HeatherJen Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Need some ideas on how an agency might deal with new EMT's and hooking them up with a senior EMT/mentor to help them get comfortable and a good start with the new service. I have heard of some agencies that pair two EMT's up, then the mentor keeps a record/evaluation sheets of the EMT's progress and helps encourage them etc.... I have been asked to mentor a potential volunteer, and since this agency has never had any mentor program before, I am looking for some ideas. Thanks for your input. ~H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotchitymedic1986 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Depends on your budget, number of seniors versus rookies, and how many of those seniors have the temperament to manage rookies ? I like the following for all new employees: You create a checklist of every important job function that an employee needs to be competent to do, and a place to check off that they have been shown how to do it, and another column for a future date when you check off that you have actually witnessed them doing the skill, procedure, treatment properly. Then you place them with a preceptor for "x" amount of time, until the check-list is complete. For instance: Competency: Date Taught Date Witnessed Comments 1. Checks vehicle fluids 01/09/09 01/10/09 2. Proper IV technique 01/10/09 01/13/09 missed first 3 ivs, has been consistent in last 10 sticks 3. Emergency Driving 02/01/09 02/11/09 Too rough on accel, didnt stop at red light, takes curves too fast. Now drives safely. You can tailor it to what is important and/or unique to your organization, and you can make as in depth or as shallow as you desire. But you should atleast hit all the major responsibilities and pieces of equipment, so that you dont get the "no one ever told me or showed me that" later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotchitymedic1986 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Sorry, imagine columns in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reaper Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Google EMS FTO program. You will find what you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher.Collins Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Heather, Mentor programs if ran properly are a great idea. I have both mentored and been mentored in my past experiences and find, especially for the shy types, that it can be a great asset. First and foremost choosing who should be a mentor. Now this may sound harsh, singling people out, but from experience you really want to avoid the stand-offish types. They may be great EMTs or Medics but the point is to make the new member comfortable and welcome. Additionally you would also want them to know that they can go to their mentor for anything, including issues that may need to go through the chain of command. This mentor must also be pretty well familliar with SOPs and SOGs and anything relevant to the company, but not cocky to the point that if they dont know they'll just spurt out some BS instead of asking a peer or super. Showing new members that we also dont know everything, I feel, is rather important as it sends bad signals to show them arrogance is accepted. Mentors dont have to be a Paragod or super EMT in the field, I think that they should be more of a people person if anything, but of course they should be compitent and trustworthy among their peers. The mentor of course should not be shy nor lazy... its a deffinate position for the friendly and pro-active types. They should (if the new member seems lost or lazy) be the ones saying, "hey why dont we go through the check sheets and rig" or, "hey this crew is back late for the end of their shift lets wash the rig so they can head out." Patients is another important quality, unless the member is seemingly going down a bad road really fast (be it atitude or skill level or something else) the mentor should be able remain calm and address any discapline issues appropriately. Some good things Ive seen in mentor programs are (in no particular order): 1) Let regular non-supervisory members be the mentors. I know first hand it can be intimidating working directly with a supervisor, even after 5 years of doing this I still have my moments. 2) Following up with the new member from time to time out of the station, maybe calling and asking how things are going... showing that they actually care. This can be helpfull especially if the new member shows any discomfort in the station. 3) Dont just show them things. Have them go over it with you, have them show you how to operate the stretcher or properly backboard a patient. Have them show you what is where on the ambulance. Alot of people seem to learn better with hands on training than standing and watching. This of course wouldnt apply to anything they know nothing about. 4) Let all regular members know whos mentoring what new member. Unless its a serious issue the mentor should be the first to know whats going on or recieve feedback. If the new member has a problem with another person then (with approval of a supervisor) it may prove helpfull for the mentor to let them talk it out together, but remain during this as a mediator. It would because of such instances be important that the mentor is generally more neutral than a biased person. 5) Addressing the chain of command for issues should be emphasized during the mentorship. The new member must know that at some point the mentor will no longer be responsible for them and they will have to go to the proper supervisors for a given issue. This does not mean that the proffesional relationship should perminantly be severed between the member and mentor. The member should feel welcome and comfortable talking to their former mentor if their is a problem, but should be guided to address it appropriatley. With that ( #5) being said, it is important that the new member be told they may not always be able to contact or address an issues with their mentor. Like the supervisors, they must be taught to work as a team with whatever crew they are working with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher.Collins Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Google EMS FTO program. You will find what you need. With all respect intended reaper, I would have to disagree. In my personal opinion an FTO and Mentor are two different things. A mentor may not nessecarilly train a new member how to do the job itself or even ride on any calls with the new member. An FTO, in my experiences, can be one or multiple persons that the new member works with during a probationary time learning how to actually do the job. Where as a there should be only ONE mentor for a new member who is neutral to the new members needs, strengths and weaknesses as well as the company and regular members. The mentor should remain in contact with the new member on and off duty (as well as thoes he/she works with) making sure everything is working well for them. In fairness a mentor is part FTO and part supervisor... but also part advocate to the new member. They should (while keeping a proffesional demeaner) be a bit sympathetic to the new member. I dont mean helping them with everything they cry about... but they are there for the new member maybe a little bit more than for the company. Of course they should not loose track of right and wrong during this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotchitymedic1986 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Reaper, I like what you are saying, but i am not sure how feasible it is in a service that already has staffing issues. As you are aware, many services just throw the newbies to the wolves. Give me some more detail about how it would work if you designed it: who would mentor, how many newbies would that person mentor, how do they mentor if they do not ride with them ? Does the mentor just deal with emotional issues or does he/she handle performance issues as well ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher.Collins Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Personally I dont think a mentor should oversee more than 2 people, 3 max. Unfortunatley there are a couple of things that will dictate that... the ever so obvious staffing problems many agencies face and eligible candidates to be mentors. I feel it should be a selective proccess based on personality and people skills, but again compitency in the field is important. Formal training for the position isnt nessecarilly important but that of course depends on the needs of the company. As Ive said an FTO and a mentor are two different things... this does not nessecarilly mean that an FTO can not be a mentor, merley that they are two different responsabilities. It would be great if the mentor could go on calls with their new member however any compitent regular crew member can have this responsability. The mentors job is mostly to make sure that the new member is settling in and undertsands what is expected of them, as well as to be a neutral advocate if something happens. I say that it is not important for the mentor to go on calls with the new member because of this: the new member must get used to working with everyone and scheduling may not always deem it feasable... if the mentor is more experienced than another member they may be put on a busier ambulance and put the other member with the probie. Also, depending on how the program is set up, the mentor should talk regularly with the crews who work with the new member for feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotchitymedic1986 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I dont think putting new people with "anybody that works there" is a good idea. If you want the employee to be successful, they need to get a good "start", and some people just dont have the patience to work with new people. Even if the new person is experienced, they may not know your company's way of doing things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherJen Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Some good input so far... thank you everyone. I have recently talked with somene from a neighboring agency, and they seem to have a strong mentor program already in place. I heard about an evaluation sheet that is filled out after each run. The crew and the third rider/trainee sit down, talk about the run, check off what they did (skills: Vitals, MIR, Restocking Amb. etc...) then they discuss what can be improved or areas of weakness and areas of strongpoints etc. This is all done and put in the trainee's file so the mentor not on shift can see whats happening when the mentor is not on those runs. I dont mind this kind of idea, however, I worry that some of our crews may be a bit over critical with someone new and worry about discouraging them. But then again.... I guess this is not a job you are allowed a thin skin either. So... if you were for an evaluation sheet as such... what kind of things would you be listing on it? I can get access to their evaluation sheets, but would also like some more input on this before I am totally sold on the whole idea. Really, if this goes where I think its going to... and because of the input I have received so far..... I think I will be researching more, writing up and submitting an outline of a more formal mentor program for this agency. Which I can see clearly now is just as important on picking WHO to be the mentor as to HOW we mentor. My experience in the past with a so called mentor was a joke. The first meeting night I was introduced to the crews, my so called mentor walked in loud, foul mouthed and then snubbed me. I heard from her once over the phone, letting me know to come to her if I had any questions.... LOL... I was NOT impressed. So I have definately learned that there can be WRONG people for the mentor positions. I remember how alone and NOT welcomed I felt on that first meeting night... and so I wasnt surprised that they were hurting bad for EMT's. But I did recognize that there is a place for me in that agency.... someone has to be the smiling face to the newcomers. There are some really great viewpoints here so far.. and I truly appreciate all the input everyone! Thank you! ~H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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