Where to start. I was carded in 2000 as a basic in the Army med spec program. 2003 as an EMT-I 85.
Most of my experience is clinic and hospital and field, EDs, jails, other facilities. Most of it was big city. Finally decided to go to medic school and get into EMS and out of the clinical side. Army has a wide scope of pratice and that was tough to deal with when I got out.
Now I'm smack in the middle of nowhere and I don't know if that's where some of the issues stem from. Mentoring is pretty much nonexistent, which is a far cry from anywhere else I've worked or ridden, or interacted with EMS. Feedback is about zero.
It seems like every call is load and go, not because it's needed, but because it gets everyone back to the station quicker. Most transports are around 10 mins. Some calls are extended transport depending on where it is in the county, but anything bad gets flown because there's no trauma or speciality care I the area. People pratice ABCs (ambulate before carry), and no one likes to bring equipment in. "Don't bring that in, just get them to the truck." The first in bag doesn't really go in. Most EMS out here is volunteer or private, the opposite of a city. I'm not trying to rag on it, but it's new to me.
Maybe I'm out of sync, maybe it's the area, IDK. I don't plan on staying here but I don't want to leave here with bad habits either, but it doesn't jive with what I consider normal. I'm used to carrying equipment, patients, and doing more on scene. It seems like the load and go decision is made before the truck even responds. It seems all the EMTs have "been doing this for xx years" and I'm just a new guy/paramedic.
Do I need to buck up and run my scene my way? Is this the norm? Is it the area? Just looking for some outside perspective before I end up pissing some people off.
Most of my experience is clinic and hospital and field, EDs, jails, other facilities. Most of it was big city. Finally decided to go to medic school and get into EMS and out of the clinical side. Army has a wide scope of pratice and that was tough to deal with when I got out.
Now I'm smack in the middle of nowhere and I don't know if that's where some of the issues stem from. Mentoring is pretty much nonexistent, which is a far cry from anywhere else I've worked or ridden, or interacted with EMS. Feedback is about zero.
It seems like every call is load and go, not because it's needed, but because it gets everyone back to the station quicker. Most transports are around 10 mins. Some calls are extended transport depending on where it is in the county, but anything bad gets flown because there's no trauma or speciality care I the area. People pratice ABCs (ambulate before carry), and no one likes to bring equipment in. "Don't bring that in, just get them to the truck." The first in bag doesn't really go in. Most EMS out here is volunteer or private, the opposite of a city. I'm not trying to rag on it, but it's new to me.
Maybe I'm out of sync, maybe it's the area, IDK. I don't plan on staying here but I don't want to leave here with bad habits either, but it doesn't jive with what I consider normal. I'm used to carrying equipment, patients, and doing more on scene. It seems like the load and go decision is made before the truck even responds. It seems all the EMTs have "been doing this for xx years" and I'm just a new guy/paramedic.
Do I need to buck up and run my scene my way? Is this the norm? Is it the area? Just looking for some outside perspective before I end up pissing some people off.