Very excited to be starting clinicals at the end of this month.

Bishop

Forum Probie
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I suppose it's a rather opened ended question, but does anyone care to share any advice?
I have to have 24 hours of ER and 48 hours of runs. I decided to break it all into 12 hours shifts. (Saturdays because of my regular job schedule.)
At the advice of our teacher I'm doing the ER work first. I'll do 12 hours in a "nicer neighborhood." And the next 12 hours in the hood.
I scheduled my ambulance time around as much as I could. One in the hood, a couple of other shifts in two different burbs.
I would imagine it's pretty obvious to say show up with a good attitude etc. Beyond that what's your advice or two cents worth?
Thanks in advance.
 

STXmedic

Forum Burnout
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Don't be late.

Be in uniform and well-groomed.

Ask questions.

Be proactive.

Study during down time.

Don't be a toolbag.
 

Angel

Paramedic
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bring something to your ambulance crew on the first day. coffee, bagels, donuts, ice cream whatever.
and everything stxmedic said.
a good attitude goes a long ways.
know when to ask questions and when to wait. dont argue. if you dont know ask! BP in the back of an ambulance can be hard at first but dont make up numbers!

most of all have fun with it.

ETA: jump in and help with cleaning up/restocking after calls. dont just stand around
 
OP
OP
Bishop

Bishop

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Week and a half and counting! Very excited. I'm working inner city ED to start.
 

joshrunkle35

EMT-P/RN
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A few things I learned in clinicals in the ED:

Often, there are 100 different ways to skin a cat, and each nurse will SWEAR by one of those ways. Sometimes they will be adamant that you do it their way, even if you learned a different technique in school. It's cool. Don't get stuck in a box like they are. (Obviously, it should go without saying, never do anything dangerous for a patient) I mean, for example, with an IV, you could look for good veins and then tourniquet what looks best and then palpate. Or, you could tourniquet and then see what obviously pops up. Or, you could palpate and then tourniquet...etc, etc, etc.

Second, some nurses will teach you because they have to, and because they are used to people coming through and learning. Others will actually be really good, passionate teachers. Stick by the good ones and ask lots of questions.

Third, remember that you are a student. Never challenge an instructor in front of a patient, unless you are sure that it would cause a patient harm. Example, you see the chart calls for one drug and you believe they accidentally picked up the wrong drug. Don't say, "hey, are you sure you have the right drug?" Instead, say, "So, [insert drug about to be given], why do we use that in this setting?" Or something similar. Ask lots of questions. Never allow your learning or inexperience to cause a patient mental anguish.

Fourth, if they are busy and you are free, you can always offer to help make beds or get people water or take out trash, etc. However, IT IS NOT YOUR JOB to do so. Never let them push you around. Sure, it's nice if you can help with that stuff if you offer, but they should never be asking for you to do it. You are there to learn. Not to do busy work.

Fifth, don't bother the doctor(s). If they talk to you, cool. Don't approach them, though. You might think they're just perusing the Internet, but they may actually be searching for something relevant to a patient. Or, they may live very busy lives and be trying to use a few free minutes to solve something for their personal life. If you have serious, intelligent questions that no one else can answer, by all means ask the Dr., but first ask the staff when the appropriate moment to do so would be.

Sixth, be professional. Don't look awkward like you've never put leads on a woman's bare chest before, even if you never have. Have another female there and don't be awkward.
 

OnceAnEMT

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Sixth, be professional. Don't look awkward like you've never put leads on a woman's bare chest before, even if you never have. Have another female there and don't be awkward.

Just don't let your sweat drip on to her. That is when it gets awkward. Even now when I need to do a 12 lead on a lady who is just large and has breasts the size of her thighs, I get those nervous/embarressed sweats because I am having to gently back hand curl an oversized boob, while sticking and clipping the electrodes. In the end its not my fault she is obese, but at the moment it is kind of my problem.

The worst is when they comment on how gentle I am. Its just... damn lady, at least wait until I am not elbow deep.

I love my job though. I love everything I do. Just gotta laugh more than when in a.. slower.. life style.
 
OP
OP
Bishop

Bishop

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Thanks for all the good suggestions. I'm storing them all upstairs. I really want to get the most out of this that I can.
 
OP
OP
Bishop

Bishop

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Did my first 12 hour clinical at Community North here in Indianapolis. Great group of folks to work with. I was paired through out the day with several great nurses who seemed to really care enough to make sure I saw the "interesting stuff." Next one I do in a few weeks I'm going to push a little harder to get some more practice with vitals.
 

Nestor

Forum Ride Along
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Did my first 12 hour clinical at Community North here in Indianapolis. Great group of folks to work with. I was paired through out the day with several great nurses who seemed to really care enough to make sure I saw the "interesting stuff." Next one I do in a few weeks I'm going to push a little harder to get some more practice with vitals.
I start my clinicals next month. I am extremely excited/nervous. What are some skills that you did, and what would you say is a good skill to practice heavily on before starting clinical shifts? Thanks!
 
OP
OP
Bishop

Bishop

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Well, I have very limited experience, but more than anything I tried to observe, ask as many questions as I could. (When appropriate.) Taking vitals was pretty easy as it involved hooking them up to an automated machine. (Almost felt like cheating.) Make sure they let you actually do it at least a few times though, cause practice is practice. Hope that helps.
 

medichopeful

Flight RN/Paramedic
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First, make sure you have fun! By all means take the clinicals seriously, but don't be the guy who never smiles or laughs. A smile and a laugh can put you and your patient at ease.

Don't forget that there are little things to learn that can be easily missed. Don't just focus on the big things. If you're not sure of something, ask!

Make sure you don't rush. Force yourself to move at a speed that you think is slow. There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking a moment to collect your thoughts. Along the same lines, remember that most emergencies you respond to are not time sensitive to the point that you have to speed through everything.

Try your best to grow sick of running code (lights and sirens). The sooner that gets out of your system, the better!

If you get to lead patient care, discuss the presentation with your preceptors while you're doing the assessment. Discuss the working diagnosis (yes, it's a diagnosis don't let anybody tell you otherwise) while you're caring for the patient. Say stuff like "Due to symptoms x, y, and z, I'm thinking they're suffering from ___. What are your thoughts?" It shows the preceptors you're truly trying to learn, and it shows the patient that you know your stuff.

Learn where the hand sanitizer is wherever you go. It's your best friend!

I'll say it again, but have fun! The medical field is the greatest career on earth, but it can be really stressful at times.

Good luck! Let us know how your ride time goes.
 
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