r/Paramedics

Do you prefer your partner to stay strictly within their scope, or are you comfortable with them performing tasks typically done by a Paramedic, such as pushing medications or a Basic doing the actual IV stick? I know in some places, SOPs allow Basics to perform certain tasks outside their normal scope with proper supervision.

For me, if I’m working with a Basic, I usually have them stay within their scope unless they’re properly trained, competent, and comfortable performing the task. Typically, I’ll have them spike the bag or place the leads on the patient aside from the placing O2 and the basic assessment.

When I was a rookie Basic, I had a partner who expected me to do everything, including IV sticks and even intubation, while he sat there looking completely disinterested. The problem was, I honestly didn’t know how to do half the things he expected from me. Then he had the nerve to complain to the supervisor and ask to have me taken off the unit. The supervisor basically told him to do his job or he’d be sent home.

Not money. Not a different schedule. Not a better boss. Not fewer IFTs. But something you’d like that would help the way you take care of patients. New equipment. New procedure. Etc.

Please- no hating on someone. Just because you don’t like their idea doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Their idea doesn’t even have to be ‘practical.’

Hey guys,

Had a weird call recently. Something was of course wrong but I’ve never seen it before. Wondering if someone can shed some light on this.

80s male from home. Normal day, no complaints. Then suddenly becomes unresponsive. Eyes open, just not tracking anything, 1000 yard stare. Not talking or making sounds, not obeying commands.

His reflexes were present. He closed his eyes when I tried to check pupils, again when we would suddenly snap in front of his eyes. Zero response to nail Ed pressure or sternum rub. All vitals within normal limits.

No falls or head injuries. No slurred speech, weakness, headache etc prior to this episode. But he wasn’t limp. He was able to maintain an upright posture. His arms fell, but in a controlled manner.

Medically, he’s diagnosed with the usual suspects, HTN, high cholesterol. Also Parkinson’s, however he is not on meds for Parkinson’s.

Anyone come across this before? I’m wondering if it’s maybe locked in syndrome, but I assumed there’d be zero muscle tone with that.

Question to all paramedics, how is your family life like as a paramedic?

Wanted to ask if someone birthed at home and called the paramedics. Would you immediately take the mother and child to a hospital, if there were no complications? What would you check as in their vitals, etc?
Just curious, don’t know nothing about it.

Hello, I am an engineering student and am currently working on a project, its purpose is to make something to help paramedics however I dont know what you guys struggle with on a day to day so I had a few questions (pls feel free to dm me if you have more info).

do you guys struggle to find veins in the dark or in situations where the patient is panicking? is there any device in your field that has solved this issue? i am aware of infrared vein sensors but is there any you can use in ur work?

do you struggle to find items in your bag? do you carry every emergency thing and have to throw everything out when looking for something?

is it very (and i mean like actual serious problem) difficult when theres only one person available and you have to use a BVM? does a one person bvm technique have a high rate of failure?

does documentation cause issues? like having to stop treating the patient and then documenting the case? or do you use voice commands, if you use voice commands do they falter? if not voice commands do you use another person?

is there issues with mylar blankets flying away?

do you face issues in information being lost or miscommunication when handing off patients to the ER?

thank you so much and please let me know whats a huge issue you all consistently struggle with. and thank you for serving the community i love you guys ❤️

Seems like there’s a lot of controversy around the dual fire-medical department approach? To me it sounds efficient, you have the skills and knowledge of firefighting as well as the medical knowledge of being an EMT/Paramedic at the station.

3 year old cardiac arrest. PEA. Easy to bag. Are you intubating?

This is just a rant but I’m so irritated. I’ve been in EMS for roughly 3 years working for a private ambulance company in a busy system doing 911 in a busy system. I worked as an EMT, then an AEMT, and now a Paramedic. I’m a new Paramedic and I love the job itself. Medicine is fascinating to me and I have always wanted to help people. But I have to work 5-6 days a week for multiple hours a day to survive and provide for my family. Why do these private ambulance companies take advantage of us when everyone knows they can pay us more than they do? Why the hell does anyone stay in private EMS? I love medicine, but I should not have to work 6 days a week to barely get $3k a paycheck. I pray to God one day this changes for the people that want to stay in Private EMS.

I became a Paramedic because I love medicine. My end goal is to become a Firefighter/Paramedic because they actually pay you what you’re worth. I know it’s area dependent and there’s some private ambulance companies that pay well but the fact that this horrible pay does not improve nationwide does NOT make sense to me.

I apologize for the drama, but I am tired of this shit money and people who have never worked on a truck taking advantage of us.

I’m about 8 months into my Flight Paramedic job and I am honestly miserable. There are a few reasons, the schedule sucks. The program I work for has a random schedule that is days and nights mixed together. Which I didn’t think would be too bad when I started but I hate it. Also my manager is horrible and every shift with him feels like a dick measuring contest. This is my first flight job so I’m still learning a lot and I feel like an idiot most of the time. I enjoy learning and the learning process but this is horrible.
I’m honestly thinking about quitting, I really enjoyed ground a lot more.

Should I stick it out for awhile longer?
Does it get better?

So I very recently found out that an EMS compact does exist after all, not many states participate but enough. I have a PA certification (not my home state) for reasons which is a compact state but will NOT communicate directly with the EMS compact, stating they will only verify a certification if I have another EMS compact state contact them.

So my question for the masses, what state that directly reports to the EMS compact is the easiest to obtain reciprocity in and doesn't require residency within that state. PA was a giant pain in the ass and I'd rather not go through that again.

Thanks

(I wish the state boards of EMS would get together like the board of nursing and create a real compact. With a quick check box and an extra $50 at recert, I had an immediate nursing license in 43 states..)

ETA - I have no interest in applying for reciprocity 15 times, keep track of 15 recert dates, and submitting CE to 15 different places every 1-3 years. I renew my nursing license in my home state every 2 years and automatically renews my compact license in 43 states..

I am 2nd day fentanyl withdrawals. I was wondering if I go to ER what kind treatment they will offer? I don’t want to waste time if they just gonna hang IV fluid & monitor me & of course they won’t give me subuxone/buprenorphine since it would put me into precipitated withdrawals. I don’t have insurance for detox clinics or methadone clinics so I am stuck!

Hey all,

I’m an electrical engineering undergrad currently working at a medical device startup, and I’m trying to branch out into building my own med-device projects on the side.

I originally reached out to r/Nurses asking about outdated or frustrating medical tech but was essentially told to kick rocks. An EMT friend suggested this community might be more open to sharing real-world pain points, so I figured I’d ask here.

I’m especially interested in:

• Devices or tools that are unreliable, outdated, or just frustrating to use

• Anything that slows down workflow or adds unnecessary steps

• Situations where better data, automation, or UI could improve patient care

• Workarounds you’ve had to create because existing tools fall short

I’m not trying to reinvent things that already work well, more looking for gaps where small engineering improvements could make a real difference.

If you’ve got examples (big or small), I’d really appreciate hearing them.

Thanks!

What are your thoughts about telling a patient they don’t need to go to the hospital?

What are someone ways people ensure accurate drip flow with no pump. So far, metronome is the best I've heard. (Not the calculation, but the actual drops).

I hear EMT and EMS and shit all the time but nobody says paramedics. Do you guys have paramedics? What level of education is required to be a paramedic? Here in the UK you need a university degree.

Not the worst. Not the most critical. The most uncomfortable.

I've been thinking about this lately. Cardiac arrests, major trauma. They're intense, but there's a protocol. You recognize, you execute. Your brain almost runs on autopilot.

What gets me is the ambiguous patient. Borderline vitals, vague history, something doesn't add up but you can't put your finger on it. No algorithm to fall back on. You're generating hypotheses in real time with incomplete data.

I went down a rabbit hole on the cognitive science behind this. Turns out there's a solid explanation for why critical patients are actually easier on your brain than ambiguous ones. But I'm curious if others feel the same before I nerd out in the comments.