Due to Covid we haven’t had students on the trucks for a long time. But since a couple of weeks they are now back doing their ride outs to finish their EMT or Paramedic programs. I remember when I did them. I did two shifts with Hutchins Fire Department and three shifts at Charlton Methodist ER in Dallas. It was so much fun and I learned so much! Things that was told to me during those shifts still echoes in my head sometimes as great reminders.
When we have students on the trucks I try to share things that I realized once I started working on the box. During EMT school I had never heard or seen an Igel Supraglottic Airway for example. I knew from being a patient how to correctly put on the leads for a 12 lead ECG, we had gone through it in class but it wasn’t until I did my clinicals at the ER I really got it down how to do it correctly. And then there are small tricks and things you come across along the way that you share with them depending on what call you have. Another thing we always go through with the students is the x-collar. Also something I had not encountered until I came to UT. I knew all about a c-collar but an x-collar is put on a little differently. So I always let the students put it on me a couple of times so they feel comfortable with it.
Our student yesterday did great! We didn’t have any exciting calls thou but the once we had was a little different and weird so it turned out to be a decent day on the truck. We had plenty of time to go through basic things that she needs to know. I enjoy having students on the truck. It always gives me a good refresher of the basic things and it makes me think when they ask questions. It was a fun day at work!
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