huckleberry18
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I messed up on my job as a EMT volunteer i did what my Paramedics told me to do and i messed up. How do i fix this with them they are not happy with me?
"What could happen if your a medic and you mess up on something?"
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Flying
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Own the mistake and never make it again.
OP
OP
huckleberry18
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What if i dont understand what mistake i made?
DesertMedic66
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Ask them
Flying
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Well, making an honest effort to ask what you did wrong and be willing to fix it is a start.
We're just random people on the internet.
We're just random people on the internet.
PotatoMedic
Has no idea what I'm doing.
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Talk to the supervisor. Say I made a mistake. I was told xyz but and did xyz but that is wrong. You know I am not sure what I did wrong but I want to understand so I never make that mistake again.
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Everyone makes mistakes on some level when they're learning. You're an EMT volunteer, so presumably quite new. Keep your anonymity if you desire, but is there anyway you can describe said "mistake" in general terms so we can give you a little better answer?
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huckleberry18
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Well the "mistake" i made was helping do the morphine I was told to do a amount but i think i may have given to much. I put the patients life at risk. I told my supervisior and he didnt say anything. I asked if i could try to.learn not to make the same mistake but I cant learn if they wont teach me
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Usually Basic EMT's aren't supposed to be administering narcotic medication even if their partner tells them to. As a Paramedic, there's no way I'd allow my EMT partner to push morphine because if something goes wrong, I get in trouble for allowing my EMT to push the med and the EMT gets into trouble for not knowing their scope of practice (and limitations) and going ahead and pushing the med.
For this kind of "mistake" you have to simply really get intimately familiar (even more familiar with this than your spouse because it's that important) with your scope of practice and your limitations that you are NOT allowed to do. That way if you're ever asked to do something that's beyond your scope, you'll know it instantly and refuse. As you advance your certification level, you must continue updating your knowledge of your scope of practice so that you don't get yourself into trouble and you won't get your partner (who may be same or lower level) into trouble either.
Flying
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Without even going into the issues of scope of practice and a paramedic allowing someone else administer their narcs....
The Rights of Medication Administration:
1. Right individual 2. Right medication 3. Right dose 4. Right route 5. Right documentation
You don't have one of those, you don't give it. If you're uncomfortable or have to ask, it's not safe.
Are you still an EMT student doing ride-alongs? Have you gotten around to the basic pharmacology in your class?
What made you go ahead with giving the morphine?
The Rights of Medication Administration:
1. Right individual 2. Right medication 3. Right dose 4. Right route 5. Right documentation
You don't have one of those, you don't give it. If you're uncomfortable or have to ask, it's not safe.
Are you still an EMT student doing ride-alongs? Have you gotten around to the basic pharmacology in your class?
What made you go ahead with giving the morphine?
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DesertMedic66
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Is it in your scope to give morphine? If no, then you should not be giving it.
If the medic gave the morphine, they should check the dose before giving it and probably not let an EMT draw up their narcotics.
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OP
huckleberry18
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Well see the Paramedic told me to get it in to the needle so i did. Thats all i did not aminister it. I got it ready for the Paramedics. I am still a EMT student doing ride-alongs. Yes I am almost to.that point in the class.
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Huh? Then in what sense did you "give the patient too much?"
Honestly, this is a failure from both parties involved. On your side, the takeaway lesson is to know your scope and don't ever try to figure something out that you haven't been trained on on a real patient. EMTs in most areas are not permitted to administer any opioid medications, and they absolutely should not be drawing it up for their paramedic partner.
If the EMT does draw something up for some reason (this certainly wouldn't be my habit), it's the responsibility of the medic administering the drug to check for correct technique in drawing, the right dose, and the right medication. If the patient was given too high of a dose after you drew it up, it's still the responsibility of the administering provider to check your work.
Learn what you can from this, and then don't do it again. All is well, so don't beat yourself up too badly.
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Hmm. Looking into your profile, I'm a little more curious about this. Your posts suggest you just started your EMT course a couple days ago, so this lends even more blame to the paramedic who let you make this mistake.
You may not have covered this in class yet, but only perform skills or administer medications that you been trained in, certified in, and authorized by a medical director to perform. That is (or will be later) the source of your ability to practice.
You may not have covered this in class yet, but only perform skills or administer medications that you been trained in, certified in, and authorized by a medical director to perform. That is (or will be later) the source of your ability to practice.
LACoGurneyjockey
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Chaz said everything I was going to say.
If you're a student doing ride alongs, you have no responsibility and this is on the paramedic, with a license, and a responsibility to his patients. You're just there to learn and experience the job. Don't stress about it. You might have made a mistake, but so did this paramedic. You're fine, just learn from it and move on.
If you're a student doing ride alongs, you have no responsibility and this is on the paramedic, with a license, and a responsibility to his patients. You're just there to learn and experience the job. Don't stress about it. You might have made a mistake, but so did this paramedic. You're fine, just learn from it and move on.
I can draw up meds for my partner. Then we do a cross check to make sure everything is right, including indication and contraindications. We also do the cross check if the medic draws them up so thats no different. Granted we were trained on how to do draw them up correctly, so different then the OPs situation.
To the OP. You should not be touching narcotics as someone that is not trained (or probably allowed). That medic could lose his license, and probably should.
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huckleberry18
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Okay i aministered the oxgyen and I got the IV in but I understand that this was kind of on me and the Paramedic. Thanks for the help I will try to learn from this leasson.
Alright I think I understand know what I did. I will try to learn from this and move on. I believe it was both.of our faults. Thanks for the help in giguring out what I may have done. I will learn more and then do what I have learned not what what I havent
As for the life threat: extra morphine won't really do that much (at least for the amount that most of us carry). As a medic I was pushing Morphine IV with a Carpujet, (5mg) and my partner hit a bad pothole and I slammed the entire 10mg. Almost took the pain completely away. Didn't do anything to his BP or RR.
Not a lot of medications that most of us carry on the ambulances that will hurt someone greatly if we give more than we are supposed to. Which is a good thing
Not a lot of medications that most of us carry on the ambulances that will hurt someone greatly if we give more than we are supposed to. Which is a good thing
As to the question of what happens to the medic: usually not much if they admit to their mistake.
One of our medics had his Basic spike a bag of NS out of the med bag; Basic and Medic didn't check the bag before the medic ran 400mL of the 500mL bag of Lidocaine, 2grams. At the hospital when it was noticed as they moved the patient over he blamed it on the Basic; and the medic would never take responsibilty for it.
Nothing happened to either one of them. Depends on where you work and the circumstances as to what happens though.
Just remember if you work in the ED or on the floor the nurses can never do anything wrong and it will always be the medics that are wrong. (but I am not upset about it anymore, LOL
One of our medics had his Basic spike a bag of NS out of the med bag; Basic and Medic didn't check the bag before the medic ran 400mL of the 500mL bag of Lidocaine, 2grams. At the hospital when it was noticed as they moved the patient over he blamed it on the Basic; and the medic would never take responsibilty for it.
Nothing happened to either one of them. Depends on where you work and the circumstances as to what happens though.
Just remember if you work in the ED or on the floor the nurses can never do anything wrong and it will always be the medics that are wrong. (but I am not upset about it anymore, LOL
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On an unrelated note, let me help out with the terminology here. You didn't start an IV or "get the IV in." That would mean actually being the person to put the needle and plastic tubing into the vein of the patient to draw blood or administer fluid or meds. This is an ALS skill, or at least an EMT-IV skill with extra training, absolutely everywhere. Drawing up a medication is not referred to as "getting an IV." I'm wondering if you may have been a bit confused because you saw a needle used for both.