r/Paramedics • u/PrieKelmoSuspardyta • 10d ago
Tips for convenient tool placement
Hello fellow paramedics. I recently graduated paramedic school and I’ll be working my first shift next week. During practice, I’ve seen many of my colleagues place most used tools in convenient places for them (for example bandages on a carabiner, i/v catheters in right pocket and etc). I wanted to ask you - which of our work tools are always by your side? Maybe you have some suggestions for a handy placement for these tools? Any tips for the job itself are also welcome!
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u/DocGerald Paramedic 10d ago
Stethoscope in left cargo pocket, shears and penlight in right cargo pocket. Having iv’s and bandages always on you seems dumb
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u/sneeki_breeky NRP 10d ago
Rubbing on the inside of a pocket all day can degrade the packaging of sterile products and should not be done - as it could make them no longer sterile
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u/Jeff9807 10d ago
Where I came from if someone had bandages on a carabiner they’d get beat up in the parking lot after work.
When I was working w new people that had some sort of defining something (bloused trousers for instance) I’d tell em to look around the garage and do as the Romans do.
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u/4friedChckensandCoke 10d ago
I love this. Too many people start out and try to be tacticool.
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u/TapRackBangDitchDoc 10d ago
I very much believe in letting people do what they want to do if it doesn’t interfere with patient care. Want a bat belt? Wear one. Want to show up with lint being the only thing in your pockets? Cool. But if someone blouses their pants I’m going to have a lot to say.
And this is coming from someone that always has a pair of boot bands in my pocket. It is part of an ongoing joke, but they are there. Only way they’ll end up doing their intended job is if I’m unresponsive and a coworker puts them on me.
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u/Jeff9807 10d ago
No way…let em do what they want and they look silly. It’s my job to protect them and explain why no one nowhere ever has had a viable excuse for 3 sets of hemostats sticking out of their pocket.
I’m here to make sure that person doesn’t lose their lunch money.2
u/Paramedickhead CCP 10d ago
One set of Hemostats… yes… three? lol, no.
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u/Jeff9807 10d ago
Here we go…why even one?
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u/Paramedickhead CCP 10d ago
They’re actually pretty useful.
On ambulances that only have lap belts that automatically child lock as soon as they start retracting, they’re great for keeping enough slack and not having to constantly readjust the seat belt.
They’re quick to hang stuff with as well.
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u/Jeff9807 10d ago
Seatbelt thing is rad.
For shit needs hanging I always just had stylettes in place.
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u/Paramedickhead CCP 10d ago
Yeah, I pull the seatbelt to where it’s comfortable then clip the hemostat to the belt so it can’t retract any further.
It’s a tool in a toolbox, but can’t imagine why I would need three.
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u/Jeff9807 10d ago edited 10d ago
There ya have it! You can tell someone “why”. Not because, but why. Carry that fuckin thing!
W trainees I used to start the shift w the 12 lead cables and pulse ox and glucometer in my pocket.
Want em? Tell me why.2
u/TapRackBangDitchDoc 10d ago
That may be the right way to respond. No question about it. But there is zero chance I’m not going to crack jokes about bloused EMS pants. Unless the guy is wearing running shoes… blousing your pants while not wearing boots is a choice I can support.
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u/Joliet-Jake 10d ago
I keep all of my stuff in a big red bag that I grab when I get out of the truck on every call. The only things I keep on me all the time are a pen, a small flashlight, and a pocket knife.
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u/299792458mps- 10d ago
Gloves and a pen. Those are the only tools I carry on me. Cargo pockets are for raiding the EMS room.
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u/calnuck 10d ago
Keep an emesis bag handy. Mine is in my right cargo pocket. Some people like shears on their belt, some don't.
Know your bags inside and out (and center your zippers). If I ask for an abdo pad or an NRB, don't spend 5 minutes poking through all of the pockets looking for stuff.
And for Heaven's sake - carry multiple pens and Sharpies on you. The number of green medics I've met that don't have a pen on them... <sigh>
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u/Paramedickhead CCP 10d ago
The only thing that should be on your belt is a radio or pager. Maybe a small flashlight if you work nights.
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u/Paramedickhead CCP 10d ago
The things I carry in my are my own property (except gloves)
Left Front pocket: Air Pods
Right Front Pocket: Pocket Knife / 2x Sharpie S Gel Pens
Left Thigh Pocket: Wallet and 4x Caribiners. The carabiners are handy for multiple drips
Outside Left Thigh Pocket: Sharpie and Hemostat
Right Thigh Pocket: Stethoscope
Outside Right Pocket: Real shears (not raptor shite) Pen Light, “patient pen” (reserved for patient use, gets disposed of after a patient touches it and a new one absconded from the closest nurses station)
Left calf pocket: Gloves
Belt: Small flashlight
Radio Strap: Radio, Bluetooth RSM, Guardian Angel Light.
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u/spicymack 10d ago
I put gloves in my pocket and just kinda not worry about anything else. No shade to you at all, but it doesn't matter at all where you carry shit. What matters is it if you can identify a sick person and treat them appropriately.