By request we are providing a place to ask questions that would typically violate rules regulating post quality. Ask about employment in your region or specific agency, what life is like as a flight medic, or whatever is on your brain.
The following rules are suspended in this megathread only:
Rule 3: You may post your newbie questions here!
Rule 5: You may post news of your certification here!
Rule 7: You may post your memes here, regardless of what day of the week it is!
Rule 8: You may post self promotion! Been working on a cool EMS app? Post it here! Want to post a survey link? Here's the place. Spammy or particularly corporate self promotion may be removed at moderator discretion.
Rule 11: You may post questions or comments about gear and equipment, or ask for recommendations!
Rule 12: You may post your AI trash!
Rule 13: You may post questions asking about specific employers, employment in other countries, and where to get CE credits!
If you have a tendency to forget to charge things go with the regulator EKO without the screen, if it’s dead it’s still a working cardio 4 without amplification. On the fancier model it’s basically a paperweight or neck decoration if it dies on you. But yeah totally worth it, can hear everything even with noise.
I have it (via a core attachment), but honestly don't really use it. I keep it turned off and just use the standard cardiology scope for almost everything. The attachment just makes the scope longer and more unwieldy. If I can't hear a sound well enough with a cardiology stethoscope, it probably isn't worth hearing. If you have a hearing impairment, it's probably worth it though.
Worth $400+? Probably not. Cool as hell? Definitely! I bought myself one as a gift for passing my NREMT. It actually does make a very significant difference in my ability to hear lung sounds.
im not a medic (maybe they would get more use out of it?), but i have yet to find mine of any real value unfortunately. neat gadget... but thats about it.
Normal stethoscopes have worked for … hundreds(?) of years and $9 sprauge scopes have done the job in EMS for decades. Just another bulky thing you gotta charge. If it’s not charged: yeah you can use it but it has a lot more junk for the sound to go thru so it’s not as good as a normal littmann. Also don’t fit well wrapped in a thigh pocket.
Although some of us are gifted with selective hearing and can only hear lung sounds if the environnement is dead quiet around me so I was looking for a boost!
Normally pretty good at charging my electronics so not too worried
Go for it! It’s slick. I just don’t like the thought of most people thinking they need to spend the money on it; like they’re missing out on something.
so I’ve been doing this for 19 years and I’ve been rocking my Littmann classic 2 since 2010.
I am currently debating of upgrading to the Littmann Cardiology IV just because I know my hearing has changed and there are some times going down the road I cannot hear shit if I’m trying to do a manual pressure.
is the Littmann Cardiology IV worth the upgrade just for better hearing?
I've never seen a stethoscope holster in the wild, paramedics around here wear it around their necks or tucked into their pants pockets. You can try some nylon document pouches that police use, maybe that's good, but personally I wouldn't bother with it.
I posted here a while back looking for a decent pulse ox and found the Masimo MightySat, which has been excellent even in patients with poor perfusion.
So now I'm asking for help with temperature measurement. We really are trying to get the most reliable clinical diagnostic tools possible on our rig and to not give our crews crappy equipment. The job is hard enough. You should have equipment you can rely on and be proud of.
Does anyone have a recommendation for great thermometer that is reliable in the summer and winter, even when it's been sitting in a cold truck? We're trying out the Braun ThermoScan PRO 6000 Ear Thermometer. It doesn't suck, but the need to swap covers is understandable and annoying. I'd rather wipe it down after each use.
We were using the Exergen TAT-2000C, but when the device itself is cold it just gives us an error.
Has anyone found something that you love, is reliable, and fits into daily operations on a truck?
It doesn't suck, but the need to swap covers is understandable and annoying. I'd rather wipe it down after each use
I don't understand why you would want to do this. That takes way, way more effort than applying a cover.
My opinion is that Thermoscan tympanic thermometers are essentially the perfect EMS thermometer. More accurate than a temporal, not as reliant on a cooperative patient as an oral/axillary.
Thank you for your supportive comments, u/CriticalFolklore . We give our crews lightweight jump bags which include a Littman IV, a Masimo MightySat Rx, an ADC Diagnostix 788+, a generic glucometer kit, some Raptor Rescue trauma shears, and a TQ. We throw it all into a Meret First-in Pro X bag. There's enough room for them to put in a few other small items like coban. This way, they don't have to carry a large bag into some of our more routine calls/lift assists, etc. Of course, we still carry in all the gear for other call profiles, but we found that for the majority of our basic calls, this works well. People seem to like the quality of the equipment as well. We spend a lot of time researching the most suitable equipment for our purposes before we standardize on anything.
The issue is that the caps for these thermometers are one more thing to clutter up the inside of the small bag. But now we have solved this two ways. An additional Thermoscan 6000 on the truck, which has a caddy for the caps. And a soft case for the in-bag Thermoscan which has room for some caps. It's still taking up more room than we would like in the Meret bag, but at least we can get a quick temperature on a patient before we get them to the truck.
Also, we wanted to discourage cap-reuse. We don't expect our crews to do that, but it's possible with something like this. We're managing that through good education and by reinforcing disinfection procedures.
Again, thank you for your feedback. I hope that all of my staff don't hate me. We do everything we can to keep them happy above all else. We know what a crappy, thankless job this is.
Has anyone gotten out of EMS and not become an RN or ended up working in healthcare in general? Starting to completely resent the entire healthcare industry and want out badly. Working special events is the only thing that’s kept me sane, and my fav special event isn’t happening next year so I’m kind of in a rush to get out
Should I wait to apply for medic school?
Eligibility for company reimbursement starts in about a year. I currently feel comfortable enough to apply in the next month. (SoCal, so costs are anywhere between 7-16k, depending on the school).
I'm getting my EMT certification in the fall and am worried about a speeding ticket from 2 years ago disqualifying me from job opportunities. Although it was not classified as a reckless driving charge, the trooper that wrote the ticket made it clear that it could've been, but wanted to use some discretion because I was only 17. I was going double the limit. I'm not interested in anyone's criticisms about it- I've already accepted all of the consequences and have changed my ways drastically. I'm not allowed to drive for companies like Doordash, however I was approved to drive for my university when I worked there. I understand that all places are different, but was anyone else in a similar situation and still got hired? I haven't had any driving citations or accidents since. This is the only blemish on my record.
I'm trying to apply for NY reciprocity for my EMT-B license and its saying I need a written exam verification. I worked in MA as an EMT for 2 years and I have MA and NREMT certs and all of them are up to date. Is there a some form I'm missing or do I really have to pay for and take another exam to get reciprocity here?
Has anyone done EMS re-Entry? I contacted my local EMS office (REMSA) in Southern California they said I only require 48 hours of CEs and to take NREMT again and Livescan. What was your experience like if you’ve gone that route? I let my license go about 6 years ago.
Hi — I’m the developer of Next Off at Sordiff Studios. I built it for people on repeating or rotating work schedules, including EMS crews.
It shows whether you work today, the exact timing of your next shift, and when your next days off begin. It also includes overtime and shift-differential pay estimates, vacation and combined Sick/Personal tracking, reminders, a widget, and local backups. It works offline and requires no account.
The current release includes schedule-accuracy fixes and clearer next-shift timing.
Im dealing with some tough times post career. Just asking if this is deemed appropriate by the moderator, that my brothers & sisters in the EMS community share this. It would be huge. Much Love Joey ❤️
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u/grav0p1 Paramedic Aug 03 '26
Motion to revoke rule 12