries can be hidden by bravado, mud, and heat related AMS if its hot. Otherwise, enjoy. We were all there once. Try to work with an experienced person too. and remember to have fun.:)
 
Thank you! It's called Event Medic Services and they are all over I believe. The race is called Battle of the Frogs....It's going to be in Hudson WI. I'll bring my book and I should be good on bandaids LOL. Appreciate the advice
 
Medicgirli87 said:
Thank you! It's called Event Medic Services and they are all over I believe. The race is called Battle of the Frogs....It's going to be in Hudson WI. I'll bring my book and I should be good on bandaids LOL. Appreciate the advice
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But remember that it might not just be a cakewalk. I just got my test results this morning for passing the NREMT-B (passed!), but have been an MFR/FF for a little while now. At my first event as an MFR, I personally had close to seven potentially critical patient contacts (only one needed transport after evaluation) and witnessed an MCI with two fatalities.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
 
ThePants said:
... At my first event as an MFR, I personally had close to seven potentially critical patient contacts (only one needed transport after evaluation) ....
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DEmedic said:
View attachment 2867
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Eh? Not sure I follow. Can you clarify, please?

The event was an international motorcycle race, with medics posted on each turn of the course. My turn was especially busy that weekend (three day event), the average speed of vehicles on my turn being about 130mph. Amazing how smashed up a motorcycle can get and leave a patient with nothing but a rung bell after a minute of laying still and being pawed over by race medics. Their helmets, being top quality, were super easy to remove, being the nice new race standard with removable cheek pads. It's really great practice for high paced trauma evaluations and load n go's.

The MCI happened on another section of the track, which was not in my response area. Stayed on radio the whole time, and witnessed three medivac helicopters flying patients out. Due to HIPAA, nobody discussed the outcomes at the race. We all had to wait for the news reports afterwards to find out.
 
ThePants said:
Eh? Not sure I follow. Can you clarify, please?

The event was an international motorcycle race, with medics posted on each turn of the course. My turn was especially busy that weekend (three day event), the average speed of vehicles on my turn being about 130mph. Amazing how smashed up a motorcycle can get and leave a patient with nothing but a rung bell after a minute of laying still and being pawed over by race medics. Their helmets, being top quality, were super easy to remove, being the nice new race standard with removable cheek pads. It's really great practice for high paced trauma evaluations and load n go's.

The MCI happened on another section of the track, which was not in my response area. Stayed on radio the whole time, and witnessed three medivac helicopters flying patients out. Due to HIPAA, nobody discussed the outcomes at the race. We all had to wait for the news reports afterwards to find out.
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They're not critical patients if you only transport one of them.
 
Ah. I'll clarify.

"seven potentially critical patient contacts (only one needed transport after evaluation)" was what I said above. Considering the significant MOI, all patients were considered critical and backboarded if they could not ambulate off the track themselves immediately. Each patient was undressed and evaluated for trauma and neurological before being cleared, trackside. S-O-P for a high speed race. One of the only places you'll get to see the MOI of every patient you treat. As highly experienced professionals, I'm sure you've posted at something similar.

By the way, way to jump down a newbs throat guys. I dealt with this stuff as a probie. Didn't expect a lesson on semantics in a professional forum before even getting a proper welcome. Way to go.
 
ThePants said:
Ah. I'll clarify.

"seven potentially critical patient contacts (only one needed transport after evaluation)" was what I said above. Considering the significant MOI, all patients were considered critical and backboarded if they could not ambulate off the track themselves immediately. Each patient was undressed and evaluated for trauma and neurological before being cleared, trackside. S-O-P for a high speed race. One of the only places you'll get to see the MOI of every patient you treat. As highly experienced professionals, I'm sure you've posted at something similar.

By the way, way to jump down a newbs throat guys. I dealt with this stuff as a probie. Didn't expect a lesson on semantics in a professional forum before even getting a proper welcome. Way to go.
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You are calling this a professional forum. What makes it professional? If I go to EMT school for 150 hours and then paramedic school for 5,000 hours, and then I work in that profession for a few years (all of which I've done), I still have far less experience than many other people in EMS, and I still can't even scratch the surface when it comes to the knowledge that some of the doctors on this forum have when it comes to medicine. When you receive less training than a lifeguard and then jump on to a "professional" forum (using your word...I wouldn't call EMS "professional", as we have no professional standards like a bachelor's degree) why would you expect people who aren't even similar in terms of training or experience to treat you professionally? I understand that people should certainly be civil and respectful, but that doesn't mean that what you have done or described is worthy of "professional" critique. How would it sound if I built a Soapbox Car and then went onto a professional Indy Car racing forum to discuss my Soapbox Car? Should I be treated with respect as a peer or cohort?
 
ThePants said:
Eh? Not sure I follow. Can you clarify, please?

The event was an international motorcycle race, with medics posted on each turn of the course. My turn was especially busy that weekend (three day event), the average speed of vehicles on my turn being about 130mph. Amazing how smashed up a motorcycle can get and leave a patient with nothing but a rung bell after a minute of laying still and being pawed over by race medics. Their helmets, being top quality, were super easy to remove, being the nice new race standard with removable cheek pads. It's really great practice for high paced trauma evaluations and load n go's.

The MCI happened on another section of the track, which was not in my response area. Stayed on radio the whole time, and witnessed three medivac helicopters flying patients out. Due to HIPAA, nobody discussed the outcomes at the race. We all had to wait for the news reports afterwards to find out.
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ThePants said:
Oh, I see. The trolls have the floor here.
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Nope not trolls. Just a bunch of providers who have decades of EMS experience among them along with some who are RNs, CRNAs, and a couple docs. Best suggestion I can give you is not try and one up anyone with calls you have run or heard of. If you have a legitimate question or want input on something, we are always happy to assist. But this is an EMS forum so be prepared for people to make you work on research your information and accept some humility. I've been working this job for a while and readily admit there are times I still go for the books after a call or will ask for more information on something from others. Calling some of the members here trolls wasn't a nice thing to do either.
 
I don't think doing a stand-by for a marathon is really comparable to a motorsport event....
 
luke_31 said:
Nope not trolls. Just a bunch of providers who have decades of EMS experience among them along with some who are RNs, CRNAs, and a couple docs. Best suggestion I can give you is not try and one up anyone with calls you have run or heard of. If you have a legitimate question or want input on something, we are always happy to assist. But this is an EMS forum so be prepared for people to make you work on research your information and accept some humility. I've been working this job for a while and readily admit there are times I still go for the books after a call or will ask for more information on something from others. Calling some of the members here trolls wasn't a nice thing to do either.
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I am more than happy to give respect where it's due. Not trying to one-up anyone, either. I offered legitimate advice to a fellow provider, with experiences I have had. When questioned by a tertiary party, I provided more information for clarification that did not violate HIPAA or national/local protocol. Before my comment about certain trolls, I remained positive and informative. If anyone feels one-upped, or butthurt, that's not my problem. I came here as a professional, to gain knowledge and share experience, not to argue semantics with those who consider me unworthy of respect. Work is hard enough. I don't have to deal with egotistical pre-madonnas when I'm not getting paid.

Show me, in professional language, where my information was suspect or flawed. All I've seen so far is someone get their feathers ruffled for no apparent reason, and a poor attempt at establishing a pecking order with an outdated meme when their number was called.

The classic fallacies of 'moving the goalpost', 'argumentum ad verecundiam', and just plain hostility without provocation are insufficient proofs for me to lend my respect. In fact, they require of me the exact opposite.
 
Flying said:
I don't think doing a stand-by for a marathon is really comparable to a motorsport event....
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Probably true. However, sometimes, on somebody's first shift at a public event, the fit really can hit the shan. This is the experience I hoped to imply to the original poster. When I went to the event, I was told that we were probably going to be pretty bored because 'nobody ever gets hurt at this event'. Imagine my surprise.
 
Bring a book as others have stated. When in doubt call the ambulance and try not to overthink anything.
 
ThePants said:
I am more than happy to give respect where it's due. Not trying to one-up anyone, either. I offered legitimate advice to a fellow provider, with experiences I have had. When questioned by a tertiary party, I provided more information for clarification that did not violate HIPAA or national/local protocol. Before my comment about certain trolls, I remained positive and informative. If anyone feels one-upped, or butthurt, that's not my problem. I came here as a professional, to gain knowledge and share experience, not to argue semantics with those who consider me unworthy of respect. Work is hard enough. I don't have to deal with egotistical pre-madonnas when I'm not getting paid.

Show me, in professional language, where my information was suspect or flawed. All I've seen so far is someone get their feathers ruffled for no apparent reason, and a poor attempt at establishing a pecking order with an outdated meme when their number was called.

The classic fallacies of 'moving the goalpost', 'argumentum ad verecundiam', and just plain hostility without provocation are insufficient proofs for me to lend my respect. In fact, they require of me the exact opposite.
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TL;DR.

"somebody wasn't nice to me when I bragged about all the bad stuff I've seen."

Get over it.

You find this is a great place to learn, debate and have your opinions soundly stomped into the ground by people smarter than you. (See: @ERDoc, @Remi @akflightmedic and several others.)

But it's not a very forgiving community when you walk in and commence with a **** measuring contest in your first couple of posts.
 
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