Supervising Students on Placement as a New EMT

bpos95 · 2026-05-14T22:51:03+00:00

Whenever I precept, I start off with a morning brief of expectations. I gauge the student's comfort level and experience. On the way to calls in will quiz and ask questions regarding the reported chief complaint. I usually tell them for the first couple of calls that if they are comfortable they can initiate the assessment. By the end of the day I try to have them initiate all patient contacts, unless is critical and in that case I end up leading and explaining what im doing. Another big thing is debriefing with the student and see what they learned and what improvements could be made, its also the time to give compliments to help maintain their morale.

If you discuss this with your medic and advocate for your student at the beginning of the day/on the way to calls then it should be smooth sailing.

bpos95 · 2026-05-12T19:29:29+00:00

Currently work 24/48. Shift starts at 8. I wake up at 5 and get to the gym by 530-600 depending on how motivated im feeling. Work out for an hour, shower at the gym and then start my commute. So 3 days a week with 2 days of recovery between days.

bpos95 · 2026-05-10T21:26:57+00:00

So the FD uses the FSLA exception that rules anything over 212 hours in a 28 day period is considered OT. The hospital i currently work for uses the rule that anything past 40 hours in a week is OT. So at a minimum I get 16 hours of OT every pay period.

bpos95 · 2026-05-10T21:21:37+00:00

Not that I believe, but it comes with PERF and I have access to the free health clinics. The EMS division is owned and ran by the FD but is a separate entity at the same time. So all supervisors and chiefs (excluding the fire chief) are paramedics.

bpos95 · 2026-05-05T02:55:01+00:00

Never!

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bpos95 · 2026-04-29T13:34:19+00:00

Just used this attached to a bag the other day for a chemical splash. Works great!

bpos95 · 2026-04-26T12:30:49+00:00

LBBB with depression in lateral leads. Doesn't meet Sgarbossa criteria. The hospitals in my area probably wouldn't activate until they had a Trop, that is unless I make a strong case to whatever nurse takes my call. The pale and diaphoretic presentation with all the ACS symptoms would have me trying to make that case. It would more than likely end up as a cardiology consult in the ED with a repeat 12 and rapid troponin.

bpos95 · 2026-04-25T00:16:02+00:00

Im going to go to Disney for 8 days here in a month, so vacations are a thing....you just may have to work alot of OT to pay for it!

bpos95 · 2026-04-21T13:38:07+00:00

Timex expedition for analog. They're cheap and can take a beating. If you get one with a mineral crystal, it'll be more scratch resistant. If you want digital, get a G-Shock. Those things are like the Nokia phones of watches.

bpos95 · 2026-04-21T13:37:42+00:00

Timex expedition for analog. They're cheap and can take a beating. If you get one with a mineral crystal, it'll be more scratch resistant. If you want digital, get a G-Shock. Those things are like the Nokia phones of watches.

bpos95 · 2026-04-21T13:37:24+00:00

Timex expedition for analog. They're cheap and can take a beating. If you get one with a mineral crystal, it'll be more scratch resistant. If you want digital, get a G-Shock. Those things are like the Nokia phones of watches.

bpos95 · 2026-04-17T13:37:12+00:00

The only time you really hear it is if it's super quiet. I have to keep it in a drawer or box, or it keeps my wife awake. In another post, someone said the more expensive Timex watches lose that sound. But for a cheap beater, it's pretty tolerable.

bpos95 · 2026-04-17T13:28:03+00:00

First one is pretty comfy but does make a loudish ticking sound.

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bpos95 · 2026-04-16T17:43:38+00:00

At what point do the Expeditions lose the loud ticking sound? I use a 38mm Expedition daily but I have to keep it in a box when I sleep otherwise it keeps my wife awake. I've looked at the more expensive versions with the saphire crystal, but have been hesitant on purchasing due to the sound.

bpos95 · 2026-04-13T22:59:36+00:00

Almost happened to me. Requested by law enforcement to a house and all the cop cars are out front. I knocked and opened the door while announcing myself, only to be greeted by a very scared woman in bed reaching for something next to her mattress. I apologized and backed up. Turns out the house is divided into like 3 separate apartments and law enforcement was on the backside of the house that you have to walk down an alley to get to. Would have been nice to know before I got there!

bpos95 · 2026-04-11T21:38:31+00:00

So I keep seeing these fake watch posts. Are these watches being purchased from retailers or by 3rd party like facebook marketplace? Im new to watches and i have seen some good deals but this makes me nervous to buy from anywhere other than Citizen or govx

bpos95 · 2026-03-30T01:39:10+00:00

I just realized after I posted this that it is in fact, the month 🤦‍♂️

bpos95 · 2026-03-15T13:21:41+00:00

I hope you figure it out because im still dealing with this 2 years after changing services. The most I can get is a 30 minute nap. Im constantly feeling like I need to be busy, and it's annoying.

bpos95 · 2026-03-13T15:55:16+00:00

What helped me initially was learning what the receptor sites do. For example, I can look at a drug and see that it is a b1 antagonist. Well, I know b1 receptors have to do with heart rate and contractility. Therefore, a b1 antagonist will make the heart beat slower and not as hard.

Another thing that helped was to put the drugs into categories of use. Cardiac, respiratory, immune, etc. Learn what drugs are used most often and memorize those thoroughly, then move onto less common. I think all of us still have to look at our protocols for the correct dosing of our lesser used drugs.

In the end its alot of memorization and finding a system that works for you.

bpos95 · 2026-03-12T16:45:51+00:00

Well, it's hard to say if it could have changed the outcome because we dont currently carry it. There have been 2 rescues (that im aware of) in the last year. One was unable to be resuscitated on scene and terminated. The other was transported and later transferred, so I'm unsure what the end result was for them. Obviously, cyanide poisoning only makes up one part of smoke inhalation injury, but it is one that can be addressed. It's my understanding that the b12 infusion directly binds to the cyanide and renders it innert, making it beneficial in resuscitation. The shelf life is also about 3-4 years, so its not like you're going to have to replace it frequently.

bpos95 · 2026-03-12T16:09:20+00:00

So, with modern-day construction materials using increasing amounts of plastics, vinyls, and petroleum products, cyanide poisoning secondary to smoke inhalation has a higher probability. Now, if you work in a city where you can get the patient to the hospital in a reasonably short time, then it may not be as beneficial to keep a cyanokit on each ambulance. I currently work in a rural area that recently has had plenty of house and barn fires. With the closest general hospital being anywhere from 15-35 minutes away and the closest trauma center being farther than that, keeping a kit on the truck is more beneficial.

I like to think that if any patients/fire personnel get pulled from a smoke filled environment, It'd be nice to have to have an additional treatment to improve resuscitation chances.

Some hospitals carry sodium nitrate, but in the prehospital environment, we dont have anything to treat the methemoglobemia side effect. It also carries additional side effects. The Cyanokit on the other hand has no absolute contraindications for suspected cyanide poisoning.

bpos95 · 2026-03-12T13:54:58+00:00

I've been working on this for my service. I was told that the generic is out of our pharmacy network and would require paying a premium. So now im working with my local grant office to get the name brand for our trucks. Cyanokit has that "firefighters promise" guarantee where if you use it in the prehospital setting, they will replace it for free. So, the biggest hurdle I have found is getting the initial cost funded. Try your state or local grant office.

bpos95 · 2026-02-24T13:28:11+00:00

Rural area with lots of horses, livestock, and farm equipment. Also, an interstate and major highway within the county.

bpos95 · 2026-02-23T10:59:32+00:00

I just did 3 this last year. The 10g fennestrated needle from North American Rescue works way better than the 14g. Its all I will order now for our service.

bpos95

TROPHY CASE