Best products from r/NewToEMS

Hey... never let fragile masculinity norms keep you from taking care of your skin....
My dad made fun of my mom for skincare their whole marriage, now that they're in their 50s guess which one is a prune and which one still gets mistaken for 35-40s lol.

This is my super easy super cheap quick routine and is a good starter for you. it's my bare minimum when I'm too exhausted to do the fancy stuff lmao

Morning:
- wash face (micellar water is a nice intro, it basically just feels like water but the micelles move dirt etc off skin)
- moisturizer with SPF. (Cetaphil daily facial moisturizer is unscented and super unoffensive to the manly men among us)
- sunscreen!!! make sure to get your neck too so you don't have a nice face and wrinkly neck in 30 years lmao
- vaseline on lips

Night time
- wash face again (micellar water is still the bare minimum, but I really like innisfree "pure cleansing foam" on amazon, your face will feel literally squeaky clean)
- night cream (thicker than daily moisturizer to heal and rehydrate overnight) everyone has their favorite, you can google "best night creams on a budget" etc and try around what you want, i've settled on this beauty it lasts forever and is thick as hell lol
- again it's good to put some lotion on neck , you see so many aged people whose necks are 10 years older bc they never moisturized it, i use GNC's aloe cream bc it's very plain and non irritating
- vaseline on lips

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If you want to get fancier, when I have energy is when I'll try to leave a sheet mask on for 15 minutes a few times a week (again I like the innisfree ones, can get a bulk pack on amazon) especially in winter they're basically a power punch of hydration to the face.

Beyond that it's a lot of reading articles / watching youtube gurus, trying out products and seeing what works best for you. I get a lot fancier if I have energy but especially after shifts I do the bare minimum above and get compliments on my skin as very clear, clean and soft. Can't tell long term effects yet but I'm definitely doing more than my mom did and like I said, gets mistaken for 10-15 years younger all the time at work, parties, everywhere.

I can’t recommend a book that is a few hundred pages that cover ever crease and crevice of the NREMT, but I can recommend a nice study guide that helped me out tremendously with the test. Here’s the link for amazon : NREMT Study Guide 2018: A... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1977030432?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf Don’t rely solely on this, but it for sure will help you when you just want to brush up on a few topics without reading an entire chapter.

I understand how much the BLS sucks, but in times like this, it does come in handy. Let's break down your vague abdo pain call like you described as above. You finish your OPQRST and SAMPLE in about 30 secs, now what.

> 1. consider potential life/limb/function threats, such as,

>a. leaking or ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm,


>b. ectopic pregnancy,

Any chance of pregnancy? G? P? Last menstrual period?
>c. other non-abdominal disorders that may present with abdominal pain, including:


>i. diabetic ketoacidosis, and

Perform glucometry
>ii. pulmonary embolism,

SOB and CP related questioning.
>d. perforated or obstructed hollow organs with or without peritonitis,

>e. acute pancreatitis,

Infection related questioning; fever, chills, NV.

>f. testicular torsion,

>g. pelvic infection, and

>h. strangulated hernia;

Bowel movements, passing gas?

>2. perform, at a minimum, a secondary survey to assess the abdomen for,
i. pulsations,
ii. scars,
iii. discolouration,
iv. distention,
v. masses,
vi. guarding,
vii. rigidity, and
viii. tenderness;


Truth is it takes time to develop your own way to run a call, and that includes your lines of questioning. The BLS is a good resource to get you moving in the right direction. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine Manual is also an amazing resource I also recommend.

Good luck out on the road!

Just my 2 cents having just taken the NR for EMT-B...the best thing I found was the Crash Course book. It's a short read (lots of pages but not much text per page) but does a good job at condensing the important material from the orange book. At least 50% of the NR questions were things I knew from studying with that book. Passed first time at 70 questions and I know it's only b/c of that book.

It would help to know what state/country you’re specifically in, since protocols differ between widely even in the US.

In NYS we have a protocols app, which has doc numbers, peds/adult protocols, BLS to ALS etc.

If you don’t mind carrying an extra booklet on you, InforMed has a great booklet for BLS on Amazon.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/EMS-Field-Guide-BLS-Version/dp/1284041093

You can find mini / 'tactical' ones pretty easily. This little guy works really well, and the company has lots of variants to suit what you might need.

Deadlifts are probably the best damned exercise for EMS people, because not only does the strength you get protect you during lifts (unless you're an idiot), it also works all of the muscles that are abused by remaining in a sitting position for long periods.

In addition to which, and this is speculation on my part, but I'll bet money on it, building up extra muscle tissue in your butt and thighs, along with the corresponding increase in muscle tone, means that the veins in your legs are less compressed by sitting on them, which I would bet reduces the chances of a sitting-on-your-ass-induced DVT.

If you do nothing else, if you can only do one exercise, deadlift.

For instruction on form, get this book. It is an exhaustive instruction manual on how to perform the basic barbell lifts, without a spotter or any silliness like that.

This book helped me study better for it after I failed my first attempt:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738612359/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

All the pages are bullet points, very direct and easy to digest. I used it in tandem with my class textbook and made a ton of flash cards. I have a hard time reading a wall of text in the textbook, so this little guy help me compartmentalize everything and absorb the info in the big book better.

Yeah, I don't really buy anything fancy for myself and I had money saved up so I said screw it, haha. Most expensive thing I own. Is this more in your budget? It doesn't have seconds on the watch face in the pictures and you need those for EMS. I'd wear this while working out/off duty and just wear a cheap Casio for work. Sorry to hear about the issue with the cardiologist. If that's the case, if you're in a decent shape I don't think the test with the county will be an issue.

I take a backpack with me everyday to work with daily essentials I need to survive 12+ hours, including water jug, snacks, laptop, headphones, easy homework/books to study, and ibuprofen for after bariatric calls -_-. As far as a gear goes, do NOT go all out. You don't want to be that brand new IFT EMT that shows up with a tactical bat belt with fanny packs, stethoscope holsters, raptors/shears, flashlights, penlights, and a pocket knife.

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Your company will provide you with: pen lights, generic stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and disposable trauma shears. If you're working at a BLS IFT company, they should provide you with a pulse ox as well. If they do not, then you are not required to purchase one of your own.

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You should bring: blue/back-ink pens (have a couple spares in your backpack), clipboard that you can store confidential documents in, a sharpie, and small pocket notepad. If you already own your own stethoscope, you can bring that, however, you do not need to go purchase a fancy stethoscope. At most, all you will use your stethoscope for as a BLS IFT EMT is for blood pressures and the occasional lung sounds, and the generic stethoscope your company provides will be able to do that. If you do decide to purchase your own stethoscope, I recommend not spending more than $50 on one. I personally recommend ADC Adscopes over Littman's (better bang for your buck in my opinion). I have the ADC 615 stethoscope in black tactical and greatly enjoy it.

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You do not need to bring: a pocket knife (I've been in the field for almost four years and have never once needed a pocket knife for anything that trauma shears couldn't handle, though if you want to keep one in your backpack, all the power to you), fancy trauma shears (such as Raptors), any sort of pouches or first aid kits that attach to your belt (yes, I have seen new EMTs wearing these. It is completely unnecessary unless you are doing Special Events/Standbys), and weapons of any kind (tasers, pepperspray, etc). I had a new EMT trainee show up with pepper spray hanging off his belt once. Not a good look.

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Good luck!

This could be pretty helpful to you; I used it during my class. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738612359/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_G0zYCbGZVE7H9

I see. I just bought an electronic BP cuff. It reads pretty much exactly the same as the BP cuff on the monitor.

Here is the one I use. I recommend it.

I have this one on my flight suit. Works great for me!
ALONEFIRE LED Flashlights Clip on... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I9FWISE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Definitely the Casio watch. Like everyone is saying, cheap but durable as hell.

This is the one I got: Casio Men's Classic Stainless Steel Quartz Watch with Resin Strap, Orange, 21.1 (Model: W-218H-4B2VCF https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G2PK7XC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_y3LVDb9GB8M73

For boots, I actually liked my Merrells. The 5.11 ones always fit weird on me. I've heard really good things about Salomon though.

These are the Merrell boots I have: Merrell Work Women's Moab 2 8" Tactical Response Waterproof Black 8.5 M US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073C6R7PD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_N4LVDb8VNDW2E

2 books I used for the nremt was a crash course book and a flash card book. The crash course book is really useful in pulling out everything from a emt textbook focusing solely on critical information. Really helps to narrow down important information. The book contains everything in a emt course and puts it in a outline format which was useful to me.

I attached both the old and new version of the crash course book. I used the old book which was super useful when I tested 3 years ago. Not sure if there is a updated version for the flash card book but I attached the version I used.

From my experience the two books really helped me study and prepare for the test. Worth the money. I still use the crash course book today when I want to refresh quickly on important information.


https://www.amazon.com/Crash-Course-Book-Online-Preparation/dp/0738610062

https://www.amazon.com/Crash-Course-Online-Practice-Preparation/dp/0738612359/ref=asc_df_0738612359/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312643571004&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9253904948108910438&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007783&hvtargid=pla-571042420061&psc=1

EMT Flashcard Book (EMT Test Preparation) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738611301/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kwkaCbR2AXVNR

A good steth will run you upwards of 50 probably, the classic 3 is 80 on Amazon, May be cheaper elsewhere.


3M Littmann Classic III Monitoring Stethoscope, Black Edition Chestpiece, Black Tube, 27 inch, 5803 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QESFO80/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4Ug.Bb7XDNK95

I'm 4'11 - I use a back pillow to help keep me sitting up straight so I can see over the wheel. It's similar to this one.

For a small bag I love these small MOLE rip away pouches. I carry 2 of them with me, 1 Medical, 1 Trauma.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VXXJHFW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We have the StatPack Medslinger for special events where carrying around a full jump kit is not feasible. Works well enough.

Read this book. Take the practice test that comes with it.

This book and a gym with a barbell is all you need. You won't get hurt, you start light and work your way up.

Edit:sorry, fucked the link up multiple times...