well, since Ulrick was kind enough to welcome me on my "new to EMT Life" thread, i will return the favor and welcome him to the world of EMS. and would also like to congratulate him on overcoming his odds to do what he wants to do from his other thread. sounds to me like we have yet another determined individual coming in to the field.
as far as "probie" advice goes,one thing i stress to all the rookies around me....NEVER stop learning!!! there is always con-ed going on. dont just make your minimum requirements for cert renewal. take as much as you possibly can.
i got a nice little chuckle out of the one comment about belt accessories. we lovingly call them "bat-belts" around these here parts. duty belts loaded down with all kinds of junk should be left to the po-po. i think having too much stuff on a duty belt gets you mistaken all too quickly for a police officer. and if im not allowed to shoot back, im not going to look like one any more than needed. lol i have a pager, keys, and my cell phone on my belt when im on duty....and a portable when im on scene. dont even have a glove pouch. i just usually tuck a couple pair between my belt and pants.
know what "tunnel vision" is and learn how to AVOID it. "tunnel vision" is the worst thing that an EMT can have. it can get you in trouble, you will miss patients, and worse case scenario...it will get you killed. learn to take in the BIG picture....from the moment that pager goes off, until you are back in quarters.
and lastly.....dont be a cowboy. get it through the skull now that you will NOT save every single pt. John Wayne was not an EMT, and you are not John Wayne. dont be afraid to do little things like turning off the lights a quarter mile out from an assault call, or an unknown problem kind of call. a lot of people are psycho nowadays. and EMS personnel are not exempt from their rampages. yeah, we may be there to help them....but what if they dont want help...or just feel like attacking the first person they see. that kinda goes hand-in-hand with the "tunnel-vision." i dont care if someone is bleeding to death from a gunshot wound to the chest or not.....if the police dont have that scene cleared for us to come in, im not going in. simple as that. i have too much to come home to.
im sure youll get a lot more advice along the way. this is just my 2 cents that i can come up with right now. lol if i think of any more, ill post again. be safe out there!!!