Emilea PA C

Grin all you want Dust! I decided to do the medic classes in order to meet the qualifications for the local ER as a tech. They'll pay for my PA School!! So, I'm still going to PA school - only this time I don't have to shell out the large sum of moola!!

Oh dear! I just found out today that the paramedic class at the local community college is going to run. It starts Tues, 2/13, with a pharmacology math prep class and the actual class starts in about 4 weeks. So, if you live/work/play in or around Indiana County, PA heed this advice.......stop doing drugs and drive safely because you surely don't want Emilea coming anywhere near you with a needle or any type of medication! I've worked with the three instructors before (during my EMT certification) and all three are highly knowledgeable, highly skilled medics. Here's to the most stressful, hard year of my life thus far!! Bottoms up!

To pass the state practical in PA (as well as other states, I'm sure) you must fill in the checkboxes on the eval form. So, yes, that's mainly what I'm after -- filling in those lil' boxes! I believe it's Dust that always says (maybe it's Rid....maybe it's someone completely different) .... you can't learn this whole profession in 120 hrs of night school! It just doesn't happen... I'm more interested in filling in the evaluator's boxes so that I can start field work are really learn some skills! (EMT-B curriculum in PA doesn't include an ride time :roll: :x

So, I probably shouldn't include the fact that I failed Milkshakes 101 at Dairy Queen?? On a more serious note, thanks Rid!

This question is more focused towards those reponsible for choosing medic students.... What are you looking for in a statement of intent to enroll? What do you not want to hear/read?

Medic school is still in the fact finding stages!! Definately something I want to do, just not sure at what point! I think the ink should at least be dry on my basic card before I enroll!! **wink**

PA Medics and Students, Please clue me in on something! I was talking to the medic instructor at the community college and I'm confused re: time frame to complete the curriculum. The course flyer says 1190 hrs, but this instructor said that there's another 500+ ride along hrs included? Can anyone shed any light on this issue? Also, how much time does the program take? I'm not talking "12 months until completion", basically I'm wondering if I would be able to do the medic program in conjunction with taking college classes? TIA, Emilea

City, First a few details: I am basing this on what has been presented in lectures, as well as from Brady's Emergency Care - 10th ed. I will testing in the Commonwealth of PA. Now, onto the question. Below I have typed on a generic "call flow" for both the medical and trauma stations for the state practical. Am I leaving anything out? Have I included anything that shouldn't be there? Is there a sequence problem (i.e. something should be done earlier than noted?) Are there any recommendations for improving the line of questioning, especially in OPQRST? Medical 4 questions (BSI, Scene Safety, ALS, # Pts) Hi, I'm Emilea. I'm an EMT. Why did you call 9-1-1 today? After pt give cc, I am now applying 15 lpm O2 via NRB. When did this problem start? What were you doing when this problem started? Is there anything that makes this problem better or worse? Can you describe this pain/illness? How would you rate this pain on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst? Does it hurt anywhere else? Have you ever felt this before? Do you have any allergies? Are you taking any medications? Any OTC meds? If women, are you on BC? What is your past medical history? What was the last thing you ate or drank? When was that? Physical Exam, as indicated. Interventions. Call Medical Command. "I am going to keep an ongoing assessment." Trauma 4 Questions (BSI, Scene Safety, ALS, # Pts) Hi. I'm Emilea. Can you hear me? Evaluate LOC & responsiveness (verbal, pain, unconscious, etc.) Rapid Trauma Assessment. Assess PMS in all 4 extremities. Split as indicated. Recheck PMS. Log roll onto LSB. Strap down - start with chest strap, then abdo/hips, legs, feet, then CID and head. Recheck PMS. "My pt is ready for transport." Vital signs. Detailed physical exam of anything found on RTA. Contact medical command. "I'm going to keep an ongoing assessment." So, what do you guys think?? Give me suggestions. I don't want there to be any question as to whether or not I passed the State Practicals!! TIA, Emilea

Whit, Look on the first page, oh 3 or 4 posts down! There's the answer to my question! You're right....I should have know better than to ask such an open eneded, loaded question! Thanks folks!

Not that I feel the need to "air my laundry", but I'm going to do so anyways! Due to financial restraints, I can not persue my schooling on a full time basis right now. So, instead of sitting around wasting time! I have decided to do something about it. I have decided to get my hands wet in a medical field, that field being EMS. As I posted earlier, it's a means to an end.....maybe once I have my basic certification I will fall in love with being a basic and that will be the end of my schooling (meaning no more PA school.....I know that I have con-ed's, etc.) As of 11/16/06 @ 12:31pm, I want to eventually be a PA.......but I know that it's going to take time. I also know that being an EMT and/or paramedic isn't a requirement to becoming a PA. Similarly, being a PA isn't a prerequisite to becoming an MD. And, another point, all of you who are older and wiser.........has there ever been a decision that you have made that has turned out to be the wrong decision? I think that the answer is yes. Bottom line is I want to be an EMT now and I want to be a PA later.....that's my decision. Enough said.....

Rationale for stating becoming an EMT is a means to an end..... Let's work backwards. The end is my becoming a physician's assistant in either an emergency department or on a trauma OR team. In order to get to that end, I must first become a Physician's Assistant. (almost a check -- this is still in progress) In order to get more "field experience" and to survey if I really do want to spend the rest of my life in emergency medicine (let's face it....it's not for everyone!! Y'all here should know that!), I'd like to become a paramedic. In order to become a paramedic, I must first become an EMT. So, in that sense and reasoning, becoming an EMT is, for me, a means to an end. Who knows, maybe I get my certification as a basic, run on an ambulance and love it so much I don't continue to the "EMS ladder." Maybe the same holds true for when I pass my paramedic exams. Who knows? All I know is that is where I see myself in 10 years as of right now! Plans change. Heck, my major had changed as frequently as my underwear there for a while. The "means to an end" comment wasn't meant to offend or be taken as a demeaning comment to anybody on this board, regardless of amount of experience.

Oh, Dust.....that post made it inevitably clear that you do not live in SW PA! There are only two paid departments within a 75 miles radius of my house; there are well in excess of 100 departments within that same radius. This is a breeding ground for tried and true whackerism! And as an aside to your sarcastic (and quite frankly demeaning) remark regarding 120 hours of night school -- the gentleman that enlightened me to the existance of this plate, even going as far as showing me his POV, is the medical director for three local ambulance services.....I'm darn near sure that he has more than 120 hours of night school under his belt. Yes, I am proud of the fact that as a 21 year old I have decided on a career that I see fitting - emergency medicine. Becoming an EMT is simply a means to an end. I am currently enrolled in a Physician's Assistant program. Upon completion of that program, I hope to find work in an ED. If not an ED, I hope to be assistanting in a trauma center's operating room. For those who are outside the state of PA and haven't seen the plate I am referencing, it's nothing bold, obnoxious, or even highly noticable. Anybody that has actually seen the plate care to weight in?

DCMed, THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! That is exactly what I was looking for! For whatever reason my internet searching skills were absent last evening! I appreciate the effort! To those of you who think that because someone has some mark to this profession on their vehicle that denotes them as EMT, Paramedic, MD, RN, whatever.....they are obligated and required to stop to render assistance --- YOU'RE WRONG! Atleast in the commonwealth of PA! As previoulsy posted, you may have a personal moral obligation to render care, but then you are opening yourself up to a whole can of liability worms! We live in a litigious (sp?) society. I prefer to render treatment under the generous liability insurance of my volunteer organization and (once I complete my basic training) my employer! Again, as previously posted, I am getting this plate because I am proud of what I do. And, for some crazy reason, I don't mind being associated with a bunch of rude, crude, and HILARIOUS people! (<--- JOKE!)

Thumper, I'm not sure that I follow your reply. Do you mean that because I were to have a license plate on my vehicle that had the star of life and the wording "Emergency Medical Services" that would obligate myself to stopping if someone were in trouble? A few questions to ponder: If my step-father, who has no medical training & would probably faint at the sight of blood, is driving my car and comes upon an accident he's obligated to stop because of an EMS plate? I am driving down the road and come across an accident. I have no jump bag, no pocket mask, no gloves, you get the point! Do I still stop and "render care?" I'm not looking for the red emergency services vehicle tags that you would find on a fire truck or an ambulance; these plates look identical to "normal" PA plates, just with a star of life on the right and the numbers on the left.

To those of you who live/work/play in PA, Does anybody out there have the EMS specialty license plate from PennDOT? I went to their web-site to get the plate and it says to contact the main office of your organization. DOH doesn't seem to know what the heck I'm talking about; neither does EMSI! If anybody out there has the plate, where in flippin' nation did you get the application?? TIA, Emilea