new emtb needs some advice

[xsullyx]

hey all i use to read these forums back in emt school and figured this is the only place i could go for some advice on my problem.

im a newly certified emt, grad about 5 months ago. couldnt find work for about 2 months then got a job at a 911 squad in the county. im on a probational status there, and will remain so until i Pass a paramedic skills test (done) and prove to my preceptor i can "take control of the call".

i seem to be having an issue with the last part.

i was hired 3 months ago at an extremley (1 day a week) part time schedule. the station i work at is not at all busy, weare lucky to get a single call. i was just moved up to 3 days a week, but have been catching hell from my supervisor for failing to " take control"

essentially he is saying that i am failing to get to the pt first ahead of him and a medic to do an assessment. they tell me they want to see me assess, as it is " the only thing holding me back fron full time" and then as soon as we get our whopping 1 call for the day, they race to the pt and fly thru everything w/o giving me room to do my job.

now granted i have always been abit shy/reserved but as far as interventions or care once the pt is in the truck even they agree im fine. but i was told that since it is now over 90 days sinve my hire and i still have not proven myself im in jeapordy of losing my job. my preceptor even said i should reconsider being in ems! i agree that i do get nervous on calls and sometimes draw blanks for a second but i have always come up with the right answer and have come a long way in calming my nerves while on a call.

i worked really hard in emt school. missed first place in my class by 1/4 of apoint and emt jobs are hard to come by in my area. is there any hope for me? and my nerves while on a call or am i destined for the fast food industry?

plz forgive any typos im sending this from my iphone
thnx for ur time in reading this

 

[taz1890]

Confidence

My quick advice - just be confident....in whatever you do. Have confidence in yourself, your skills, your education and your decisions. On the next call, jump in and just do it - confidently. I understand the shy, reserved part, but by this point I would imagine you probably know what your doing. Your supervisor and preceptor just want to see that confidence. Even if you feel you have no idea what to do, just make a decision - and be confident in it. I bet that it will be the right decision.

You can do it! Good luck!

 

[wyoskibum]

Take control before you even get on scene. Pre-plan enroute. ie: Chest pain call:

"Mind if I take the lead on this call? I'll do the initial assessment and get history. Joe, can you get the pt on O2 and get a baseline BP. Lisa, can you get the patient on the monitor?"

Sounds like you have enough help. Don't do any of the interventions, instruct your other team members as to what you would like for them to do.

 

[Level1pedstech]

hey all i use to read these forums back in emt school and figured this is the only place i could go for some advice on my problem.

im a newly certified emt, grad about 5 months ago. couldnt find work for about 2 months then got a job at a 911 squad in the county. im on a probational status there, and will remain so until i Pass a paramedic skills test (done) and prove to my preceptor i can "take control of the call".

i seem to be having an issue with the last part.

i was hired 3 months ago at an extremley (1 day a week) part time schedule. the station i work at is not at all busy, weare lucky to get a single call. i was just moved up to 3 days a week, but have been catching hell from my supervisor for failing to " take control"

essentially he is saying that i am failing to get to the pt first ahead of him and a medic to do an assessment. they tell me they want to see me assess, as it is " the only thing holding me back fron full time" and then as soon as we get our whopping 1 call for the day, they race to the pt and fly thru everything w/o giving me room to do my job.

now granted i have always been abit shy/reserved but as far as interventions or care once the pt is in the truck even they agree im fine. but i was told that since it is now over 90 days sinve my hire and i still have not proven myself im in jeapordy of losing my job. my preceptor even said i should reconsider being in ems! i agree that i do get nervous on calls and sometimes draw blanks for a second but i have always come up with the right answer and have come a long way in calming my nerves while on a call.

i worked really hard in emt school. missed first place in my class by 1/4 of apoint and emt jobs are hard to come by in my area. is there any hope for me? and my nerves while on a call or am i destined for the fast food industry?

plz forgive any typos im sending this from my iphone
thnx for ur time in reading this

With your agencies call volume how many patient contacts have you had in 90days, I would bet not enough to be able to get a good read on your ability to be a good provider. I wonder if you feel a bit intimidated when your working with your preceptor or other providers who have more time on the job. I know when I started years ago I would get intimidated by the medics with our ALS service, I had always thought that paramedics were gods and I held them in high regard and wanted to prove that I knew my stuff. It was only after I moved into the ER that I realized that medics are not the gods they appear to be at least to people new to the job. I know this will come as great shock to those who believe they hold such status but they have good and bad days like everyone else. Just try and stay focused on giving your patients the best care possible and with time your comfort level with both your patients and your peers will improve greatly.

If you finished near the top of your class you should have a decent grasp of the material, there are folks that need more in the way of patient contacts before they reach full potential in the field. There also is a small segment of incoming EMT's that will never develop proper patient care skills and should probably stick with another line of work. Have you thought about looking for a job as an ER Tech? You would have more patient contacts in one shift than you would in a year or more at your current call volume. At the least I would try to get into the ER where you did your clinical rotation and see if you can get some more time working with patients.

I don't know if I like the style of your preceptor, to say you may not belong in EMS at such an early stage of your career seems a bit harsh but I don't know the whole story. When I have somebody shadow me in the ER the last thing I'm going to do is tell them to find another line of work even though there have been times where it would have been good advice.

 

[46Young]

On every call, tell them that you're taking lead. Assuming you have a crew of three or more, tell the precepting medic to get the pt's Hx/meds/allergies/demographics from family as well as their story, to compare it with yours in back of the rig. Make it clear that you and only you should be speaking to the pt during the initial assessment, or it will result in confusion otherwise. On a medical, walk in, take a quick look at the pt (general impression), kneel beside them, introduce yourself and make eye contact while checking pulse and assessing CC/mental status. You now have the pt's general circulatory status/mental status/and respiratory difficulty or lack thereof in less than a minute. After checking the pulse and getting a CC, order the crew to do a BP/monitor/12, SPO2, O2 NRB/cannula, maybe a BGL, and tell them not to talk to the pt for a minute while you assess L/S. Then direct the crew to bring a stair chair or Reeves to the pt. Tell them that all equipment moves with the pt no exceptions.

Roll like that, and you'll look sharp and in control. Also, take the time to explain to the pt what procedures the crew intends to do, and what to generally expect at the hospital. Sharp and polished. I promise.

 

[Paulie_G]

Teachhing Style

Some bosses and teachers try and motivate people like that. No matter what you do you can always be doing something better, cleaner, quicker, more efficiently. Good attitude to have.

As for rushing out to the patient to be first on scene your boss should know better then to let you do that. Let the volunteers and passerby's run around with their heads cut off. We're the professionals take your time approaching the pt. assess the scene and pt. Just my two cents. Take it or leave it. Good luck

 

[Paulie_G]

One More Thing

I didn't read what your preceptor told you about "reconsidering EMS." Pardon my french but :censored::censored::censored::censored: THAT GUY! You are new to EMS and are just starting to get the experience. Way out of line for a preceptor to say that to you. Studying your protocols run practice scenarios at home show those two :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored:s what your made of. Keep at it and keep your chin up. Confidence comes with experience and preperation. Hang in there.

 

[FF-EMT Diver]

Exactly what Wyoskibum,Level1 and 46young said....

Show them that you can and will, be confident.

I also do not agree with their method, seems to me that you should be allowed more Pt. contacts than hrs per se, Maybe if money is their concern here make the suggestion that instead of 3 people they put you as partner with a FTO?

And whatever you do hold your head up and dont relegate yourself to the "fast food idustry", you went to school and earned what you got. if this falls thru stick it thru to medic school and find a job elsewhere.

Good luck!!!

 

[xsullyx]

aight so i did it. i went to work the next day with "F everyone, im doing this the best way i know how" and it worked... or so i thought

i made my intentions known to my preceptor which he seemed to appreciate.

our first call was a 58 yr old fall fro
bed vic. nothing major. i went and commanded the scene i assessed the pt while instructing others to take vitals, question by standers etc.

every part of the assessment, extraction, treatment and transport when by the book. and no ine had to "prompt" me or anything like that

my preceptor was really happy with it and i thoughti was good to go. do it that way a couple more times and im in... wrong

bout 3 hours later i was told that my performance on that call was still less than satisfactory and my job is still in jeapordy and my school app was rejected.

i dont know what to do. ive done everything they told me and everything i learned in school. i made sure to leave no holes in my performance for them to exploit and they go and create them anyway. ( medic said he prompted me to do something that he couldnt later recall)

at least i did my besy, maybe ill be better at transport

 

[John E]

I'm curious...

why does an EMT-1 or EMT-B or whatever a Basic is called in your area required to take a Paramedic skills test in the first place?

Why are you, a new Basic, required to prove that you have the skills of a Paramedic?

Why is your career apparently in the hands of a single person who from the way you've described them is an idiot?

Since when is an EMT supposed to take over and run a call when a better, more qualified person is on scene? You've got what, 100+ hours of training and this person expects you to perform at the level of a Paramedic?

Does this "preceptor" and I use that term loosely as it conveys a certain level of respect that I fail to see here, have a boss? If so, have you spoken with him or her or are you going to let this one person determine your career choice?

And lastly, where is all this taking place cause I don't want to ever inadvertently move there.

 

[MagicTyler]

I think it might be a good idea to find a new company. I know jobs are hard to find, but I think if you stay with a company that is treating you this way you're going to hate being an EMT. This job is going to spoil your view of EMS. I think you should take a step back and ask yourself if this is the place you really want to be. I'm sure you love EMS, but do you love your job?