bean said:
Each day I sign up to do a shift I grouch and complain about being tired, all the work I have to do, and just want to go home - until I walk through the ED doors. Once I'm there I just get sucked in and always end up staying an hour or two extra. Yesterday, I had three hours sleep, a four hour exam (8am-12pm), lecture (12:15-2:45). Despite my exhaustion and even though there wasn't much going on in the ED, I still ended up doing a 5 hour shift and left totally pumped for more.
That's the stuff! I work part-time as a tech, because I have not yet escaped Dilbert-land. I work from 8 to 4:30 in my cubicle, walk the 4 blocks to the county ED (urban trauma), and do another 6 to 9 hours there. At the end of my ED shift, around midnight, I feel tired, but good tired.
To the OP, here are some pearls of tech wisdom from my last 10 months (plus 6 months prior as a volunteer) :
1) Embrace the scut. In the future, yes, you will be "above" scut tasks like hauling laundry bags, scooping poop from patients' clothing, and wiping surfaces down with Sani-wipes... so content yourself that this too shall pass. On the other hand, in the future you will have your own definition of scut, whether it's disimpacting bowels as an MSIV, checking rectal tone and guiac on trauma pts as an intern, or managing the politics of a department full of crazy people as a Chief. There will always be something you don't like; the cool thing about it is, as a tech you get to confront that fact now and make your peace with it. If you do, this skill will be yours forever.
2) Don't be shy. People are techs for lots of reasons, and there are lots of different kinds of techs. Some like to be posted in the "easier" areas so they can check eBay for that awesome Beanie Baby in between checking vitals. Others want to be where the action is. If you treat pts and staff with respect and consideration, nurses should love you. If you demonstrate a healthy curiosity coupled with an ability to learn and improve, the staff should be willing to teach you. So, speak up. Let people know you to be a person who walks up at an appropriate moment and asks "is there anything you need that I can do?"
If they say the weekly conrference is open to all, take them at their word. If you know when and how to ask to observe or assist, you probably will be able to. I've been to lectures with interns, been the 'not-sterile' person to adjust lights or help hold a patient still during a sterile procedure, watched ultrasounds over the shoulder of the doc, even asked the occasional question at weekly conference. Knowing how to get in there and learn without being overbearing is another good skill to pick up. It'll make you a better student and a better doctor, eventually.
3) ...But be humble. This gets a LOT easier with time. As a new EMT, it can be easy to go to a movie and think, "holy crap. If that old guy right there has a heart attack when Alien and/or Predator jumps out of the shadows, his odds are actually like 1% better
just because I'm here." One great thing about being in an ED for any length of time is that in a normal person, overconfidence will be wiped out and replaced by a useful, grounded sort of real confidence.
You'll see that there are very, very many people whose knowledge and experience dwarfs yours. And you'll see that they are in turn eclipsed by others with still bigger brains and balls (or ovaries, as the case may be). And finally, you'll see that none of that is more impressive than the power of regular frickin' people to pull through in tough times, and/or the power of nasty illness or serious trauma to make people's lives turn on a dime.
Mostly, have fun. Every shift will have at least one interesting new thing you picked up, and one thing you wish you did differently. Take it all in stride, and try to make each mistake just once. If you can do that, you can thrive in the ED environment.
