Students and other EMT`s on Ride Alongs?

My company lets me do anything non invasive (no intubating, IV's, drugs)

Other than that I can do just about anything. I am the exception to the ride alongs in that I can carry pts on the cot and do extractions due to that I have worked at the PD, have taken courses there, and already had my own turnout gear.
 
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I'm doing my ride alongs now, so far I've done two - both in the same county. The first one I did vitals, listened to lung sounds, helped set up 12 leads, and oxygen in addition to my patient assessments. The second one I worked with the cot more as far as lifting and loading properly, also got a run down on how to check the truck. We just finished our Trauma module in Basic class so it was pretty neat that they took the time to teach me this stuff!
 
It definitely depends on who you are riding with, some medics are much more willing to let students practice their skills than others. As a Basic student, all i really did was put patients on oxygen, and observe.

As an Intermediate student i have been able to practice quite a few ALS skills in the field. Plenty of IVs, a couple IOs, intubations, 12-leads, med administration. Again, it all depends on who im riding with.
 
DFW333 said:
I always had my riders do written PCRs. And I did one to. Why not? It's just one more form. Write "EMT Student" across the top of his, clip em together and turn them both in. Then they take their pink copy for proof of the patient contact required by the school.

As for services that dont allow students to load cots because they had a patient dropped by a student once, what do they do when one of their EMTs drops a patient? I can see that now: "Im sorry ma'am, we have to wait for XVille ambulance to get here to load your husband into the ambulance for us, we're not allowed to do that any more." :P
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Haha yeah I heard about that student. I just finished the lecture portion here at CCCC and the instructor made sure that we absolutely do not touch a cot with a patient on it. He said that if our observer said it was ok to respectfully turn it down. It was his #1 stressor
 
Boduke said:
Haha yeah I heard about that student. I just finished the lecture portion here at CCCC and the instructor made sure that we absolutely do not touch a cot with a patient on it. He said that if our observer said it was ok to respectfully turn it down. It was his #1 stressor
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nice. we weren't even allowed to touch the cot with or without a patient. we did everything else in the EMT scope from SAMPLE to helping them administer their meds to OPAs.
 
The companies I did my rides with for basic and intermediate allowed me to perform any skill that was within my scope of practice and their protocols for my level of training under the supervision of the medic. Did my basic in Colorado and my Intermediate in NV. For my hospital rotations as an I, the one of the ED Docs allowed me to attempt and intubation after building a rapport with him. Unfortunately, I missed the tube and he took over :doh: Made me feel better when he missed his first try as well, though.
 
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Boduke; said:
Haha yeah I heard about that student. I just finished the lecture portion here at CCCC and the instructor made sure that we absolutely do not touch a cot with a patient on it. He said that if our observer said it was ok to respectfully turn it down. It was his #1 stressor
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You don't really want to do any carrying as a student, for your own protection. What happens if you blow out your back lifting someone? Or twist your knee? When you are working you are covered by workman's comp. I doubt the company covers you as a student.
 
zmedic said:
You don't really want to do any carrying as a student, for your own protection. What happens if you blow out your back lifting someone? Or twist your knee? When you are working you are covered by workman's comp. I doubt the company covers you as a student.
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Sorry for taking this out of context, but worker's comp was covered by the school itself when I did the AMR clinical rather than by AMR.
 
During my ride along for my Basic class I really just got familiarized with the ambulance and took vitals. I am currently in an internship class that required 10 shifts or 120 hours........obviously in that time ive become more familiar with what to do and when. Now i am basically the EMT. If it is an ALS run the EMT will sit in the back in case the medic needs something or i screw up, but generally i do all the vitals, set up a lock and flush or a line, get the tape ready etc etc.
 
When I went on my ride along I performed CPR on a patient in cardiac arrest, was in charge of gathering vitals for all the patients we assessed and also helping setup the ambulance for the next patient. Things like changing the sheets on the stretcher, placing sticky things back on the 12 lead kg, etc.
 
When I did my ride alongs, I was not allowd to touch the strecther if it was loaded. Was allowd to load and unload it if empty. I ran 911 calls. Helpd Bag, set up 02, assessment and vitals. But I always had my emt I was riding with check after wards to make sure I was doing the right vitals. I rode with an FTO and he was awesome!. Great way to learn.
 
Disregard. Duplicate post.
 
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I let the Students ride in the back with a Staff EMT, Practice taking vitals and doing assessments. no Direct PT care or interventions. but they all seem to have a good time and see a wide variety of calls
 
I am in the ride along phase of my education and have had a very good experience so far. I have been with excellent EMT's and Medics that have allowed me to do anything I have learned in school and am comfortable with. I function as a 3rd crew member basically doing everything except radio reports. The crews have even tested my knowledge of our protocols which is good since my cert is comming up in June. I also am required to check my truck (even if the EMT already did it) when I arrive. Good practice
 
depends on where the student is in the class. If he has learned it and passed to section test they can do it. obviously vitals are standard issue, but they do everything they feel comfortable with. I always make a point to show them "cool" or interesting things, such as abnormal lung sound, explaining and examining breaks, fractures and other bone breaks by sight(no touching), and always take to opportunity to explain stuff thats totally weird or we see so rarely.

We had an arrest and the pt presented with caped cyanosis which i think is clinically interesting. I also point out abnormal EKG strips and have the medics(the good ones) explain what we are looking at. I like to have EMT partners who can look at an EKG and be able to identify a rhythm beyond normal abnormal. Most of my trainees can identify basic disrhythmia once im done with them.

New EMT's who are riding as a 3rd are expected to be a full and involved member of the crew and do everything under our scope
 
My ride alongs as a student were basically anything non invasive, I set up O2, grabbed vitals, did trauma exams, set up flushes, spiked bags, and did tape etc for the medic or basic starting the lines. I also got to do patient interviews and talk to the family of our patients, but I also did three ride alongs with the same people, so they knew what I knew, and what I needed help with. Couldn't lift, carry, or move patients at all, beyond holding C-Spine. Company policy, because employees are protected, students aren't.
 
While I was allowed to only do what I had been taught I didn't get to do too much. I took vitals of a guy who claimed he hadn't slept in 3 weeks and look like he was going to kill me. The paramedic I was with in the back put me in between him and the pt. I never loaded or unloaded pt's but I did learn that you shouldn't drop a 70 yr pt who has osteoporosis.

The other medic was great though a little (admittedly) old school. He didn't feel the need to wear gloves when starting IV's. He was great with the pt's and their families.
 
Ive been on a few ride alongs as an explorer and the medics let me do vitals on most patients, and I got to bag & do chest compressions on some patients.
 
Azeth said:
When I went on my ride along I performed CPR on a patient in cardiac arrest, was in charge of gathering vitals for all the patients we assessed and also helping setup the ambulance for the next patient. Things like changing the sheets on the stretcher, placing sticky things back on the 12 lead kg, etc.
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Sounds like you were an EMT...
 
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