Once you check in to your shift, you should log each patient encounter in the Student Portal. These notes are NOT meant to replace your full Patient Care Reports (PCR) or narratives—they are meant to be quick reminders to help you recall what you saw that day when completing your documentation later, if needed. 

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For each note, make sure to include the required fields: age, gender, ethnicity, chief complaint, and at least one set of vital signs (although it’s a good habit to include two since that’s required for your EMS transports anyway). You can use the “Note” section to jot down anything that might help you remember the call later, such as treatments provided, transport decisions, or anything unique about the patient encounter. If you prefer writing notes by hand during your shift, consider taking a picture of those notes and uploading it into the Portal instead of typing directly into the note section. 

All patient encounters must be documented in the Student Portal before completing the checkout process, as you will only be able to document the PCRs for those patients within FISDAP.

After your shift (or during your shift if possible), you’ll then document those same patient encounters in FISDAP. This is where full documentation happens. You’ll enter the demographics, and then complete the chart with all impressions, interventions, and your full narrative written in DCHARTI format.