What took you longest to learn?

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usalsfyre

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So reading some of the post by our newer members has made me recall how difficult a time I had learning to do a proper H&P when I was a new medic. Seems as though we were taught what the signs and symptoms of many conditions were, but not how to assess for the signs and symptoms themselves. My school had a semester where the focus was assessment, but perhaps I didn't take it seriously enough, I'm not sure. I do know that it took me a good four to five years to be able to reliably entire constellation of symptoms into account and come up with a relatively clear differential of something that wasn't blatantly obvious.

How about y'all? What's been your white whale?

(Edited cause it read like I had a head bleed, it's nap time and the kids don't want to lay down)
 
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12 leads. They came into vogue after I was already working, and I just had the hardest time caring enough to learn all that new info.

I still keep saying I need to take a day or two sit-down class because the self-study method is not getting me to the level I'd like to be at.

But I will definitely give you the H&P thing. I think nursing school cured me of that problem, and let me focus on another.
 
Confidence.


Just having the confidence that you know your stuff and that you're making the right decision. I find that the hardest part as a new(ish) provider.
 
How not to take work home with me, feeling terrible and emotionally drained because of all the awfulness ive seen that shift.

And med math. Rrrrrgh.
Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk
 
Nothing, because I am just that AWESOME!!

No?

Ok... To this day, respiratory patients are the bane of my existence. Some days I just feel like I can't hear a darn thing, even in a patient that is in no distress at all. Maybe I need hearing aids.
 
12 leads. Took ages to get my head around how to translate the squiggly lines into actual heart anatomy, but once I got it I find it one of the easier things we do. Now its acid-base balance and it's finer workings.
 
Anything relating to pediatrics. I'm at least competent with them now, but it's still my Achilles heel
 
Scene management

and proper use of time and resources. Taking the time to thoroughly evalute the scene takes practice, practice, practice, but if that's not what you're striving to master, it can takes years and years and years!
 
All the medication dosages that aren't in my bag or I don't have experience directly handling. For some reason, I can remember them if I've ever had to administer them but my mind just won't remember the ones I've never used. Kinetics and Theory, not a problem - just those darn numbers.

Oh, and how to not talk so much with my hands.

/very happy to have an iphone
/constantly studying
 
The hardest things for me are probably keeping my assessments consistent, multi-tasking, and confidence. I don't have a huge problem doing an assessment, but trying to do an assessment, perform interventions and delegate duties to other crew members at the same time is troublesome. Of course, I can always use some work on 12-leads as well.
 
I discovered that while I may not know exactly what is going on, I have to think about whether or not the findings of my assessment would change my treatment.

And discerning whether the problem was repiratory or cardiac.
 
GCS. The majority of my pts have been 15 which requires no thinking, and when I would get the occasional 12 or something I had to take a minute to go "ok, eyes are opening only to speech. That's... Three? Four? :censored: it, minus one..."
 
Probably have to second the scene management comment. I'm originally from a system where it was just the P/B set up, now I've got me + 4-5 B's and if you don't give them a task they seem to find their own...which is counterproductive at times haha Have a tendency to try to do everything myself.
 
dixie_flatline said:
GCS. The majority of my pts have been 15 which requires no thinking, and when I would get the occasional 12 or something I had to take a minute to go "ok, eyes are opening only to speech. That's... Three? Four? :censored: it, minus one..."
Click to expand...
For eyes, think AVPU. A = 4, V = 3, P = 2, U = 1.
 
dixie_flatline said:
GCS. The majority of my pts have been 15 which requires no thinking, and when I would get the occasional 12 or something I had to take a minute to go "ok, eyes are opening only to speech. That's... Three? Four? :censored: it, minus one..."
Click to expand...

Our PCR software explains the different levels, so I just have to remember what they looked like during the call and then the GCS isn't a problem.
 
I'll have to second acid-base balance. I need a few sit down classes to help me recall all that stuff
 
Acid base wasn't hard for me. I actually have trouble remembering pedi doses of meds.


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- Sent from my iPhone.
 
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