firemedic197 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 One medic today told me you aren't really a medic till you kill a pt. If that's true, then I can only hope I'm never really a medic. Just a great pre-hospital als provider. If that makes any sense at all. That logic is a horrible way to look at what we do. First let me say I agree with you, didnt want you to think I agree with killing patients. If a medic kills a pt they might need to be pulled off the street. Sometimes pts do die but i would like to think it was despite the medics best efforts not because of them. Try not to worry about clinicals. It is very natural to be nervous in that situation. The more you do the more relaxed you will be. When you start try to appear confident even tough you are scared on the inside. Things will get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itku2er Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Iv's are like everything else its not an exact science. Even veteran EMS workers miss every once in a while. And as far as not a medic till you kill some one that is the absolute craziest thing I have heard all day. But just be confident If they know you are scared they will eat you alive just keep that postitive attitude and you will be fine. Keep us posted on how it goes. Good luck to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepluv77 Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 That logic is a horrible way to look at what we do. First let me say I agree with you, didnt want you to think I agree with killing patients. If a medic kills a pt they might need to be pulled off the street. Sometimes pts do die but i would like to think it was despite the medics best efforts not because of them. Try not to worry about clinicals. It is very natural to be nervous in that situation. The more you do the more relaxed you will be. When you start try to appear confident even tough you are scared on the inside. Things will get better. I'm gonna go in with my game face on. That's what I did last semester. Watched a pa draining a huge abcess and started to feel faint. I just took a knee and pretended I was just trying to get a better angle(yes, I continued to watch. figured I'd have to get used to it someday). No ever knew I had an issue with it. Oddly enough, the blown femoral lines and dialysis shunts didn't bother me. So I'm hoping maybe I'll get there and find I really don't have as much an issue as I think I do. Oh, and I'm gonna make sure I've got my vapor rub with me too. Found out the hard way last time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nypamedic43 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I had absolutely the worst confidence problem when it came to IV's. As I did more and more of them it got much easier to put aside the fact that this a real live person your sticking a very sharp object into. Luckily for me I had 2 of the most awesome ER nurses that precepted me. One of them looked at me and flat out told me that nobody is perfect, everybody misses IV's and it's going to hurt the patient no matter what, even if it's just a for a minute. I didn't want to hurt someone who was already in pain or distress anymore than they already hurt. Trust me on this you WILL get over this. Now that I've been working as a medic for a few months if they need an IV they get one...no hesitation. Take a deep breath and let it out slow. Take another breath, hold it and poke 'em.... see your flash and your all done. Pretty soon you wont even need to take that first deep breath. You are going to be just fine and as one of my preceptors told me....be like a duck, cool and calm on the surface and paddling like hell under the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepluv77 Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 I love the duck analogy! Y'all are great. And it's nice to know I'm not the only one to feel like this. Not only on the iv's but also on the glib attitude of that proctor. He also said that everyone makes medication errors, etc. I understand that it can happen, but I also feel like I have a duty to do everything in my power for it not to happen on my watch. When I've done my med practicals, I check all med info when I'm setting up, again before I draw it, and again after I draw it. It only takes a few extra seconds and with some it can make the difference between helping my pt and killing them. It's already such a habit that I have a feeling I will have no trouble carrying it over to the field. Thanks again, y'all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I love the duck analogy! Y'all are great. And it's nice to know I'm not the only one to feel like this. Not only on the iv's but also on the glib attitude of that proctor. He also said that everyone makes medication errors, etc. I understand that it can happen, but I also feel like I have a duty to do everything in my power for it not to happen on my watch. When I've done my med practicals, I check all med info when I'm setting up, again before I draw it, and again after I draw it. It only takes a few extra seconds and with some it can make the difference between helping my pt and killing them. It's already such a habit that I have a feeling I will have no trouble carrying it over to the field. Thanks again, y'all. Keep that habit up. The few seconds extra it takes will not harm the patient. Never let your adrenalin take over and make you jump steps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepluv77 Posted March 7, 2009 Author Share Posted March 7, 2009 Keep that habit up. The few seconds extra it takes will not harm the patient. Never let your adrenalin take over and make you jump steps. My thoughts exactly. Most of my proctors are great so I've picked up lots of little "mantras". Like BLS before ALS. I had a problem with wanting to pull out the big guns and sometimes forgetting my ABC's. Fixed that though. Finally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizonaffcep Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 So, please tell me I'm not the only one to have gone through this. I've got my first day of als clinicals on the 14th and as excited as I am, I'm freaking out. I'm absolutely petrified of having to stick a patient, administer a potentially dangerous drug, etc. At first I was so confident, I've been doing great in my practicals. As soon as I saw the clinical schedule was up something changed. Now I'm a nervous wreak. I so hope this gets easier. I know that I know my stuff(at least what we've been taught to date) but I can not get past the fear of messing up with a patient. Like missing an iv and having to start it again. Any suggestions? Will I get used to this at some point? Oh come on! Pushing a clear fluid into a clear fluid can't possibly have any ramifications! The best advice I can give for starting clinicals is this: Ask as many questions as humanly possible, and volunteer for EVERYTHING! Seriously, even though "wiping ass" might not be what some here think is part of our job description (even though it is), the hospital staff WILL remember you...either good or bad, and those that they tend to like and find helpful, they can and will go out of their way to get you cool stuff. Also, don't just focus on the "hows" but also the "whys." And what is most important: HAVE FUN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepluv77 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Oh come on! Pushing a clear fluid into a clear fluid can't possibly have any ramifications! The best advice I can give for starting clinicals is this: Ask as many questions as humanly possible, and volunteer for EVERYTHING! Seriously, even though "wiping ass" might not be what some here think is part of our job description (even though it is), the hospital staff WILL remember you...either good or bad, and those that they tend to like and find helpful, they can and will go out of their way to get you cool stuff. Also, don't just focus on the "hows" but also the "whys." And what is most important: HAVE FUN! Thanks for the suggestions! At my clinical last semester for my basic I asked everything and watched everything. Even stuff like sutures that were way out of my scope of practice, I was right there. I worried I was driving them nuts, just like I worry I'll drive people nuts here with questions. I don't just want to memorize stuff I want to really learn it and be able to put two and two together rather than just following an algorithm that my patient may not really even fit into. As for the whys, I was always that "why" kid too. I kinda feel all the knowledge in the world is useless if you don't know why things are the way they are. It's great to know that at least some people don't mind the relentless questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomeViking09 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Like missing an iv and having to start it again. Any suggestions? IVs only get easier with time, ER is the best place to work on your IV skills (lots of PTs in need of the and lots of both good and bad vines to learn on) in my EMT-I clinicals I had to get 15 IV (5 had to be with fluids running) The first day I was on EMS and only got 1 (on the EMT I was working with at the end of the night) due to low call volume, but the first day in the ER I got 4 out of 9 tries the 2nd day in the ER I got 8 out of 10, and so on as clinicals go on you will get better and find the best way that works for you. I would recommend watching the person you are shadowing do the first one of the day then asking to do the next one, learn from how each person does it and find what works for you. Oh and don't go trying to stick a 14G in a drunk your first day.... Good luck! Oh come on! Pushing a clear fluid into a clear fluid can't possibly have any ramifications! The best advice I can give for starting clinicals is this: Ask as many questions as humanly possible, and volunteer for EVERYTHING! Seriously, even though "wiping ass" might not be what some here think is part of our job description (even though it is), the hospital staff WILL remember you...either good or bad, and those that they tend to like and find helpful, they can and will go out of their way to get you cool stuff. Also, don't just focus on the "hows" but also the "whys." And what is most important: HAVE FUN! Wiping asses is how I got to help with a lot of cool stuff (Codes, seeing a chest tube out in up very close, watching a doc set broken bones with the fluoroscope, seeing the docs use the "cool" toys and so on Oh ya try to follow a nurse who is on the Rapid response team (or code team or whatever your hospital calls it) if your an ALS student, good way to get to do airways and see how codes work in the "real world" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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