Actually, this is the truth for any paramedic service, not just private ambulance. You don't want to add anxiety to an existing emergency, you are immediately making it worse.
@@LizordSword Private Ambulance is a medical trabsport company who mostly help nursing homes take patients to doctor's appointments, to the ER, take someone home from the hospital. Transport in which regular 911 ambulances can not do, but a patient is unable to go themselves to their appointsments or back home
@kylemahan9145 that's really interesting, as I thought in the U.S. that all ambulances were privately owned by institutions and contracted out to hospitals
My first day doing cargo they went through all my mistakes, and then pulled out the actual numbers from the managers' first day reports. You'd be shocked to learn how many guys you think are untouchable started out making the same mistakes as you.
Because it doesn't deliver the "punishment" closure of the negativity loop, it leaves the brain in a better position to want to better the situation instead. Not a science thing, just what i think.
gotta be careful dialing it back too. you hit a "that's interesting" with the wrong person, you just got yourself dyspnia and panic on top of the hypertensive crisis.
I work in acute care. When I do my start of shift vitals. If you hear me say, "Huh, okay." Then calmly ask for someone to come here real quick on my vocera. Your ass is 2 shakes from a rapid response.
I love how there’s always the really quick and stern somewhat angrily explaining what you did wrong, and then the quick softening to support you. Would totally love to have you as my first day as an EMT. ❤
I mean, that's honestly the best way to teach. Let them know what they did wrong so they can learn from it, but still encourage them and tell them when they're doing well
Yeah with new recruits in general, you sometimes get frustrated with the shit that they do but you gotta understand that they are fresh and have very little experience. You also don’t want to scare them away too soon especially if you are understaffed. If they don’t have a bad attitude, they have the potential to learn and improve.
I am autistic and work as a nurse. That kind of explanation from other nurses makes it so easy to learn. No bullshit, just "Ok, you did this and this wrong" and then either explanation how to fix it or a quick demonstration
For real! I may cry but I cry regardless, better to tell me straight-up what to do and not do so I can cry and learn 😅 Weirdly, gentle correction makes me cry more.
On my clinicals the paramedic asked me to take the bp of an older lady, I did and it gave some weird reading (I can’t remember it at all)- he looked at me funny and then did it himself where it gave him the exact same reading. He goes “oh, ok I guess that is it”- I have never felt more vindicated and satisfied ever, I wanted to yell and pump my fist in the air but I refrained😂😂
On my 6th BLS shift, I got a BP of 198/98. Took it again: 198/90. The two I was training under didn't believe me, took a palpated reading and got 200. Then at the hospital, the patient was at 205/99. I was Sooo proud of myself
On one of my first calls as a brand new EMT a couple of decades ago, I got 120/80. I contemplated lying because I knew I would get a sideways look. However, I was truthful. The medic made me take it again. It was pretty close. He ended up doing orthostatic pressures himself as a way of getting around calling me out thinking I wasn't doing it right. Thank heavens the pressures he got were similar, but the patient probably thought we were nuts for taking so many BPs.
@@proudvirginianI hate being too normal. 98.6, 120/80, etc. Give me a normally normal number, like 117/81 or something! Come on circulatory system, get it together!
You can actually call family members with some of them. One time, Life Alert called me and said my Dad had activated the button and needed me immediately. I was in the middle of a shower. I left the shampoo in my hair and rushed over, assuming he was having breathing problems again. When I got there, he looked fine. I asked what was wrong. He said that the cable remote wasn't working. He had used Life Alert to call me to fix his remote control😐🤦♀️ Did I mention that I was scheduled to stop by there later that day. But he just couldn't wait. I swear to God, that old man simultaneously gave me a near heart attack and drove me mad😡😂
@@YuriyDel Yeah, the problem with my Dad was that sometimes he was actually dying and needed immediate intervention. So you never knew which scenario it would be, so you couldn't just blow it off. That man made all my hair go grey😭😂
Yeah I know you just fucked up every single thing up right now but you are doing okay. Mostly because you haven't run away screaming or aren't sobbing in a corner.
Or trying to use a cuff that will not fit, no matter what you try. My sister has super skinny arms (chronic metabolic disease). Whether at the doctors' office, or in the back of an ambulance, she tells them to use the Peds cuff but, no, they put the adult cuff on her. Believe me when I tell you, even after it has been inflated, they never get an accurate BP. Why don't people listen? Y'all just think we're stupid civilians, right? Go on, you can say it. I'm sure that, most of the time, it's true!
I fractured my fibula and badly sprained my ankle, at a state park. Pain was so bad that within five minutes I nearly vomited and passed out. It took 40’ for EMS to arrive at my remote location, from the park’s entrance. When they cuffed me and took my BP, it was 186 over something (I forget the lower number.) Paramedic asked if that was my usual. Told him that I’m usually 110/70. He thought that the cuff was messed up, so they tried a different cuff. Same result. My BP was crazy high due to pain!
I remember when a nursing student took my blood pressure after I sliced off the tip of my toe, she started freaking out because she thought I was about to have a stroke. (It was something like 210 systolic)
Pain is a pressor (increases BP); it sucks but sometimes it's better that it sucks and sometimes the local med command gets pissed if you start sedating people in the field for pain management.
I love how every time everyone says the newbie is doing great. It feels like some great affirmation. But then you realize these are EMTs, turnover rate is probably through the roof, and they want to retain people.
Eh Paramedics aren't admin. You will realise if you're shit quickly I promise you dont want to put up with someone that's not willing to learn or do anything because the first time shit hits the fan you have to rely on them.
Maybe if the US treated EMS as a proper profession like most other developed countries, you wouldn't have EMTs with such basic training working in ambulances and getting poorly paid. In countries like Australia, EMT level doesn't meet the mandatory requirements for emergency ambulance work.
@@coover65 , take care of everything at the lowest possible level. The amount of calls which require ALS is probably 10 (being generous, maybe 20) percent of calls-and the majority of those are to start interventions in the field to just initiate faster care than waiting for physician orders.
@@YuriyDel Forgive the ignorance, but what are "physicians orders"? Does that mean you have to do a phone consult with a Dr. before you can administer a certain drug? Our flight paramedics do that with probably 1% of their drugs. For us at baseline level (Advanced Care Paramedic) we just administer any of our 60 odd drugs based on clinical judgement and guidelines.
@@coover651. Yes. 2. I was referring to in-hospital. When you receive medication within the hospital a physician first has to put in orders for that medication (or test, or procedure, etc). Because paramedics function on standing orders they can start a treatment without having to wait for a physician to order it unlike the nurse in the ED.
Dually noted, don't do that on my first day next week. Though it would not be surprising if some of my classmates did. It took one group two hours to figure out how to tie the knots while learning splitting (it was the simplest know possible)
New topics come quickly for some, slower for others. As long as it's handled well at exam and ppl show improvement along the way, it's all good. Best of luck with your studies!
Reminds me of hearing about an orientee looking over the medic's shoulder, doing a piece of mind ECG on an anxious 20-something and going "oh, it says Abnormal ECG!"
Literally had the EMTs admit their cuff was fucked, cause it was reading my BP at 72/30, which uh.... _no._ Swapped the cuff, 178/85. Little high, but not bad.
Maybe it was too old 🤔 or got accidentally poked by something ( not necessarily a needle) , or maybe one of it's components started to melt in the sun/heat ... Or it was too small or too big for your arm 🤔🤔
The emotional whiplash I'd have if I were on the other end of this conversation lmao. Getting reamed for making dumb mistakes and then immediately "other than that you're not doing too bad though :-)" 😂
I was always so nervous doing my first blood pressures. It is stressful and then listening can be stressful initially. Like do you say in front of the patient 186 over 126? Or do you like whisper it to your mentor while telling the patient you are good. .
Early on if you're not sure of the reading, call the mentor to double check it before announcing it to the patient. Seems better to make the patient think you're getting a second opinion instead of you're incapable of doing it. However, if the reading is accurate and the reading is terrible, best to let the patient know and help them calm down from it. They're going to figure it out anyway once you start rushing them into the ambulance and yelling for the driver to floor it.
I'm so glad you brought up the seriousness - these kids are not serious 24/7, especially early on! Rick writes them goofy, like kids are, until they have to be serious.
As someone who worked at a company that makes and installs window shades I felt that "It's NOT *whispering* ffffucking broken! We don't need them thinking we run around with broken shit." The last thing customers and patients want to hear is "I think it's broken."
Something I try to teach people that for me is "make a show of it". Nothing is ever wrong, your never having a bad day. And you are never say that your missing a tool
On my second ride along with my emt program I saw a person get crushed by a semi. It was an adrenaline rush like no other, I’m in the right line of work.
Dude im a student and im close to finishing up all my studies. I really hope if i make it through everything left i get paired up with someone like you. You’re a great influence
I remember my first call during rotation with this grumpy ol cantankerous veteran. He asked me how to palpate a BP and my mind went blank. Like immediately everything I’d learned and knew *poof* gone. Went back to the station and I reread everything that night. I never forgot again and that was one of 2 times I froze on a call.
first day as apprentice, the journeyman gave me a package with instructions, told me to put it together. I did, but had one piece on the wrong side of a lip of the thing. Told me that it was "the wrong way around" so I dutyfully took the seal off, fliped it and put it back on into the same place... he was not amused till he realised what he said and that I had not the slightest idea about what I was doing :D
As a BMET, this one made me piss myself and call an ambulance. Got called into an eye procedure OR once because the lamp on a microscope wasn’t working. The doc said, while actively working on a cataract case with an awake and aware patient, “I feel like I’m working blind here.” I turned a knob 180degrees and got up to leave. Doc said, “Ah, that’s much better!” Fml.
Story: when I was in middle school I was called blue berry (wore an all blue outfit and made the mistake of telling my friends i felt like a blue berry) One day went to my friends house for a sleep over and went with her mom to a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens and ofc theres a blood pressure thing there. We are like 12 so we go to mess with it. I went first but it had been a LOOOONG time since I ever used or saw it used abd forgot to put my arm all the way through. It did not register a pulse. I was called DBB until graduation. Dead Blue Berry 😂😅
My sister worked at an assisted living place, and the buttons were connected to their walkies. She had an older lady who would hit it at the same time every day so that they would bring her a candy bar and water from the kitchenette. But she was such a sweet heart that they could help but love her. Plus, she was lonely. My sister had 50 people under her sole care during shift from just living there to needing help with personal care. Plus they would make her man the frint desk and help with the dining room to boot. She was only supposed to give each room 5 minutes, and she was supposed to be out. Would have her clock in and out on a portable device. So she would just clock out at that point because most times, that wasn't even enough time hardly to walk across the room and back. She finally just had to leave, but she always has missed them.
I get my blood drawn often for medical issues. One time I was in an ambulance, the clearly amateur EMT was having a really hard time getting the IV needle in my vein. My delirious ass had to point out the exact spot before brother finally got it. 😶
One of our neighboring medics went into cardiac arrest working an event (other medical professionals nearby). In the panic one of them forgot how to set a certain thing on the monitor and asked how to the group working the code; shortly after CPR and ROSC, [Pt] wakes up and weakly says how to set the monitor to that mode during [Pt's] own code. Legend. Moral of the story, if you know the best place to make the hole, tell the person making it. :D I've called in my own report more than I'd have liked and there's a reason we make for bad Pts.
@@YuriyDel Bahahaha that IS legendary I'm not the type to pretend I know more than medical professionals by any stretch- but having health issues means you need to become your own best advocate. I've been screwed over for longer recovery periods before, hell yes I'm going to point out that I can't take XYZ with my current medications (etc). Not my first rodeo living in my own body! 😛 (...Now, if I used this to give OTHER people advice, that would be a different story.)
@@hanthonyc , As someone who's advised a course of action during one's own surgery, you're right that one needs to advocate for oneself-and have someone trusted for when they just can't deal with you anymore and start just full-sending anesthesia.
When my mom was going to the ER and we called the ambulance they had a new guy coming in and they lifted up her shirt and we’re taking some vitals, etc. and he asked my mom what kind of skin condition that she has because she has stretch marks on her stomach 😳😳😳 bless his little heart. He was very young and the woman who was a fellow EMT looked at him and was giving him death like “shut the fuck up, bro. “😂😂😂😂
