What to expect on my first call?

[ThirtyAndTwo]

I received my EMT-B cert about 4 months ago but have been too busy with schoolwork to do any volunteer work so next week when I am done with finals will be the first time I step onto an ambulance.

What can I expect? Can I assume they will have me do ride-alongs/observer shifts before expecting me to handle a call or should I tell them its been 4 months since I took the test so I am a little rusty?

 

[chaz90]

This depends on oh so many factors. Are you now beginning to volunteer or did you get a paid position now? Ask your agency what they do for new employees/volunteers. Any reputable organization will understand you're new and place you with someone experienced or an FTO. Be honest with them regarding your lack of experience and general rustiness, and make sure they know that you are ready to learn but expect a bit of help. If they try to place you on an ambulance attending calls alone without this assistance, run the other way. There are plenty of agencies that will teach you the right way rather than throwing you to the wolves.

 

[eprex]

Depends where you are. Some places will have you do a ride along where you either observe techs or techs observe you. Some other ambulances will let you tech a call once you've cleared skills with an officer, etc.

As for the call, it probably won't be anything serious unless you catch some good old probability. The chances of the call being more "serious" are increased if you're on a fire department ambulance or in a busy city, as opposed to a private ambulance in the suburbs.

 

[chaz90]

The chances of the call being more "serious" are increased if you're on a fire department ambulance or in a busy city, as opposed to a private ambulance in the suburbs.

Quick off topic point here. My experience has always been that suburban or rural units may not be as busy call wise, but the overall acuity is higher. Having worked on a big city 911 truck, we ran a lot of calls, but a lot of nonsense.

 

[hogwiley]

Quick off topic point here. My experience has always been that suburban or rural units may not be as busy call wise, but the overall acuity is higher. Having worked on a big city 911 truck, we ran a lot of calls, but a lot of nonsense.

I dont know about suburban, but with rural EMS that is definitely the case where I'm from. People in remote areas tend to be tougher and dont want to bother anyone, or be bothered, so if they are calling EMS its usually pretty serious, and this is compounded by the fact you have longer transport times.

In the city and the suburbs you have a lot more people using EMS as a taxi service, and a lot more hypochondriacs and drug seekers. Not that you dont see any of that in rural EMS, but its more the exception than the rule, unlike in the city or burbs.

 

[eprex]

I suppose every area is different. I live on Long Island and volunteer with a private ambulance that's probably about 5th due since we're surrounded by fire departments. They usually get the more serious calls and all of the MVA's, along with the police department.

I also work for a private ambulance that largely transports stable patients from nursing homes to ER or vice versa. You might get a code every few months but it's mostly routine dialysis transport.

Meanwhile the inner city BLS gets plenty of violent calls and things of that nature. It was the ALS that got a lot of over-hyped calls, usually medical problems that come across as cardiac but are not.

 

[Vahlen]

I'm a "new" advanced EMT, just started working last week for a rural 911 service. We are based out of the local community hospital in which we provide ALS support to the surrounding volunteer organizations. For me this has been an eye opening experience to say the least, you'll quickly find that a lot of what you learned in class is not so easily applied in real world scenarios.

Best advice I can give you is to hook up with someone experienced and willing to show you how to properly apply the knowledge which you have.

 

[jeremy83]

You will feel like you've forgotten everything from school and that you're going to leave the patient worse off than you found them... then about ten minutes into it, you'll realize this isn't as bad as you thought and that's where the real fun begins.

You're gonna do great

 

[Trailrider]

If Murphy is right,Murphy is always right then: