Anyone here work in EMS? I'm about to finish my training and start work as an EMT and I know I definitely need to try focusing on cardo/deadlift.
Any advice for this is appreciated. For people who don't know the job requirements, lifting fat fucks and CPRing old fucks (exhausting) is pretty taxing.
Probably running and deadlifting would be my guess.
Lol @ deadlift
Sounds like you want to maximize your vo2max, that's cardio work. you could take the Cooper test to gauge progress
Let FD lift, you will not be doing CPR very much, but when you do, you will hand off for compressions with FD.
You don't need to be fit to be in EMS, in fact most EMTs/Medics get fat as fuck. Equipment now makes everything easier. When I started, we used two man stretchers with no help from fire. I had upper body strength but I was still a fat.
Do lots of core work. Your back will thank you later.
>most EMTs are fast as fuck
Can confirm. Lots of the pre-med kids at my school are either hungry, spooky skeletons that have never done activity before or hamplanets.
Paramedic firefighter here
Not being a scrawny bitch is literally all you need. Most of our guys are fat but they can pick up people and you rarely will come to a situation where you need to lift 300lbs on your own
I just started my training to get my EMT-B
I can confirm, Aside from me an 2 other people, the entire class is skeleton mode manlets or weak fat chicks.
Just do normal strength training stuff. You'll always have at least one person to help you lift, if not more. Don't sweat it.
ACP Tac medic for Toronto. I condition 4-6 x a week involves prowlers hill sprints stair sprints farmers walks sandbag carries and battles ropes. I train 4-6 x a week on 5/3/1 BBB. Lifts are 585x3 DL 495x1 Squat 375x3 Bench 280x3 MP 405 Front squat 315 Power clean
Also if your just regular pcp or emt don't know what country your in op if there is any lifting involved you make fire do it. I've made fire hold c spine I've made them backboard I basically make them do everything lifting wise even put a ked kit on at car accidents back when I was pcp. I have different directives now for allied resources when there on scene but that's not for you to worry.
Find another job is my advice
my workout buddy got a job as an emt
he schedule is crazy and for shit pay
rip ex workout buddy
Maybe in the states here in Ontario you get close to 6 digits if you put in overtime and once you become ACP you for sure make over 6 digits
Whoa chill Whoa WHOA
oh okay
he works in a small town in California
If it's a private company you are mostly going to do transports from hospital to nursing homes. I really liked the job but yeah you do get some heavy patients sometimes.
Don't be a macho man and lift heavy patients if you think you can't. So many people injured their backs for being stupid. For the pay it's not worth fucking up your back.
Every once in a while you'll have to stair chair patients to get them into the house. The best partner I had a girl. She could carry patients no problem.
Had a 1000 pound pt that took 6 people to get them in. Wasn't as bad as I thought. In hospital I always ask staff for an extra hand or call for an extra crew if you can't get the patient in the house with just two people.
Had a 250 guy we had to get into his house up 20 steps. It was fine transferring him in the hospital to the stretcher but I swear he gained an extra 100 pounds when he transferred him to the stair chair.
You have to lay them on their back with the chair on the ground then lift it up to sit them upright. Got past the first couple steps but told my partner to take a break because he was pretty skinny. We got him in his bed but man I'll never forget that.
Long story short just work cardio and some push ups but you'll be fine.
All true.
Also always ask if a patient can walk.
unless they have some major cardiac issue ofcourse
New York medic here.
Unless you live in some weird cliff dwelling city I ain't never heard of you will be fine simply by not being a complete flabby piece of shit.
CPR is taxing but unless you are a tiny little child or a 12 pound latina you can do the work with technique (knees close to patient, lean over align forearms vertically and lock elbows, think deadlift but kneeling). Carry ups and carry downs are god awful but one thing I would recommend is working on you curl. Alot of times you end up having to lift a patient up over some obstacle while you are already at maximum extension of your legs or compensate for a manlet/gargantuan partner.
Finally injury is fucking everywhere. Number one is hands, then knees then back. Most of the worst shit happens when you are trying to lift something light. I know more guys who fucked up their backs lifting a 25 pound bag than a 900 lb patient.
Finally as the guy above me said don't work yourself unecessarily. EMS is about adapting on the fly, improvising solutions and being clever. I have climbed into more windows than I care to admit and made improvised hammocks from trash bags and sheets.
Finally get in serviced on your fucking equipement. You look like an idiot if your scoop eats your fingers.
Squats, curls and good core to prevent injury.
You sound like an asshole
FDNY??
Not really just hate how the public sees the fire dept as heroes. There is a joke within essential services where if we forget to pack a lunch then we can just head over to the nearest fire dept cause they are probably throwing a bbq. Last time I checked I've never seen a fireman hose out a rape or a murder or seen their calendar stop cardiac arrest. They are literally failed first responders. But no let's pat them on the back.
I've been a full time paramedic for 4 years now. I did powerlifting for 3 years before I started Working EMS. I was at 515 squat, 305 bench and 585 deadlift at 181. I got really out of shape/weak when I was in school for medic. I do a lifting regiment similar to when I was competing now, but I do squats much less due to some on the job knee injuries. I hate cardio, always have. I just do pushups, pull ups, planks, and farmer's carry a couple days a week for "cardio". I'm trying to get into running recently but I have no will power to do it.
But yeah as most people said a good portion of emts and medics are obese. There's really nothing specific to stay in shape for EMS.
Do you do conditioning before or after lifting? And what is a tac medic? Same scope of practice with paramedicine but with swat or what?
Not that guy, so it might be a bit different for that area than mine. I'm on the tactical ems team where I work, we go in behind pd for active shooters, barricaded gunmen etc. Honestly we mostly follow the state police to serve warrants and its usually pretty uneventful. The training for it is pretty neat though. Where I work, the only hours of tactical ems work is the extra training and when there's an activation. So it's roughly 10-20 extra hours a month, not a full time gig.
Props EMT bro. Philly here. You don't have to be incredibly fit to be a good EMT, but deadlifts, farmer walks, and running would be the basis for all the physical shit that you do.
More importantly, learn your protocol. When you have down time, don't fuck around on your phone. Learn your protocol. Your job as an EMT is not to be a doctor or to fix every medical problem, it's to provide fast assistance and transport. It's important to connect with your partner; be chill. Learn your protocol. Don't stress over stuff. And if you ever want to learn what's going on with an EKG, grab a copy of Dale Dubin's "Rapid Interpretations of EKGs." Everyone learns from that book.
Finally, remember your ABC: ambulate before carry
Fucking. Don't. Need. You
Always been a voluntray hospital man. FDNY fucked uo EMS so badly I can't even explain it. NYC always used a police based system. When we got merged into FDNY in the 90's those cunts stole our budget and now are nothing but a gigantic cancer on our throat.
From what ive seen
1x10 shit talking doctors
3x2 stopping for coffee
5x5 cheating on nurse girlfriends even though it makes no economic sense to do so
1x50 dialysis land whale lifts
4x1 stopping for pizza and subs
10x10 talking about how you are getting on fire
1x10 shit talking the one emt that gets into med school
Fuck that, make them walk anyway
>>Also always ask if a patient can walk.
T H I S
Always ask them when they're on their own aswell.
Their family will always tell you that they cant, even if they are definetly able to.
>ask if they can walk
Fuck that, they're lazy and will always say no. I know a guy who will sit there and knock on the front door constantly until the patient comes to answer it.
Most of the time, I tell them they're walking because the stretcher won't fit through their door. Learn to lie and be mean because fuck people and their bullshit.
Prepare to be really short on spare time. I lift two or three times a week using basically an A/B schedule, Spend less time in the gym and more time on meal prep and some conditioning, it's way too easy to eat like shit when you're on long shifts.
Oh, and work on getting out of this poorly paid, overworked, thankless, godforsaken profession. If you're not working on RN or PA or something, start looking at it sooner rather than later. The work is engaging, but the pay and the hours really are awful, it's too bad.
Mostly accurate. You're missing 5x10 drink soda and 4x8 smoke cigarettes even though two thirds of your patients have problems stemming from excess sugar consumption and smoking.
Keith?
omfg this is perfect
Canadian PCP of 2 years here, I personally just hit the gym on my days off. After a 12 hour shift I really don't have the will or energy to hit the gym and make it worth while. Meal prep is key, it's certainly fucking difficult though. I am just finishing my cut up so I'm relying on my bulk supplying a bit more energy to hit the gym at least 4-5x/wk rather than the 3x/wk I'm doing right now. Whatever you do, keep at it man. Medics end up getting burnt out and just stop going to the gym - bad idea, we need it for not only physical health but mental health.
Sad but true
EMTs aren't the smartest most future oriented group of people most are just college drop outs waiting on exam lists for government jobs
LOL that's pretty much it. If we don't get any of those calls then we're just a regular ACP rig. I was asked to join RCMP and go to their academy and get on tactical medic there only difference is I'd be a RCMP officer as well. But Fuck driving to Niagara everyday.
Also to add having the uniform is honestly what does it for me. So much better than hi vis
can confirm. i went to be tech in ED and it is way, way better. same responsibilities for somewhat decent pay and better hours.
plus nurse ass, networking, and nurse ass.
>Finally, remember your ABC: ambulate before carry
The single most important rule in EMS
What do you do as a ER Tech? Was looking into it.
Plus everybody in EMS should watch this movie. My teachers mentioned it and it's so true.
i work at a level 2 trauma center so i get chances to basically do everything i did on the box trauma wise. plus there's the regular shit that comes through the ER.
as far as responsibilities go, I do IV, blood cultures, vitals, some lab work (urine, pregnancy, some serum stuff). i also clean patients and rooms, stocking, and move beds. so its a little of everything. basically you're the workhorse of the nurse, so they can focus more on getting their orders done and making ER run more efficiently
i work at a baylor hospital so i know it isnt like that everywhere. people seem to stay once they get in and everyone is pretty nice and helpful, minus a few eggs that act a bit shitty sometimes but by next day its no big deal
would definitely recommend as alternative to the box
I'm a basic and can't stick anybody or do any EKGs. Saw a few openings around me. I have a year experience so hopefully they have some type of training. How much do they start of pay?
usually 15-16. i make 15.50 an hour compared to about 12 on the truck. they'll train you, just nail the interview and really spin the experience you have in your favor
try just doing mass applications to every single department at the hospital. lots of units need techs and the HR department, inept at they typically are, can easily move you around to a place with higher pay or better floor conditions
for example, typically oncology patients are clean and the unit is nice, although they die all the goddamn time and you'll deal with them being quite demanding. so it's entirely up to you where you wanna go. just get off the truck until EMS unionize
Awesome, thank you for the info man I really appreciate it.
>mfw coworker tells them we can carry them inside before we're even at the guys home
I hate lazy fuckhead EMTs like you