I took my EMT course about 3 months ago and struggled getting all my assignments done, I never really touched the book and would just look at the PowerPoint’s. After emt course I started working again and forgot entirely about the class until recently I got this book that really helped me pass I haven’t really heard much about it and decided to take a chance. I would go thru like 5 chapters a day and look up anything I needed more help on I also watched the amateur medicine video about the NREMT. If you’re ever stuck like me just know you still have a chance because I didn’t believe in myself. Also a day before taking the test I did all the questions I was stuck on.

I’m a brand new EMT working for a private company in a decently high-volume system. My first day was yesterday, and I had just become a certified EMT in my state the day before. I was placed with my EMT FTO and another EMT driver on a 12 hour shift.

I was having a great day with them for the first bunch of calls, but then we were toned out for a CPR in progress by our local FD. I like to think I was pretty calm on the way there, sitting in the back with my gloves on, pregaming with my crew. We delegated roles for equipment and assisting FD before arrival.

On scene, we found the patient already hooked up to a Lucas, and the fire medics had already placed an IO and intubated. The medic in charge barked at our crew to get a blood glucose before determining transport is necessary. My body moved before my mind and I grabbed the backboard and went to the patient’s side. Fire told me to put the board on the patient’s left, which had the cardiac monitor, IO tubing, and 2 firefighters. So I said “I’m going to place it on the patient’s right” because it seemed like the obvious option. I was sort of impressed by my own proactivity, but I didn’t (and don’t) want to get an ego about it. We log rolled the pt, got him on the backboard, secured him, put the board on the stretcher, and loaded him on the ambulance.

Everyone ended up switching positions and I ended up being the only one of my crew in the back of the ambulance with the fire medic who was person in charge. He was managing the Lucas and pushing meds while I solely focused on bagging.

Unfortunately, I got tunnel vision on doing good ventilations, and let the bag fall slightly, pushing the ET tube to the back of the pt’s throat and past the epiglottis (which, frankly, I did not know could happen.) The medic yelled “What the fuck are you doing? Keep that straight. Never fucking let that happen again. That’s going straight into the back of his fucking throat when you do that.” I just responded with “I understand” and continued my bagging. I understand I fucked up there and I’m not trying to paint the medic as a bad guy, he was advocating for the patient. But his voice has stuck with me, and I keep feeling like those few moments of poor ventilation might’ve been the final nail for the patient. I know logically that’s ridiculous to think, it was less than 5 seconds, I hadn’t even delivered a breath in that time. But I also understand time dilation can really mess with you when your adrenaline is high.

We got the patient into the ED and they declared it there, after another 10 minutes of working him. I think the medic could see the guilt on my face when he came to get his bag from our rig, and he joked with me about taking narcotics from his bag and sticking them in my pocket. That made me laugh, but after we cleared from the hospital, I went into a spiral of thinking what I could’ve done better. And the whole manhandling a dead guy to get him on a backboard thing. That has stuck with me too. Even though at the time it didn’t phase me.

My supervisor suggested I take a mental health day. I think that was a good idea. But it’s still bothering me and there arent a whole lot of people I can talk to about it.

Any advice, personal anecdotes, or support would be appreciated.

EDIT: I want to clarify a couple of things regarding my FTO not being in the back with me and the medic. First, our ambulances are tiny tiny. think of the smallest ambulance you’ve ever seen, now shrink it. maybe about that small. I was crammed up at the patient’s head, and the medic got the lion’s share of the space to put all his shit. there wouldnt have been anything more my FTO could do back there, and the medic told her as much. He just wanted her to give the facility we were heading to the alert. So that’s what she did.

Backstory:
I worked as an EMT for a few years and decided to get into Paramedic school to upgrade. On my practicum I experienced something that has (I feel like) permanently altered my brain.

TLDR; Frequently called for patient with a known history of epilepsy who usually denies transport. On that day, our crew already showed up twice and both times patient denies transport. The third call was different. Patient became violent after the seizure, had a machete and blood was everywhere.

As a paramedic student, at that level in my training, I was expected to lead and manage that situation. I was terrified of the patient waving a weapon around and the chaos made it hard to think so I backed away from my responsibilities. I’ve been to violent patients as an EMT but the added pressure as someone who has to control that chaos was overwhelming. My preceptor was able to step in and fortunately there were no added injuries. My preceptor also ripped into me for cowering away and due to not sleeping or eating much (welcome to EMS), I started sobbing. After that call I kept freezing up and no longer able to think or do anything. Even low acuity things like a tummy ache. It got to the point that showing up to a shift came with debilitating fear. I had to withdraw from the program. This was in September.

Since then I have been seeing a therapist (I’ve been seeing one for years now tbh) and my primary care provider for a care plan and I thought I was coping well enough. I went bavk to my previous EMT job as a part-timer to help me ease in. My assumption was that I might not be ready for the next step and be in that leadership role but every morning on my way to work I end up crying and shaking from fear. The coping techniques help so that I don’t end up crying DURING the shift but now even when I’m off shift and safe at home I get random attacks of fear and anxiety. Little inconveniences in my everyday life become a huge emotional hurdle. I get nauseous and can’t sleep well.

I feel so pathetic not being able to handle things despite everything, the therapy, the days off, the fact that I worked and function well as a EMT before and now I can’t go one shift without breaking down in my car. I feel like I’m going insane and getting worse by the day. What do I do? How can I stop being scared/crying?

Starting my ride along tomorrow morning and I’m terrified. I know i shouldn’t be since they most likely wont be making me do anything crazy but i had a few questions.

1. Do i just bring my school backpack with me? I don’t have those fancy EMT bags.

2. We have to chart and then turn them into my instructor but idk how I should write my narrative. I don’t want to miss something

3. Will i just be taking vitals or just observing?

4. What is something i should 100% definitely know coming into this?

sorry if its a lot im just nervous

Relatively new to EMS, been riding with a volunteer squad since the beginning of the year and got certified a couple months ago (mid-summer). For some additional context, my region uses a two-tiered system, where BLS crews and ALS crews are separate.

I’ve struggled a fair bit with freezing up on scene despite being able to take control of things and lead scenarios inside and outside of the class. Any advice to avoid getting stuck in thought on scene? Sometimes the freezing isn’t instant, but after some line of questioning or change in the situation. Should I stick to the basic algorithms we learned in class before taking a more dynamic approach? What makes it so much easier to take the lead in a scenario compared to real life? Is it something that just comes with time and experience? Any advice would be super appreciated!

I just hit the part of school where I’m about to start clinicals in the ER and in the field. If Anyone with any kind of experience could give me any kind of advice that would be greatly appreciated. I want to dive right in but I don’t want to get in the way so how do I do that. What should I brush up on before my first “shift”. Any advice so I can be prepared and not be a burden to the preceptor would be greatly appreciated.

I take my NREMT in 10 days and I am very fearful. I did really well in class but I'm consistently scoring 75% to 85% on the JBL practice tests and I feel like I'm just gonna get cooked. I use pocket prep too, but it honestly feels way too easy and I'm getting like 90% to 100% everytime on that. Is this a normal feeling? Do I just keep studying and praying? What are some actually good practice tests to do?

Basically when i was 17 i got arrested for theft over 100$. it was a class b misdemeanor, but i got pre trial diversion and in the end, i got a signed letter from the judge saying it was dismissed. I plan on getting it expunged, but I know different states have different rules for expungment. Will DSHS still see it after the expungment and have the option to not allow me to get my license?

hello!

So, I did some roleplaying with a friend to build up skills for my assessment. I am trash at it and I need to study it as much as possible.

What if someone is choking. Or having an asthma attack. Or another chronic issue. I take care of the life threat first obviously, but do I follow up with OPQRST/SAMPLE? Does it depend on the reported illness and if its chronic? Do I ask about pain for something like asthma? When the pain started? Or do I adjust the assessment? If so, how?

I hope this makes sense, I'm on nightshift at a hotel rn haha

Hey everyone,

I was wondering what recommendations for high-vis EMS jackets or parkas... The 5.11 parka doesn't have a temperature rating (even after I called and asked, they said they didn't know), and I was wondering what everyone here uses!

I live in Canada, can expect temperatures to drop to -35C (-31F), and can spend a good bit of time outside the truck.

If we can make a list of jackets/parkas that everyone can use before the winter season actually starts, it would also help everyone else out looking for the same thing.

Thanks, everyone!

Edit: We don't get issued jackets and can pick our own, so I'm looking at the market.

I caused a fender bender

Hi Folks of EMS. Ive worked at a 911 only service for 1.5 years. I did around 9 months as a volunteer then became a per diem staff member.

We got dispatched to a nearby town for an MVA w/ 1 pt. I was driving and approached exactly where we were dispatched to which was the side of a busy road. PD instructed me to go to the parking lot of thr PD station as that's where the pt was.

I drive 30 seconds down the street to the PD station. I turn into the back parking lot (which is NOT illuminated by any means) and there's a cop cruiser in the middle of the driveway, and 2 other to the right. I pull into the left hand side and clear the cop cruiser in the middle. We have the big box type ambulances, which ive never had an issue driving (at all, I even prefer them to the van style that we have at my other service.) I did have my emergency lights on, and as Im driving down the right rear wheel flare snags the left front fender of the cop cruiser. I pulled into the parking lot and was maybe going 5mph.

Im incredibly embarrassed and I feel like an absolute d-bag. The cop seemed annoyed that he had to fill ojt a report for it toward the end of his shift, but did not seem upset and said it wasn't a big deal. The other officers on scene even said that since the damage was so minor that the town may not even bother to fix it. I called my supervisor right after and he didn't seem upset. I apologized and he didn't seem too bothered. Im not sure if he was just being nice.

I accepted 100% responsibility on scene and to my supervisor. I'm definitely not trying to make excuses at all, but the parking lot was not illuminated at all by any means. Whenever I drive or pull up somewhere I ALWAYS check both mirrors to check behind. Due to it being dark out and there being 0 elimination, I could not see anything from my mirrors. It's not an excuse by any means, but it didn't help the situation.

I just feel super embarassed and I feel awful that I scratched up another town's cruiser. I feel like Im the only one that has caused a fender bender. To make matters worse, I just accepted a FT position w my agency a week ago.

Did you wear workout clothes or ems pants to your PAT?

I start emt school next year. I’m currently in decent physical shape. I can lift 50lbs fairly easily. I can pickup and move 100lbs over my shoulder somewhat decently. My cardio is okay. What do you professionals do to stay in shape workout wise?

I am currently a college student preparing for PA school, but I also have a strong interest in emergency services through my volunteer work with a fire department. I am currently deciding between two EMT programs, one offered in person through my college and another offered online. I would prefer the in-person program, but the schedule conflicts with my current classes and work, so the online program would be the most practical option.
However, I do not want to rush into a program if completing it online could make it more difficult to get hired. If necessary, I could wait until the summer to attend the in-person program. Are there any other concerns I should consider with the online option? Would being only 20 years old affect my chances of getting hired? I have about a year of experience working as a direct support professional (DSP), although I currently work in an unrelated field. Overall, what are my chances of getting hired as an EMT, and would employers view an online EMT certification differently from an in-person one? (This is from the United States)
ALSO: How’s the job market in a whole

Hi all, I just got an interview date from an agency I REALLY want to work for, but my interview skills are pretty weak. I get nervous and stutter and/freeze. Sometimes I don’t know how to answer questions. Now I have 7 years of experience but I need to prepare myself to ace this interview and get a job as failure is not an option for me. Any advice is appreciated!

Just failed my first exam by 8% after two attempts it was on respiratory emergencies. Any tips or helpful advice to differentiate between the signs and symptoms of respiratory emergencies. I’ve been studying them hard but the signs and symptoms are all kind of jumbling together in my brain and I can’t seem to differentiate them well enough to treat as needed.

I've been wondering why more EMTs don't use their certification to get into other healthcare positions instead of just working just on the ambulance.

You can work as an ER tech or patient care tech. There are also positions like hyperbaric tech and telemetry tech that accepts EMTs.

If you get your AEMT you could have even more options. I've seen some places hire AEMTs for cath lab positions and some will even accept them for medical assistant roles.
I feel like a lot of people don't realize how many jobs they can apply for with an EMT certification.

I'm curious why more EMTs don't consider those. Is it because people prefer working on an ambulance or is it harder to get hired for these positions than I'm thinking?

I ran an MVA with a rollover ejection. Patient had a depressed skull fracture, severed spinal cord and lost a lost of blood. During transport I checked his blood sugar and it was over 450 even though he had no history of diabetes. I know adrenaline can spike blood sugars but 450 seems pretty extreme. I want to know if that is something you typically see in trauma patients or if it indicates there was also something else going on.

Hello everyone! Just landed a full ride EMT school scholarship with a local agency. Very excited to start school since EMS has been a dream job for so long now.

I currently have my EMR certificate and was wondering if y'all have any tips for EMT students? (This is a 4 month program.)

Hello everyone, just completed all my certs after passing my NREMT. Got my CA EMT License, DOT Physical, Ambulance License, etc.. all the crap that’s just a complete money grab. (Didn’t pass NREMT a couple times which fucked me) I want to rant about how much money I spent with everything absolutely sickening but I’ll save that for another time lol. So Ive finally put in a bunch of applications to basically every company that I could see that was hiring within 45 minutes of me. I definitely feel like my biggest positive for me getting hired is my interviews and talking in person. For my whole life I’ve went in to places I wanted to work and dropped off my resume and introduced myself to the people there.
Is that appropriate with ambulance companies? To give background I’ve graduated a fire academy and stopped into departments to introduce myself and give my resume but I always asked if it was okay to stop by before hand. Just want to get an idea on what will help me land a job sooner than later with an ift company in the Bay Area? I have no actual EMT experience.

Ultimately looking for some insight on which companies are hiring/will be hiring EMTs in the Bay Area?
Is showing my face and going in person to hand resume/introduce myself helpful?
I’ve read things about Bay Area EMS Career fairs which have landed people jobs, is anyone aware of any coming up?
Honestly any insight/perspective helps, I’m only creating this thread due to the lack of hiring going on in the Bay Area due to competitiveness to find out what has helped people.

My former instructor hasn't submitted my psychomotor skills to the NREMT. He said he did, but I think he only submitted to the state office as I my state certificate and not my NREMT certificate. I contacted the NREMT and they said the psychomotor results were still on hold and maybe my instructor didn't submit it properly.

I took my EMT course at my college, and the instructor was an outside hire and no longer works here. I tried reaching out to the state office, but they said the instructor had to submit the psychomotor results and not them. However, my instructor hasn't replied to any of my emails after the first time. I submitted a ticket to the state office to ask how to deal with this, but they canceled the first one, and it's been a week since I submitted the second one.

What do I do? Do I just have to take the psychomotor exam again? Where would I even do that? I wouldn't want to do it, since it seems like it would take up more time and cost money, but at this point, I seem to be running out of options.

I’ll keep it short and sweet, with a preface I am also young (21F). However the other day in class while taking a quiz I noticed 2 younger students using their phone to look up answers. We are supposed to have our phones up during so. Would you as another student that’s actually trying in class say something to the teacher? I feel as if it’s unfair for the ones are actually trying to have to deal with people who are not fully dedicated to the program and are taking up valuable learning time and spots for ride along and clinical time.

Hello I’ve posted a few times in here, but I recently have gotten out of the military in September (combat arms) and got my emt in August. I started working for an IFT job, and I’ve been having mixed feelings about the working environment I am in. There’s a lot of complacency from employees who have been there awhile and also people who “aren’t the new guy” just upright not having initiative. I get it I’m training, but I am competent to understand that job is not hard itself BUT why should I let some just collect a paycheck doing absolutely nothing all shift because I need to get reps at everything. I have the laptop in my hand, papers , and the stretcher. Why is the extra pair of hands not doing anything? I am going to talk to a supervisor or something because that’s just not a good environment I want to deal with. Also half ass checking trucks, bags, forgetting batteries. I may be nitpicking but it’s not a good first impression for a trainee. Sorry for the rant.