Preschool Providers

[Aidey]

Especially when you might look young; they will think you are a self-important tool and go to your partner to avoid you.
I was the one they'd go to instead of my partner. I always would let them talk as long as we were both there to hear, then say "I'm the tech, this is ___, (s)he's in charge".
Then I went to nursing, and some female nurses would not give adequate report to a male nurse. Hope THAT has changed.

Tell you what, as you roll up, arrange with your partner to give her/him some orders, such as "Go get the sheets, I'll give report" or something. They'll get the idea.

If this is directed at me all I have to say is that there is A LOT more to the story of my partner. I ordinarily would never have a rule that I have to walk in first at facilities, and have never had a similar rule with other partners. This partner is just very....difficult.

 

[tssemt2010]

I make sure everybody knows what I want, how I want it, and when I want it.

i sure wouldnt respect you for telling me things like that! jk trust me im in the same boat, i was 19 when i landed my current and fulltime ems job, in the year ive been here i have come a long way, training new employees and also paramedics on the software, etc... im 20 now and it definitely helps to build a repor with the hospitals you frequent, the nurses and doctors know me now and treat me with respect because they eventually figured out i do know what i am talking about

 

[mycrofft]

No Aidey, now go back on your meds, there's a good person..

At least, no unless you are a middle-aged, former EMT-A, physician from outstate Nebraska.

 

[firetender]

By your own admission, you look like a twelve-year old.

It may take you forty years to look thirty-years old!

That's what you're being called on to live with.

People who know you don't think about it.

People who don't, wonder.

So help them out:

Just think how good I'll be at this by the time I'm old as you!

The bottom line is, however, the more you think about it, the more THEY'LL think about it.

 

[fast65]

By your own admission, you look like a twelve-year old.

It may take you forty years to look thirty-years old!

That's what you're being called on to live with.

People who know you don't think about it.

People who don't, wonder.

So help them out:



The bottom line is, however, the more you think about it, the more THEY'LL think about it.

You always have such wise advice firetender, I guess I should stop thinking about it

 

[awildstein]

I'm not even old enough to drink a beer and barely tall enough to ride a roller coaster at Six Flags; but, I must say, I have had very few problems while working. The patients seem to be mesmerized by the uniform and don't mind. The ED staff hasn't given me any issues [more than my other partners anyway]. And, most importantly, if my older partners were ever concerned they no longer question.
It certainly doesn't bother me that my nick name is Pocket EMT!

 

[Tigger]

By your own admission, you look like a twelve-year old.

It may take you forty years to look thirty-years old!

That's what you're being called on to live with.

People who know you don't think about it.

People who don't, wonder.

So help them out:



The bottom line is, however, the more you think about it, the more THEY'LL think about it.

Yup, I'll remember that one. Thanks.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I'm 19 but look like im 12-14. Sadly I am used to not having respect due to how I look. So if I'm working with a new partner they assume I am stupid and pretty much disrespect me. But then once something serious goes down I get alot more respect from them.

Most nurses don't give me respect when I'm doing a hand over. So I will either tell them to shut the heck up and listen (not really my favorite thing to do) or don't give them a hand over until they show me a little respect (as long as it's not a serious patient). I'm not afraid to call out a nurse (not infront of a patient or anyone). And the Supervisors all back me up on calling them out so not an issue.

 

[Milla3P]

The Hospital-
I seem to feel that most of the time when I get to the hospital the driver (My Partner) comes around, opens the doors and usually takes foot/front of the stretcher and walks into the ED. I'm usually in the back if it's my call, so the hospital sees my partner first and expects him to know everything. Try to see if that's part of the problem, it's something we don't really think of.

SNF- My experience with these "Specialized" Nursing Facilities is that any calls there that aren't codes tend to wait from 3 to 7 1/2 hours, and we are regarded as "just those transport guys" (an argument my boss keeps fighting with a few Nursing Directors, who apparently doesn't know we GO TO SCHOOL for this). The nurses just might not care who they tell that the pt has been c/o crushing C/P 10/10, B/P 72/38, pale and diaphoretic for the last 6 hours, but I thought it was his baseline b/c this isn't my pt, i've been on vacation, this is supposed to be my lunch break. Just get rid of him.

Partners- Do you know what you're doing? Do you feel you're a strong provider? If you 2 work well together shouldn't be a problem.

When I think my report is getting ignored and attention is diverting to someone/thing else I'll just keep talking.

Lastly, something that I don't think anybody's touched on: If you're confident with your skills and pt care, who gives a **** what anyone else thinks.

 

[fast65]

The Hospital-
I seem to feel that most of the time when I get to the hospital the driver (My Partner) comes around, opens the doors and usually takes foot/front of the stretcher and walks into the ED. I'm usually in the back if it's my call, so the hospital sees my partner first and expects him to know everything. Try to see if that's part of the problem, it's something we don't really think of.

SNF- My experience with these "Specialized" Nursing Facilities is that any calls there that aren't codes tend to wait from 3 to 7 1/2 hours, and we are regarded as "just those transport guys" (an argument my boss keeps fighting with a few Nursing Directors, who apparently doesn't know we GO TO SCHOOL for this). The nurses just might not care who they tell that the pt has been c/o crushing C/P 10/10, B/P 72/38, pale and diaphoretic for the last 6 hours, but I thought it was his baseline b/c this isn't my pt, i've been on vacation, this is supposed to be my lunch break. Just get rid of him.

Partners- Do you know what you're doing? Do you feel you're a strong provider? If you 2 work well together shouldn't be a problem.

When I think my report is getting ignored and attention is diverting to someone/thing else I'll just keep talking.

Lastly, something that I don't think anybody's touched on: If you're confident with your skills and pt care, who gives a **** what anyone else thinks.

That's usually what my partner will do as well, she'll open up the doors and then take the foot of the stretcher in, but at our ER they at least know me well enough at this point to where they'll listen when I start giving report, so that's really a non-issue.

I can't believe you actually get a set of vitals from your "SNF's", here it seems like it's a struggle to even find someone to get the paperwork from.

My partners and I get along perfectly fine, they know I'm good at what I do, and they have confidence in my abilities, as do I.

If I'm being ignored I'll just end up asking "who's taking report in here?" and that'll either piss of the RN enough to where they'll start listening, or it will get someones attention that will take report.

The problem isn't that I care about what other people think, the problem is that I'm not getting the respect from the FD or from hospitals out of town. I just don't like having to fight on scene to get the FD to listen to what I'm saying, they seem to like to freelance, and last time I called them out on it, I ended up getting a complaint. I suppose it'll just come with time, but still. h34r:

 

[Milla3P]

You're young, look younger, new to the service(ish). And if you're not from where these Volly FDs are, it'll be even harder.

Between my 3 jobs I work with approximately 12 Volunteer FDs and I grew up/lived ect in a totally different part of the state. I don't know these guys, didn't go to school with them or their kids. These are depts that have entire families working, dad's the Deputy chief, and 3 brothers are captains and they've all been volunteering for 25-50 years.

You think you're going to get respect from these guys? My game plan is to have these guys handle, package, lift, carry, think, touch the pts as little as possible. You don't need a comprehensive full report if you don't want. I never trust anybody about anyhting anyways. "thanks alot for your help, guys. Really appreciate it!" Close the doors and get the hell out. Do your own assessment. Ask your own questions and get your partner to take off.

Gruff old country guys aren't going to go out of their way to tell you how great you are, either.

 

[fast65]

You're young, look younger, new to the service(ish). And if you're not from where these Volly FDs are, it'll be even harder.

Between my 3 jobs I work with approximately 12 Volunteer FDs and I grew up/lived ect in a totally different part of the state. I don't know these guys, didn't go to school with them or their kids. These are depts that have entire families working, dad's the Deputy chief, and 3 brothers are captains and they've all been volunteering for 25-50 years.

You think you're going to get respect from these guys? My game plan is to have these guys handle, package, lift, carry, think, touch the pts as little as possible. You don't need a comprehensive full report if you don't want. I never trust anybody about anyhting anyways. "thanks alot for your help, guys. Really appreciate it!" Close the doors and get the hell out. Do your own assessment. Ask your own questions and get your partner to take off.

Gruff old country guys aren't going to go out of their way to tell you how great you are, either.

I hope I didn't give the impression that I'm not actually doing my own assessment/interview, I'll listen to what the FD says, but in the end, I'll just be starting from the beginning. I don't want to entirely cast them off as "the muscle" because some of them genuinely want to help, and I want to include them and get them in there to help me out. But, there are those "others" that think they can show up, do their own thing and then just leave me to transport. Those are the ones I have a problem with.

I'm not looking for someone to tell me how great I am (I just call my mom for that), I'm looking for some professional courtesy. I don't give a crap if they've been doing this for 20 years or 20 days, when I show up on a medical scene I'm in command, I'm the paramedic and I'm making the decisions.

 

[Milla3P]

when I show up on a medical scene I'm in command, I'm the paramedic and I'm making the decisions.

You'll get the professional courtesy from the guys who get the joke. The freelancers you're going to need to tell them out right. Your pressed uniform and annunciation isn't going to do a thing to get this type of person away from your pt or respect you at all. Looking for respect from these guys is a completely lost cause. The closest thing you're going to get is "This guy is a D***, i'm gonna avoid him" when you show up. a "This is happening" attitude helps. "I'm going to talk to the pt, you're going to get me a band-aid." If you're having that much of a problem with him, straight up tell him to leave. You got a real big issue? Your FTO is a medic, too? Go talk to the FD OIC. Tell him this guy is overstepping his boundaries.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Fast I'm in a similar boat as you being a young provider and young looking. FD seems to be my biggest problem as well. When I find a solution I'll let you know!!

As far as doing your own assessment I know your a good medic and wouldn't have any problem with you treating myself or my family /momness haha. We tend to get a decent report from fire so usually I'll word it like "so the ff tells me your allergic to xxx are you allergic to anything else?" Ive found that it doesn't disrespect to original person who did the first assessment but still allows me to complete my own assessment.

 

[fast65]

You'll get the professional courtesy from the guys who get the joke. The freelancers you're going to need to tell them out right. Your pressed uniform and annunciation isn't going to do a thing to get this type of person away from your pt or respect you at all. Looking for respect from these guys is a completely lost cause. The closest thing you're going to get is "This guy is a D***, i'm gonna avoid him" when you show up. a "This is happening" attitude helps. "I'm going to talk to the pt, you're going to get me a band-aid." If you're having that much of a problem with him, straight up tell him to leave. You got a real big issue? Your FTO is a medic, too? Go talk to the FD OIC. Tell him this guy is overstepping his boundaries.

What joke?

Eh, it's probably a little too late for that, some of them already think I'm a ****, but whatever I suppose.

 

[Shishkabob]

Same thing happened with me. My partner was older than me by 10 years, and had been doing EMS for 14, even though he was still an EMT at the time. We'd get on scenes and people would instantly go to him and give him the story, to which he would say "That's your guy over there" or I'd go "Now can you repeat the story to me?"




Honestly, it's just something I've had to deal with. People don't expect the youngest person on scene to also be the one in charge. (I say youngest even though I'm now 23. I was 21 when I first became a medic, and 19 as an EMT)

It gets rather odd when you're the lone medic on scene of an MCI MVC in charge of 15 other responders.

 

[fast65]

Fast I'm in a similar boat as you being a young provider and young looking. FD seems to be my biggest problem as well. When I find a solution I'll let you know!!

As far as doing your own assessment I know your a good medic and wouldn't have any problem with you treating myself or my family /momness haha. We tend to get a decent report from fire so usually I'll word it like "so the ff tells me your allergic to xxx are you allergic to anything else?" Ive found that it doesn't disrespect to original person who did the first assessment but still allows me to complete my own assessment.

Haha, thanks Rob.

That's what I tend to do as well, I'll usually ask questions like you do, or I'll just wait until I'm in the back of the rig to get my patient history. A good number of the volunteers are also EMT's or paramedics with our company as well, so I can usually trust their assessment and history, but I still prefer to get the info myself.

 

[fast65]

Same thing happened with me. My partner was older than me by 10 years, and had been doing EMS for 14, even though he was still an EMT at the time. We'd get on scenes and people would instantly go to him and give him the story, to which he would say "That's your guy over there" or I'd go "Now can you repeat the story to me?"




Honestly, it's just something I've had to deal with. People don't expect the youngest person on scene to also be the one in charge.

It gets rather odd when you're the lone medic on scene of an MCI MVC in charge of 15 other responders.

I had an incident similar to that about a week ago, albeit to a smaller degree, and that's what sparked this post. Granted I had my FTO with me, so there were two medics on scene, but the FD seemed to be more of hindrance than a help.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Side note, I hate SAMPLE, I use HAM. My big thing about assessments is they can be annoying to the patient. Especially if the already answered the questions to the first-on-scene provider. The less annoying you can be the more cooperative your patient is gonna be.

It's really entertaining to see the double takes people do in the ER when I'm around, half the time I'm in blue working as an EMT then other times I'm in white with paramedic student plastered all over me haha. It throws people for a loop, but the young nurses dig it

 

[fast65]

Side note, I hate SAMPLE, I use HAM. My big thing about assessments is they can be annoying to the patient. Especially if the already answered the questions to the first-on-scene provider. The less annoying you can be the more cooperative your patient is gonna be.

It's really entertaining to see the double takes people do in the ER when I'm around, half the time I'm in blue working as an EMT then other times I'm in white with paramedic student plastered all over me haha. It throws people for a loop, but the young nurses dig it

HAM? I've never heard of that one, I imagine it's just history of present illness, allergies, meds?

Yeah, it is rather entertaining to see the double takes. There's one nurse that I occasionally see checking me out when they're down in the ER...of course it's a guy, but it's still nice to be noticed