How do you rendezvous with ALS?

[DragonClaw]

I see in my books it mentions meeting with ALS en route to the hospital if needed, but, how?

I mean, do you pull over to the parking lot of Walmart and swap trucks (After situating the patent, etc)?

What's the process for meeting ALS when you've already begun transport to the ED?

 

[Jn1232th]

In my area if ALS intercepts, they typically grab there equipment and jump in back of BLS rig.

 

[DragonClaw]

In my area if ALS intercepts, they typically grab there equipment and jump in back of BLS rig.

On the shoulder of the road, or what?

 

[DesertMedic66]

It’s going to depend on how your specific area operates. For mine, since we are the 911/ALS provider and also operate BLS units our BLS units would say they need to meet up with an ALS unit and they would normally pick a safe location to swap over (parking lot or other wide areas). When the ALS unit gets on scene we will transfer the patient from the BLS unit into the ALS unit. The BLS unit would go back in service.

 

[CCCSD]

Usually both rigs slow down to about 45 mph, then the medic leaps onto the bumper and in the door.

Are you actually an EMT student? Most of your questions should have been answered in class.

 

[DragonClaw]

Usually both rigs slow down to about 45 mph, then the medic leaps onto the bumper and in the door.

Are you actually an EMT student? Most of your questions should have been answered in class.

I knew it. James Bond style. Shaken, not stirred patients are the best.

Yes, I am, but it's online (In-class wasn't really an option for me) and the professors are ... inattentive at best. Not to bash, but 1-2 weeks for a response, and the instructor ended up saying that she couldn't answer my questions because my grammar was terrible.

I'll admit, I was expecting something different. But I have 6 months from the start of the program to nail all of their curriculum , can't un-ring that bell.

 

[hometownmedic5]

I’m not one to stifle the learning process, but I promise you two things. One, you are going to learn things in class . Two, you don’t need to, and could never possibly, show up on day one knowing everything about everything. Focus on your curriculum, not trying to master the job before you work your first shift.

 

[DragonClaw]

I’m not one to stifle the learning process, but I promise you two things. One, you are going to learn things in class. Two, you don’t need to, and could never possibly, show up on day one knowing everything about everything. Focus on your curriculum, not trying to master the job before you work your first shift.

I can have a tendency to do the "Cart before the horse" thing.

But, I thought you had to know this stuff before you would even get hired? Like, ready to go?

 

[dutemplar]

Usually both rigs slow down to about 45 mph, then the medic leaps onto the bumper and in the door.

Are you actually an EMT student? Most of your questions should have been answered in class.

Both rigs pull up next to each other. Launch a zip line across. Medic tethers over. Grabs the patient. Returns to the ALS unit unless he releases to BLS. Hopefully they don’t run out of highway (or fuel).

Best illustrated in this movie scene.

 

[CCCSD]

I think you are a perfect example of why most of us don’t advocate online EMT schools... You NEED to be in a classroom.

 

[Tigger]

I knew it. James Bond style. Shaken, not stirred patients are the best.

Yes, I am, but it's online (In-class wasn't really an option for me) and the professors are ... inattentive at best. Not to bash, but 1-2 weeks for a response, and the instructor ended up saying that she couldn't answer my questions because my grammar was terrible.

I'll admit, I was expecting something different. But I have 6 months from the start of the program to nail all of their curriculum , can't un-ring that bell.

What sort of program allows for such a lag in response? Seriously, that is unacceptable. There are ways to make online/hybrid classes work and an available instructor is pretty essential.

Where I'm at destination drives how things done. If we're on the way to the landing zone and are just going to be with the patient for a relatively short time, the medic just grabs our stuff and hops in the BLS ambulance. If more hands are needed we'll find someone to drive our truck behind BLS. If we're going to go by ground, we'll meet at an outlying fire station and switch the patient into our truck. BLS here has pretty restrive guidelines on what they can transport themselves so this is most common. I appreciate them being able to move patients closer to us given the very long response times out here.

 

[Jn1232th]

On the shoulder of the road, or what?

Yeah few times or school parking lot. But most time the hospital are so close that if patient became ALS priority we will just transport to hospital without stopping. Be faster than waiting.

 

[Jn1232th]

Yeah few times or school parking lot. But most time the hospital are so close that if patient became ALS priority we will just transport to hospital without stopping. Be faster than waiting.

Also mostly every call a medic responds to where I live so only time that happened was with interfacility transports or " private" 911 calls from nursing facilities

 

[Bullets]

As a medic who intercepts regularly, we usually try to find a parking lot or somewhere safe to pull off and meet the BLS squad. We bring our equipment into the BLS truck and do our assessment. If its clearly a serious patient we will have one of the EMTs drive our truck, if not one of us will go back and drive our truck

But this is highly system dependent.

 

[DragonClaw]

I think you are a perfect example of why most of us don’t advocate online EMT schools... You NEED to be in a classroom.

I agree. But money has already been spent. Might as well do my best on all of it.

 

[DragonClaw]

What sort of program allows for such a lag in response? Seriously, that is unacceptable. There are ways to make online/hybrid classes work and an available instructor is pretty essential.

Some of the instructors literally never replied. I agree, pretty ridiculous. So I apologize for asking so many noob questions. With the course, no use crying over spilled milk.

Some tests questions I answered correctly, but the quiz said I was wrong. I asked the instructor, she blew me off and said to contact IT of the site. She didn't even verify that I was right or wrong or explain why I was right or wrong. I included screenshots from the test and the book to no avail.

No refunds. Before starting, I'd spoken to a program director and he took the time to explain the process and answer all questions. I thought this was going to be legit. I've spoken to other students, now that I'm in the program, and they all mention lack of responsiveness from instructors.

Hindsight is 20/20. But enough griping. I know my problem, and I have a solution. Refer to other EMTs and study. I even bought the non necessary physical text book, workbook, a study app and a subscription to an NREMT website. Can't let them hold me back, especially when I see this early in, I can compensate for that and make it.

 

[hometownmedic5]

I’m not one to stifle the learning process, but I promise you two things. One, you are going to learn things in class . Two, you don’t need to, and could never possibly, show up on day one knowing everything about everything. Focus on your curriculum, not trying to master the job before you work your first shift.

Anybody that expects you to be both a master technician and a system expert the day you graduate from school is a moron and you can tell them I said so. School teaches you, at its very best, a coarse overview of what the job is and how to do it. This is refined some during your onboarding, but you spend the bulk of your first year learning how to actually do the job, and at the very least your first few months learning how to operate in a new system.

 

[DragonClaw]

Anybody that expects you to be both a master technician and a system expert the day you graduate from school is a moron and you can tell them I said so. School teaches you, at its very best, a coarse overview of what the job is and how to do it. This is refined some during your onboarding, but you spend the bulk of your first year learning how to actually do the job, and at the very least your first few months learning how to operate in a new system.

Noted. Nobody has said I had to know it all, but they didn't say I didn't have to, either.

It just seemed like if you applied for a job as a professional, you'd pretty much know the job.

 

[CCCSD]

What is the NREMT pass rate of your program?

 

[DragonClaw]

What is the NREMT pass rate of your program?

I don't remember that being mentioned.

Edit: Another student mentioned how he b waa getting test scores in the 90s, but he couldn't pass the course test. He feels overwhelmed and concerned about passing.