What's in your personal EMT bag?

[Mariemt]

A med student and a volunteer EMT student need very different things from a stethoscope.

I don't deny that you can hear mo betta with a betta scope; the point was that for 90% of all clinicians and 100% of basic EMT's, a cheap scope provides all the capability one needs. I try not to recommend that people spend lots of money on something they don't need, especially something that can easily be lost or stolen.

The Timex vs. Rolex analogy stands, because for just about anyone other than a med student an expensive scope is purely for show.

In OR's an ICU's all over, everyone uses the super-cheap disposable scopes that come in a plastic bag and have to be assembled before use. Yes the sound quality is lacking, but still they work just fine for the vast majority of what anyone needs from a stethoscope, and every RN, RRT, and MD doesn't have to lay out $150-$200 of their personal money to buy something that could easily be misplaced and everyone doesn't have a fomite hanging around their neck all day long transmitting germs from patient to patient.

I'm just an EMT and I have a master cardiology. Why? Because I have hearing loss. And for some dumb reason, I need a Rolex to hear.

 

[RebelAngel]

No. For my personal bag of equipment i will buy on my own for my own use. Like i said, small rural town with volunteer squad. Sometimes things on the ambulance are lacking, particularly related to peds patients bc they don't have many of them.

for a jump bag for your volunteer squad?

I would suggest looking at your state requirements of equipment required to be carried on the truck.

Our First in BLS bag consists of enough supplies to initially treat and assess most injuries, complaints accordingly

Our jumpbag consists of
1. BP Cuff/Sethescope They have a ADC not a bad scope relatively inexpensive
2. Oxygen Delivery devices - 2 Nasal cannulas/2NRB masks.
3. Oxygen Cylinder Class D.
4. Trauma Shears, pen light. 2 tubes of oral glucose
5. 4x4s about 5 of them, tape *hypoallergenic* abdominal pads, burn blanket, kerlex, occlusive dressings, and a 2 cravats.
6. 2 bottles of sterile water for irrigation
7. Airway supplies, 5 different size Oral adjuncts, and 5 different size Nasal Airways. along with lube to insert
8. BVM mask.

That's more than enough to provide immediate interventions until you can move to the ambulance.

As far as for at home. A commercial first aid kit. that comes in those nice plastic containers suits me fine. More often than not I just need it for the kids or something like that.

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[RebelAngel]

And yes, we do have to follow NYS part 800.
https://www.health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/part800.htm#A800.24
I actually did a rig check with the Captain last night and we found a few things were missing or expired so we got on that right away.

No. For my personal bag of equipment i will buy on my own for my own use. Like i said, small rural town with volunteer squad. Sometimes things on the ambulance are lacking, particularly related to peds patients bc they don't have many of them.





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[emt11]

We use Statpacks, alittle on the expensive side but everything is put together in a pretty decent fashion and pretty easy to remember where things are. The company also has different kinds of jumpbag variations, such as one with an AED attachement, one that will fit an adult BVM, etc.

Specifically, my company uses the G2 Clinician 3 cell bag

http://statpacks.com/products/

 

[Tigger]

Do you bring it on all calls or have it tucked away in your vehicle (or somewhere) specifically for emergencies not related to you being on call?

What do you have on your person while working?

Links to products are appreciated, if that's allowed.

Word the wise...don't go buy a bunch of stuff before your class ends. Don't go buy a bunch of stuff right when you get your card. Wait. Look around. Figure out who the competent providers are that don't have talk about all their experience and gory calls. Look for the people that quietly go about their business and get things done the right way with efficiency.

Then look at what they do. See how much crap they carry around with them on and off duty. Odds are, it's not going to be a lot. Don't fall into the trap of "rural area, must have all my things at all times." It's just not necessary, and will do nothing for your development as a provider except drain your pocketbook. If your agency wishes to issue things to you, great. But there is no reason to personally contribute to a public operation nor is there a good reason to stuff your personally owned vehicle with medical equipment. You're allowed to be off duty and without obligation every now and again, take advantage of if.

 

[RebelAngel]

Thank you very much for the insight!

I have been talking to a lot of different people to get their perspective on things and do appreciate all the different view points and information.

Word the wise...don't go buy a bunch of stuff before your class ends. Don't go buy a bunch of stuff right when you get your card. Wait. Look around. Figure out who the competent providers are that don't have talk about all their experience and gory calls. Look for the people that quietly go about their business and get things done the right way with efficiency.

Then look at what they do. See how much crap they carry around with them on and off duty. Odds are, it's not going to be a lot. Don't fall into the trap of "rural area, must have all my things at all times." It's just not necessary, and will do nothing for your development as a provider except drain your pocketbook. If your agency wishes to issue things to you, great. But there is no reason to personally contribute to a public operation nor is there a good reason to stuff your personally owned vehicle with medical equipment. You're allowed to be off duty and without obligation every now and again, take advantage of if.

 

[UnkiEMT]

As far as the issue of what I carry with me in the rig goes, I have a little bag that I keep some contact solution, a couple snacks, a bottle of soda, and some NSAIDs in.

For what I carry on my person, one or two pens and five or so pairs of gloves. I used to carry tape and shears and iv start kits and a couple of 18s and 20s and a rotating selection of other crap, but I realized I basically never needed it, I may have used it but I could have grabbed it from the jumpkit instead, besides, basics have stuff, medics have basics.

The other thing I do carry, however, it a stethoscope, which lets me chime in there. I actually do carry an expensive 'scope, specifically a Littmann 3000 electronic. I went for it largely because I have some pretty extensive hearing loss, and the amplification helps enormously, as a side note, it does active noise cancellation, which means I can actually hear breath sounds while we're rolling, which I never could with any other 'scope I tried. Also, to be fair, I'm a geek, I like electronic toys, and it was my graduation gift to myself from intermediate school.

 

[teedubbyaw]

Definitely getting a knife and trauma shears.

Do you all think it's worth it to drop a couple hundred dollars on a cardiology stethoscope? I asked someone else that has been doing EMS for years and years about stethoscopes and that's what was recommended to me. I would like to have one suitable for adults and infants/children and he said that one is good for both.

Keep in mind I'll be volunteering for EMS in a rural area. We don't charge for EMS services, it's through taxes, so we our squad may not have a lot of money for the most recent, more expensive equipment. I can't drop thousands of dollars on my personal bag right off the bat but I can invest to get a good quality piece of vital equipment.

I think if you learn on a crappy stethoscope, you'll be able to use any scope to decipher sounds. Just my opinion.

I have a $20 scope for on the ambulance clinicals, and use my cardiology scope in the hospitals. Look into the ADC Cardiology scope. Less than half the cost of the Littmann and better sound quality, IMO. Sold my litt.