A day in triage can be FAR more beneficial for the new provider than a day on the truck. Recognizing acuity of patients quickly is a subtle art that needs to be mastered. It doesn't seem like it, but that probably taught you more (unless you were completely close minded) than watching a trauma arrest would have. Triage is much more than slapping a BP cuff and pulse ox on people.
Couldn't have been said any better. If I the opportunity to choose between more time on a rig or in a ED doing triage, I would pick ED + triage. There is so much more to learn from triage. Sure, you might not be doing any crazy interventions, but the education/experience you pickup in triage is priceless.
You probably saw a lot more than you would have with Paramedics. Too bad you didn't take the initiative to ask questions.
What was being done for the code? Did you make it known that you knew CPR? The staff would probably have welcomed a fresh set of hands. Why no intubation? What were the signs and symptoms of the AAA? How many patients did you and the ECG tech interact with? How was privacy maintained? What questions were asked in triage? Did you manually check a pulse at least to assure accuracy of the values given on the pulse ox and BP machine? I do acknowledge that you were limited because of your age which might even have restricted you from access to many procedures and even access to some medical records. But if your state says you are old enough to take an EMT class, then you will have to take some of the responsibility on yourself to make the most of these clinicals. It probably won't be any different with a Paramedic if you don't make it known that you are willing to learn and do more.
Agreed. I think your clinical experience is solely based on how you make of your experience. If you make the most out of it, you will definitely enjoy/ learn from it. If you stand there and watch, of course it will be boring. I don't think age matters, if you're taking a EMT course, you should be expected to know the basics (CPR, ventilation, etc.). Hell, I've seen 12 year olds do some great compressions and ventilations!
During my clinical at the ER, I was bored for the first few hours (it was a smaller Level II trauma center). But I quickly realized, it's MY clinical experience. The RNs and ED techs could care less about me. That's when I started going from room to room, doing patient assessments (even though the RNs and ER Doc already conducted their own assessments), and generally offering my assistance in any way possible. It was a great experience; I was able to interact with a bunch of different patients, all of which loved my presence. By the end of the day, I had assisted a ER doc with stitching of a lacerated lip, mastered the placement of 12 leads, and picked up a few things or two when assessing an AMS patient.
It also helps to interact with the staff. I picked up a lot of knowledge from my preceptor (she was the ED tech on duty; former paramedic) that I wouldn't have otherwise in the classroom / ride-along.
