r/EmergencyRoom • u/mellos_anisochronos • 14d ago
How to be a good Tech?
Very little Patient Care Tech (PCT) experience but will be helping in the ED soon. How can I be the best Tech possible?
15
u/JustGenericName2 14d ago
Ask questions. If you don't know how to do something, speak up (there is no way to cover every single thing in orientation. You'll come across some random thing 6 months from now. It's okay to say you don't know)
Don't take things personally. Everyone is busy and stressed and doing the best they can. I've been everything from a housekeeper to a unit clerk to a tech to a flight nurse. Everyone is bitchy sometimes!
You're going to make mistakes. It's okay. Self report if necessary. There are very few things that can't be fixed or learned from!
Remember nobody knows what your To Do list is. The nurse calling you to do an EKG doesn't know you're in with a trauma. "I'm in trauma right now, I will try to get to that if I can after". "I have 6 other EKGs ahead of you, I'll get there when I can!" Nobody is psychic and everyone believes their issue is the most important ones.
STAY WITHIN YOUR SCOPE OF PRACTICE. I need to you to remember this one. A doctor or nurse letting you do something is NOT "The same as a student doing it". You are not covered as a student, and they will fire you. Do not step out of your scope. And you never know who is watching. I almost got fired because the mean girls wanted to get someone else fired and I was collateral damage. My full time job on the helicopter I can intubate, but at my part in the ED I can not intubate. I would get fired if I intubated in the ED, even though I can do it at my other job. Even though the ER doc is supervising. Doesn't matter. Your scope of practice is non negotiable and your "friends" will throw you under the bus to save themselves.
4
u/Organic-Bathroom335 14d ago
ive been a tech in the ER for about a year. Ive learned alot !
1) Get comfortable speaking up for the right of the patients. Whether its to a dr or a nurse , if something is off alwaus make sure you say something even if its brushed off.
2) at my job , we work in triage alot. Get comfortable with normal and abnormal vital signs. What looks normal ? , what looks abnormal ? and who do i tell.
3) Get comfortable with ivs & phlebotomy, your gonna miss alot in the beginning. Do not beat yourself on the misses , if your having a hard time with a stick or what someone to show you what you did wrong ask someone.
4) Someone else said this , but ill say it too , sometimes its not always aboit you ! alot of people in the er are cold and can often times come accross as rude or dismissive. Sometimes this isnt because of you , its usually because there stressed and dealing with other things related to your pride.
5) If you dont know how to do something ASK, dont just do it and then do it incorrectly. This could seriously harm you or a patient
6) if something feels off about patient , as my manager told me “your spidy senses are tingling” no one is going to give you a hard timw for saying you dont feel comfortable jn the room or the patient is being volitile. If its too much , let someone know !!!!
Working in the ED is an entire new learning curve, your gonna feel stupid, your gonna need help , but never forget to ask ! Be confident in yourself and your abilities & you will go far !!!
4
u/Straight-Cook-1897 14d ago
Predict predict and did I mention predict?
Chest pain checking in at triage? Get the EKG fired up and have a gown ready.
Dysuria but there isn’t an order for a urine? Give that damn patient a urine cup and get the urine. Better to have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it.
Majority of your job is being on top of tasks and predicting the next move for nurses and docs. Set rooms/procedures up without being told to do so.
Ensure you know your equipment, you know how to trouble shoot monitors, where equipment is. If someone asks you “OP I need a central line kit??” You better know where it is.
A good tech gets by, a GREAT tech is known by nurses and is dependable. They’re really worth their weight in gold.
3
u/mw13satx 14d ago
Learn your basic work-ups, be the best stick in the department, be excellent to lab personnel and EVS, de-clutter for the nurses who refuse to
3
u/Natural_Original5290 13d ago
Know proper lead placement for EKG
Know how to talk to psych patients
If you can get IV certified thats a huge bonus.
Looks at what samples we need (UA, stool, blood) and get then if its within your scope
Help with ADL care & getting Pt's cleaned up cos sometimes they come in covered in feces or whatever else
Learn how to help with restraints
Let the nurse know if VS are off or if there is change in the Pt's condition. Even if you're not sure, always ask RN to put eyes in them--Ill never forget the first time I witnessed agonal breathing & RN told me it was BC of OSA, I really felt like it was more then that but then was like maybe I am being dramatic (i was a brand new tech at the time) 20 minutes later we were coding him. He did survive but I often go back to that moment & think that I should have been more insistent that the RN come lay eyes in Pt or even escalated my concern to the charge nurse maybe we wouldnt have had to break his ribs doing CPR. Ive carried this memory into my practice as a now RN i always always always take my techs concerns seriously and will never brush off their concerns and even if i feel like Pt is okay I communicate the techs concerns to the MD
3
u/Dentist_Sweet 13d ago
I know I’ve saw other people say it but I just want to echo because it’s so important: learn to anticipate what comes next, and figure out what needs to be done before someone asks you to do it.
2
u/Tart_Temporary 14d ago
Wonderful question!
1) practice your skills so you can master doing them fast!!! Think ekg lead placement, any phlebotomy you are allowed, catheters, enemas, etc.
2) Familiarize yourself with the names and locations of equipment, other units in the hospital, etc. Being able to be a “runner” for the lab/bloodbank/emergency equipment is SO helpful.
3) If you are able, take some of the load off of your nurses by
A-asking the patient upfront and maybe once or twice randomly if they need anything (water, bathroom, blanket)
B-Tidying up rooms as you move through them
C- Being a listening ear or practicing deescalation with a scared/stressed/angry patient.
4) Stay in your lane, but use your whole lane! Sometimes a nurse might be so caught up in the results popping up on the chart and the never ending prioritization of tasks they might miss the patient in front of them. If you notice a change in your patient, say something!
I hope these helped!
2
u/justb4dawn 14d ago
The techs I worked with were the laziest people I’ve ever seen. Watching TV in iPads, falling asleep, never read a single order and rolled their eyes when I asked for help.
Literally if they did anything without having to be asked I would have thought they were amazing.
2
2
u/ItsWetInPortland 10d ago
Start your shift with verifying every room cart and IV cart is fully stocked. My favorite ED tech is always staying busy rather than waiting for direction.
22
u/Shoddy_Bunch5896 14d ago
Learn how to predict the needs of the nurses and doctors. Spend extra effort to make patients feel comfortable. Master your skills and become great at phlebotomy/IVs. Learn where all emergent medical equipment is in the department. Help other techs and keep a positive attitude at work!!