the 100% directionless thread

So, finished EVOC and am now an FTR. Graveyard shift, 2245-0945 until I'm done. It's been pretty decent so far, 3rd shift. I think I like nights. Just have to adjust.

Meanwhile, my current blackout curtains do not suffice. What do you recommend with minimal damage to my roommate's house?

Good sunglasses?
 
Just ask what you can hang up to block the light. And yes good blackout curtains will help.
 
Thick black cloth
 
DragonClaw said:
Meanwhile, my current blackout curtains do not suffice. What do you recommend with minimal damage to my roommate's house?
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The $20 blackout curtains from Walmart are great. When I worked nights my room would face the sunrise, those curtains would completely block out the sun.
 
Remi said:
Tin foil works great. Used it in Alaska when it was light out all night.
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This also has the added benefit of shielding your thoughts from the government
 
When napping at work I have one of those sleep mask. Im a guy and it says princess but its super comfy and does the trick so I dont care. Im sleeping anyway.
 
Best thing in the world is when its raining then it gets quite... first snow of the season, Northern Arizona.
 
CALEMT said:
Best thing in the world is when its raining then it gets quite... first snow of the season, Northern Arizona.
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We had our first snow before Halloween.
 
Threw out my back yesterday morning, second day I'm stuck in bed, ugh.
 
Okay. Barf post.

It's been really great moving out. I'm making my food, doing laundry, keeping a decent home with my roommate.

AMR...whoo boy

I don't even know what to say.

FTO has been pretty decent, mostly. I'm harping on the bad things. Its not all bad. Just trying to get it off my chest.

A few things about the company and workers have me less than enamored. And some of them are really great, friendly, helpful etc.

My FTO has bad allergies or something. Here tried to IV himself something (we're all basics), but he blew his vein. So he got his partner to give solumedrol IM. I got "give me an alcohol wipe", etc. He previously had a medic give him something PO.

I do not think he's a BAD guy, but this seems sketch. He's not getting anything to get him buzzed or high or anything and his sinus issues are really awful. But. I don't agree with this method. Get a doctor to help? I dunno.

One shift I was with him and a CCP. She's got this tough guy front, but once she settles down, she's not an a-hole. But she also (apparently) doesn't know as much as she thought she did. She's smart, I agree, but she's also apparently become complacent with a paragod complex.

FTOs partner quiet, but gives me looks. He doesn't even like talking to me. Usually it's to say I messed up, but not anything all that helpful.

Example. Second shift of being in the truck. I keep mentioning I do not have a list to check to make sure we all have our gear. I'll eventually memorize it, but I just don't know it all yet. It's not necessarily a lot, I just haven't gotten that habit yet.

He already had the gear out on the gurney. I checked expiration dates on drugs and such. I forgot to check for an O2 bottle and regulator. FTO looked like $^$@ and was trying to get himself together in the VST room. Partner was eating food. Gurney was in the hall. I checked it over and told them I thought it was good but again mentioned I didn't have a list so they might want to double check. FTO is spaced out and partner is giving my the "okay whatever" cold shoulder.

For reference my shift is 2245-0945

I ask if I can do something. They tell me to pull the truck around and load the gear up. I find it and it's literally the only one I need to back up. I come in and ask if I can have a spotter to get a feel for it. Because I finished EVOC Monday... I'm not 100% comfortable backing up. They said no, just don't hit anything.

First call, there's no oxygen. We were lucky to not need a portable. But partner told me not knowing "That's not a valid excuse". I've literally asked for a checklist or got them to check. But they didn't. I know it's dumb of me to have forgotten that, oxygen is super common.

Note, FTO refuses to let me drive on the roads because I missed a few exist and got into an empty incoming lane once at night. I need more advance on exits than he gives because I don't drive aggressively as they do. He refuses to pass me if I don't get a new glasses prescription because I couldn't read the signs as far as he could.

Note. I had EVOC Monday morning and moved here 1 Saturday before. I got a 50 minute nap and it was like 5 in the morning. I had been up 23+ ish hours. I told them I felt too tired to drive (day 1 of overnight shift) , they said thet were all tired. So I drove the entire night.

I don't hit anything backing up ambo in the dark, because I'm hyper careful and make a 12-point turn. But I couldn't find how to turn on the lights.
I pull the truck around and load up the gurney by myself and stow away the gear. I'm always the first to volunteer (we have another guy on FTR) to clean, do anything. I washed the truck by myself yesterday because everyone else wanted to go home. But this feels sad.

We got back to base today and I really had to go to the bathroom. I deconed the stretcher after every call without being asked and anything else thar was needed. No complaints.

I didn't have time to go to the bathroom because I was cleaning the trash from the ambo and getting everything ready to go when we got back.

But I get back from the bathroom to see if I can help something and get told "We all clean the truck when we get back".

But we don't. Not when everyone's tired. But I was tired too but did it by myself before.

I could go on. But I feel a little... worthless. I'm leaning stuff and when the team does something "This didn't happen". "You didn't see this"

And it's a little discouraging.

I've gotten some praise. Leaned stuff. But.

Heck man..
 
DragonClaw said:
Okay. Barf post.

It's been really great moving out. I'm making my food, doing laundry, keeping a decent home with my roommate.

AMR...whoo boy

I don't even know what to say.

FTO has been pretty decent, mostly. I'm harping on the bad things. Its not all bad. Just trying to get it off my chest.

A few things about the company and workers have me less than enamored. And some of them are really great, friendly, helpful etc.

My FTO has bad allergies or something. Here tried to IV himself something (we're all basics), but he blew his vein. So he got his partner to give solumedrol IM. I got "give me an alcohol wipe", etc. He previously had a medic give him something PO.

I do not think he's a BAD guy, but this seems sketch. He's not getting anything to get him buzzed or high or anything and his sinus issues are really awful. But. I don't agree with this method. Get a doctor to help? I dunno.

One shift I was with him and a CCP. She's got this tough guy front, but once she settles down, she's not an a-hole. But she also (apparently) doesn't know as much as she thought she did. She's smart, I agree, but she's also apparently become complacent with a paragod complex.

FTOs partner quiet, but gives me looks. He doesn't even like talking to me. Usually it's to say I messed up, but not anything all that helpful.

Example. Second shift of being in the truck. I keep mentioning I do not have a list to check to make sure we all have our gear. I'll eventually memorize it, but I just don't know it all yet. It's not necessarily a lot, I just haven't gotten that habit yet.

He already had the gear out on the gurney. I checked expiration dates on drugs and such. I forgot to check for an O2 bottle and regulator. FTO looked like $^$@ and was trying to get himself together in the VST room. Partner was eating food. Gurney was in the hall. I checked it over and told them I thought it was good but again mentioned I didn't have a list so they might want to double check. FTO is spaced out and partner is giving my the "okay whatever" cold shoulder.

For reference my shift is 2245-0945

I ask if I can do something. They tell me to pull the truck around and load the gear up. I find it and it's literally the only one I need to back up. I come in and ask if I can have a spotter to get a feel for it. Because I finished EVOC Monday... I'm not 100% comfortable backing up. They said no, just don't hit anything.

First call, there's no oxygen. We were lucky to not need a portable. But partner told me not knowing "That's not a valid excuse". I've literally asked for a checklist or got them to check. But they didn't. I know it's dumb of me to have forgotten that, oxygen is super common.

Note, FTO refuses to let me drive on the roads because I missed a few exist and got into an empty incoming lane once at night. I need more advance on exits than he gives because I don't drive aggressively as they do. He refuses to pass me if I don't get a new glasses prescription because I couldn't read the signs as far as he could.

Note. I had EVOC Monday morning and moved here 1 Saturday before. I got a 50 minute nap and it was like 5 in the morning. I had been up 23+ ish hours. I told them I felt too tired to drive (day 1 of overnight shift) , they said thet were all tired. So I drove the entire night.

I don't hit anything backing up ambo in the dark, because I'm hyper careful and make a 12-point turn. But I couldn't find how to turn on the lights.
I pull the truck around and load up the gurney by myself and stow away the gear. I'm always the first to volunteer (we have another guy on FTR) to clean, do anything. I washed the truck by myself yesterday because everyone else wanted to go home. But this feels sad.

We got back to base today and I really had to go to the bathroom. I deconed the stretcher after every call without being asked and anything else thar was needed. No complaints.

I didn't have time to go to the bathroom because I was cleaning the trash from the ambo and getting everything ready to go when we got back.

But I get back from the bathroom to see if I can help something and get told "We all clean the truck when we get back".

But we don't. Not when everyone's tired. But I was tired too but did it by myself before.

I could go on. But I feel a little... worthless. I'm leaning stuff and when the team does something "This didn't happen". "You didn't see this"

And it's a little discouraging.

I've gotten some praise. Leaned stuff. But.

Heck man..
Click to expand...


Welcome to private EMS.
 
NomadicMedic said:
Welcome to private EMS.
Click to expand...

Some of the calls themselves have me, unsure. 15 year old quadriplegic. Football accident. He was depressed. Expectantly. I didn't know what to say.

35 year old AIDS pt with cancer. He weighed less than I did. He looked like a holocaust survivor.

15 year old ice skater ballerina who (per EMT , nurse, etc) has undiagnosed guillain barre.

I know y'all have probably seen so much you might not even blink at this.

But I wasn't expecting this, like this. I know you can read about them or be told. But when you arrive for the transport. They're not words on paper. They're real people that once wanted to do things.

The 94 year old with a slight hip fracture. Sure. She's got a loving family anxious for her, she's lived a full life. Her mother is like 110. But the ones that barely got started?

I dunno, y'all.
 
DragonClaw said:
Some of the calls themselves have me, unsure. 15 year old quadriplegic. Football accident. He was depressed. Expectantly. I didn't know what to say.

35 year old AIDS pt with cancer. He weighed less than I did. He looked like a holocaust survivor.

15 year old ice skater ballerina who (per EMT , nurse, etc) has undiagnosed guillain barre.

I know y'all have probably seen so much you might not even blink at this.

But I wasn't expecting this, like this. I know you can read about them or be told. But when you arrive for the transport. They're not words on paper. They're real people that once wanted to do things.

The 94 year old with a slight hip fracture. Sure. She's got a loving family anxious for her, she's lived a full life. Her mother is like 110. But the ones that barely got started?

I dunno, y'all.
Click to expand...
Keep doing the best you can and don’t think about their situation too much. You are just a cog in the wheel for their treatment, do your part and move on to the next one. If you dwell on this kind of thing it will eat you alive. It’s only been a few days so I won’t say you’re not cut out for this job yet. Ask the VST for the checklist, they should have one. Also if you need to go to the bathroom as soon as the gurney is back in the ambulance go to the bathroom. Everything else can wait or be mitigated if a call comes in that you have to jump in and leave. When I was an FTO I expected failure in the beginning but expected the trainee to improve over time. Just don’t keep making the same mistakes and get out and drive the area you work to become familiar with it. Good luck.
 
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