EMT tips can benefit experienced personnel as well as students and new graduates. With the vast array of situations that EMTs find themselves in, it is wise to keep up with how others handled a sticky situation, or how they successfully compensated when the usual equipment did not meet their needs.
- Any change in cognitive function or behavior warrants fresh vital signs. The first sign of decreased oxygen saturation is irritability, and low blood pressure can bring on hallucinations. So no matter what the protocol calls for (vitals q 30 minutes, vitals q 15 minutes) a change in condition means new vital signs.
- Evaluate the time it takes for intubation. More than 30 seconds requires the patient to be ventilated. An easy way to do this is to hold your own breath while you perform the intubation. If you feel the need to breathe, your patient needs to breathe.
- Bleeding that is life threatening is the only bleeding that should be treated during the initial assessment. Non- life threatening conditions can wait until a proper assessment has been done.
- Never attempt to rescue a patient in an unfamiliar situation. You can put yourself and others in danger. Wait for more experienced personnel with the proper equipment.
- Do not take contaminated clothing home to wash. You can make your family and others sick. Your facility should have a special cleaning service for uniforms contaminated with blood or other body fluids or chemicals.
- Know the federal, state and local regulations for EMTs. You must also know and follow company guidelines, making sure they fall within state regulations.
- Never be tempted to shortcut infection control procedures. In the heat of an emergency infection control should be second nature, not something you have to think about or consider.
- In the emergency medical services career field stress and burnout is a high priority concern. Learn ways to de-stress when you are off duty.
- If a bystander offers help and you allow it, you are responsible for their safety and any treatment they perform.
- Any EMTs priority is making sure the area is safe to enter to give assistance.
The best EMT tips come from seasoned coworkers that have been in the EMT profession for an extended period of time. They can teach you about the real world of the EMT career that classes just can’t penetrate. Spend time listening to their conversations and how they overcame problem scenarios.
In all of the medical fields you are taught the best practices for situations that have innumerable variables. An EMT has to be able to think on his feet and compensate for these variables. EMT tips from seasoned workers are great for new grads, but nothing beats the experience you will get on the job.
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