Use of Personal Equiment while working

[JerseyEMT87]

I use my own stethescope too, her name is Roxy. I also use my own pens, and my own clipboard because they only provide a wooden clipboard, and I have a pink storage clipboard, in it, I store my previous reports, all my licensure so I always have it on me, my penguin post its for quick notes without scribbling all over my SOAP and a bunch of pens.

Im also crazy neurotic about pens, so I use my own. I like black gel ink with a certain kind of grip, must be clicky or it doesnt work.

We have the storage clipboards provided for us. And we have pens but they are actually good pens. It's kinda funny really because there are competing ambulance companies that use our pens at work. It makes us laugh when we go to do like a dialysis pick up and see them using our pens.

 

[phabib]

Stethoscope and BP cuff. I am totally deaf in my left ear from childhood disease and subsequent surgery so I had to buy a really good stethoscope to hear. I would be interested in knowing if they make a stethoscope for people who are HH (hard of hearing). But I digress.

I had an instructor with an amplified stethoscope. It even had a headphone jack so we hooked it up to the sound system and got to hear breath sounds and BP out loud. Helped us, especially finding out what exactly we were listening for.

The instructor said they make stethoscopes compatible with hearing aids also.

 

[JerseyEMT87]

I had an instructor with an amplified stethoscope. It even had a headphone jack so we hooked it up to the sound system and got to hear breath sounds and BP out loud. Helped us, especially finding out what exactly we were listening for.

The instructor said they make stethoscopes compatible with hearing aids also.

They do make them compatible with hearing aids actually. I have a medic friend that I worked with, well technically I still work with him when my BLS needs ALS. He has a double hearing aids due to childhood problems as well. He is only in his late 20's. I am not sure exactly how it works I haven't seen it yet but he was telling me about it when it came in it fits into the hearing aid somehow

 

[marineman]

I'm only a ride a long now but I use my own stethoscope (it's the same as the cheap one in the rig just clean) and pens. I have my phone with me all the time and have no problem using it as I have unlimited minutes but there's a phone in the rig and the duty medics are always the ones that need to call not me anyway so I haven't used it yet.

For my job now (truck driver) I've always used my own phone and that's why I got the unlimited minute plan. I told the company that they'd either have to give me a company phone or pay my bill after it started averaging $200/month when I was on a limited minutes plan but we made an agreement and now we both pay half. It's worth a shot for those of you that are asked to use your personal phones at work often.

 

[TransportJockey]

I use my phone for calls and my personal steth at work. Along with my own shears and knife... And light... and pens...

 

[41 Duck]

My own:

Pen.
Sharpie.
Ears.
Shears.
Gerber.
Phone.

I'll let anyone use anything to take care of a PT--with the exception of my Sharpie. You ain't getting that, and that's all there is to it.


Later!

--Coop

 

[Robby1974]

Special Stetho

They do make them compatible with hearing aids actually. I have a medic friend that I worked with, well technically I still work with him when my BLS needs ALS. He has a double hearing aids due to childhood problems as well. He is only in his late 20's. I am not sure exactly how it works I haven't seen it yet but he was telling me about it when it came in it fits into the hearing aid somehow

Very cool! I will have to look into that.

Thanks

 

[emt_angel25]

that seems like an awful lot of work to go through to call the hospital. we have AT&T phones at work and can use them for just about everything except personal calls. most of our people use their personal phones for things like calling the hospital cause sometimes its just easier.

 

[PNWMedic]

Well I use my own personal supplies for EMS, although I do not work in a typical EMS type of situation. I am an standby EMT for a Motorsports, and Events EMS Company, so there's no ambulance on scene, just me, my partner, and our own supplies. And then after we use our supplies, my Chief restocks my supply... Well for the most part. But anyways I have my own trauma bag & O2 that I usually have on scene, and then if we need transport or ALS, we radio, or call for it, and stabilize the PT until transport and/or ALS arrives. Then also, I am a Volunteer Ski Patroller, and while for the most part we are required to buy our own trauma supplies, the base restocks our supplies, and then everything else (packaging, boards, O2 etc.) is all supplied by the base.

 

[MRE]

I might end up giving away just how rural my service is, but we don't have any cell phone service in town, but I do use my personal handheld radio sometimes.

Just about everyone has a first aid kit in their POV and the EMTs usually have something close to a small jump kit. If we respond to the scene before the ambulance gets there, then the personal kits come out and are restocked with company supplies after the call.

Apart from that I have bought a little tool with a seatbelt cutter and O2 wrench, as well as a flashlight for myself.

 

[Ridryder911]

Guess, I am getting old or cynical. I give enough time for free and should not even do that. Personally, I don't give anything free. If they are serious about the business as they should be, then they will be good enough managers to be able to supply equipment for the staff and use of the patient. If they can't time for them to be changed.

Everything from my scissors to ink pens, uniforms, are furnished by employer. Definitely no patient supplies! Sorry, patients can and will seek litigation if they were to find out that there was a potential of supplies being expired, not proper for their injuries, etc. As well that is what the service is for they can re-coop costs of supplies; again if the manager know what they are doing. Paid EMS services should have an agreement to reimburse supplies for those agencies they assist.

R/r 911

 

[MRE]

Guess, I am getting old or cynical. I give enough time for free and should not even do that. Personally, I don't give anything free. If they are serious about the business as they should be, then they will be good enough managers to be able to supply equipment for the staff and use of the patient. If they can't time for them to be changed.

Everything from my scissors to ink pens, uniforms, are furnished by employer. Definitely no patient supplies! Sorry, patients can and will seek litigation if they were to find out that there was a potential of supplies being expired, not proper for their injuries, etc. As well that is what the service is for they can re-coop costs of supplies; again if the manager know what they are doing. Paid EMS services should have an agreement to reimburse supplies for those agencies they assist.

R/r 911

To that point, we are a volunteer company and don't have a lot of funds, so the members will tend to not look to the service to buy everything they want. Needs are covered pretty well though.

My personal kit has a better chance of not having any expired supplies than our jump kits on the ambulance I'm sorry to say. I just recently started with the service and I am doing my best to fix this.

 

[Pittsburgh Proud]

See someone is going to say I have a bad attitude about this and that's fine.

For a while I was working for two different services. One a ton of transfers and they had NO Mobil phones in there trucks. Rumor has it they could stop taking calls today and make there payroll of over 200 folks for the next 10 years. I refused to use my cell phone there. I would call from the hospital or home when I could. That's what we did back in the 80's before cell phones were popular.

The other service is emergency and they have always provided a cell phone in each truck.

As for stethoscopes I use mine. I can hear with the cheap ones and I don't want someone else's ear funk in mine!
I carry shears because the company policy is to carry them. Anything else they can buy them.
Don't loose track of the fact 9 times out of 10 these are business's and business expenses. They make enough cash to buy cell phones for the trucks and as ems workers we don't make nearly enough for the effort we put forth.

Just the way I see it. B)

 

[Pittsburgh Proud]

Guess, I am getting old or cynical. I give enough time for free and should not even do that. Personally, I don't give anything free. If they are serious about the business as they should be, then they will be good enough managers to be able to supply equipment for the staff and use of the patient. If they can't time for them to be changed.

Everything from my scissors to ink pens, uniforms, are furnished by employer. Definitely no patient supplies! Sorry, patients can and will seek litigation if they were to find out that there was a potential of supplies being expired, not proper for their injuries, etc. As well that is what the service is for they can re-coop costs of supplies; again if the manager know what they are doing. Paid EMS services should have an agreement to reimburse supplies for those agencies they assist.

R/r 911

Damn Rider, I should have read before posting....

 

[Outbac1]

Most of what we need is supplied. I think everyone uses their own stethoscope instead of the cheap plastic thing in the truck. As well as their own pens and scissors. We have good radio communication so seldom need a cell phone for work communication. Occasionally we will use our own cell for a call regarding a pt, just because it is easier and faster than dealing through the comm. center. I doubt if I've used mine half a dozen times this year for a "work" call.