Orientation period for new Medics

[Arizonaffcep]

I would think no less than 6 months 3rd person w/ a 5+yr medic.

[jbanagas]

Yeah well with a private company 3 months should do it, with a more career based service "Fire" one year and nothing less is acceptable.

[Dustdevil]

Yeah well with a private company 3 months should do it, with a more career based service "Fire" one year and nothing less is acceptable.

That's because it takes them four times as long to learn.

[jbanagas]

That's because it takes them four times as long to learn.

Yeah well that's because were making too much $$$$$$$$$, chillen with all the hot chicks.

[mobey]

Yeah well that's because were making too much $$$$$$$$$, chillen with all the hot chicks.

I thought it was because they spend too much time polishing thier poles

[Kaisu]

I thought it was because they spend too much time polishing thier poles

sliding down 'em

[sirduke]

Or smoking each other's pole....

[scoobymedic96]

There is a lot of opinions on this even in my county. I have ran into a lot of medics that think new medics should be thrown in and they strongly believe that you will either sink or swim. Our service plays it by ear...basically they go on how the new medic feels and how they preceive the confidence of the new medic. I am riding with a different medic every month since we change stations monthly. Plans were to be on my own by December but that probably won't happen due to time off for me cause of an injury. I know that some of my classmates have been on their own since the day their numbers came in and some have made some mistakes and been taken down a notch and other have no problems. I personally am glad to have another medic with me just to keep it all straight. I am on a truck with a basic at the private service I work for and have had no problems but sure would of liked an orientation to their equipment which I have told them that but at county I am always with another medic.

[crotchitymedic1986]

I think orientation should be flexible in time parameters -- some people may need weeks, more veteran employees may just need a day. At a minimum, they should prove that they can operate every piece of equipment on the truck, go through some driving training, soem territory training, and ride third until a senior medic gives them the OK, but even when on their own, I think there should be a thorough review of every call. I do not subscribe to the sink or swim philosophy, because when they sink, patients tend to die. This is where a good field training officer program can work wonders.

I have a buddy that decided to be a CDL truck driver --- i was struck by the similarities and differences between his orientation and ours in EMS --- he had to go to school for 4 weeks and pass his CDL exam, that was administered by the state, and has a significant failure rate. The school was upfront in saying we only teach you to pass the CDL test, it is up to your employer to teach you to drive their truck (lots of differences in regular 18 wheeler, flatbed, and tanker -- not to mention hazardous materials). After passing the test, and getting hired, every employer required an 8-10 week orientation period where he was paid less than minimum wage. At the place he got employed, he spent 4 weeks in classroom and practice driving in their "yard", then drove the next 4-5 weeks in every condition imaginable -- mountains, city, urban, rural. He was not given his own truck until he passed every driving and written test. Out of the 19 that started his orientation class, only 2 received a job offer. And they start a new orientation every week, because they are so short. But unlike some EMS employers, they feel the "cost" of hiring someone who cant pass the rigors of this orientation period is too much of a risk (the average cost of an accident involving another vehicle is over $300k).