New Medic

[yzfpilot77]

Hey everyone so I just graduated medic school about a month ago and currently I got hired last week for a medic spot. The only problem is I'm running 2-3 calls a day which a veteran medic would love but I feel like as a new medic I should be running more calls so I don't lose my skills. So my question is would it be better to stay at my current job and just be content with only having to run the bare minimum amount of calls or go to a city where I would get back to back calls non stop just to build the experience. When you were a new medic what is it you wanted/needed. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Chewy20]

You answered your own question. If you think you need/want more call volume, then go else where. Don't be surprised when you are wishing for those 2-3 calls a day again though.

 

[mgr22]

Even with 2-3 calls a day, you'll build experience. You might also last longer in the field. I have no facts to back this up, but I think being inundated with calls at any time during your career -- even in the very beginning, when you're supposedly fresh and eager to learn -- will lead to burnout.

 

[STXmedic]

Even with 2-3 calls a day, you'll build experience. You might also last longer in the field. I have no facts to back this up, but I think being inundated with calls at any time during your career -- even in the very beginning, when you're supposedly fresh and eager to learn -- will lead to burnout.

I agree that you don't necessarily need 20 runs per shift, but 2-3 is too slow for a new medic in my opinion. 6, 8, 10, somewhere in that range would probably be ideal.

 

[Akulahawk]

If you're only running 2-3 calls per shift, that could very likely mean you have time to try to get followup on your patients and/or study time to expand your knowledge about some particular aspect of patient care or disease process. In other words, you should use your "slow" time to your own advantage. If you're running 6-10 calls per 12 hour shift, then you might get lots of exposure running calls but you might not have time to delve into things past your protocols. If that's your call volume per 24 hour shift, then that's probably more ideal, but you'll still have less time for learning.

Another thing to look into is using your local ER as a learning tool. If possible, see if there's a way you could stop by every so often to get updates on certain skills. If your company has someone that does education coordination, go through them. The hospital should also have someone that does CE for the nurses, so they'd be the person to contact too.

 

[akflightmedic]

"Losing skills"....have you ever forgotten how to ride a bike, how to walk, how to whistle, how to blow a bubble? Those are skills and much like all the "skills" we learn in EMS...you will not lose them. Sure you might be wobbly on the bike, but within a few seconds you will be fine. So you might not get the first IV, but you will nail the second.

What you should be more concerned about especially as a new medic is expanding your education, your knowledge. Fortunately for you, it seems you have a lot of time to become a better clinician ever single shift. You can read professional journals/websites, take courses, review your own case, follow up on your cases and simply put become a well rounded "expert" provider. You also have time to practice the "skills" in your rig or station. Remember that skills are nothing but muscle memory for the most part, once you have that established it is hard if not impossible to ever lose that.

Examples: Setting up an IV and operating a motorcycle. I do both without thinking about it. I do not mean observing other drivers and watching for poor road conditions...I mean the shifting, the braking, the turn signals...it is all muscle memory, I do not have to think which allows me to focus on more important issues (texting drivers). Same with IV...I can darn near set up and prep an IV without giving it my full undivided attention because the muscle memory is there.

The others have covered it well, however I do realize being young, new or both to paramedicine that you are yearning for the exciting calls and want to be busy for more exposure. You have a golden opportunity in your hands yet do not have enough knowledge/experience to realize it.

 

[cruiseforever]

First questions to answer is. Are you happy with the place you are working at? If not move on. If you are, follow the advice given.