jenniemt

I hate... "could care less" If you COULD care less that implies that you do in fact care. Should it not be "couldn't care less"?????

Keep in mind I was born and raised in Texas... 36% Dixie. You are definitely a Yankee.

I have done two clinicals (two 12 hour shifts) with Tulsa EMSA and loved it. Maybe it's just because I was a new student but I thought it was great fun to hang out in an ambulance all day, parked at quik trip waiting for calls. They rotate you around every so often so you aren't stuck in one place the whole shift either. I hope to move back to Tulsa after medic school so I can work for EMSA. I lived there for a couple years while going to TU and really miss it. As far as pay, I'm not sure how it compares to other places, but when I was there in 2003 a basic with no experience started at $18-21k/yr. I'm sure that has changed since then but I got that infor off their website so it's probably still there. I know I'm not much help..

Dude. I resemble that remark!!! It matches my TX EMS license plates! *goes back to wacker-land*

I just want to add that the Brady A&P for Emergency Care is what my paramedic class is using for A&P. As a part of our medic school program, we have a 10 week A&P course before we even think about anything EMS. Our final is next Wednesday and I have to say I've learned a lot that I truly feel will help me when we dive into patho and pharm later next week. That A&P book is great. If you just want to get a little information without thoroughly confusing yourself, read the emergency care applications at the end of each chapter. There is a little A&P review in each one and it shows you how it applies to EMS. The book is progressive so when you read chapter one and then move on through the end, the book will refer you back to earlier chapters to review some important concepts (example: in the urinary system chapter it often tells you to go back and read previous chapters that dealt with acid-base balance). I read the first two chapters before class started but I don't really feel I got anything out of that. As far as anatomy by itself or both together, the first chapter of the Brady book addresses that. To learn physiology you really need to know anatomy. Anatomy by itself you can do (but in my opinion it's far too boring without physiology thrown in with it...). Soooooo it's up to you really. Not much help, am I? Jenn

My instructor told us that almost all, if not all, of our EMT CEs will be taken care of through the medic class. I just don't know how to document it or anything. Does NR (and dust, does TX..) send you a form to put all the hours on? Pardon my newb-ness.

the FD I did my EMT ride outs with uses the autopulse. Recently they have had two saves (as in, pt walked out of hospital) using the AutoPulse (and the EZ-IO). One of the pts was a 44 y/o female. I'm not sure about the other. Those are just two that have happened recently (past month or two) that I have heard about in class. I did read in JEMS a few months back that there were some issues with it but I'd have to find the article in order to say what. Sounds good to me, but I'm just a student...

Your school probably needs to rethink their schedule. It's good you get so many experience hours but maybe they should spread the didactic portion over the entire year. I'm not saying my school has it perfect but this is what we are doing: First 2 months are strictly A&P Next two months (approx) are intro to advanced practices, pharmacology, IVs, and advanced airway Then we have our first hospital rotations (not sure of how many hours) which are just for IVs and intubations Overlapping with that clinical starts cardiology which includes ACLS That's honestly all I have "memorized" and my schedule is not handy, but the rest of the 15 months continues like that. We do a 6-8 week module or two then have a clinical that starts and overlaps with the next module. We get no ambulance rides until the final couple months. Then we have 240 hours ride outs. Our final module seems to be a review, putting it all together kind of thing and it will take place around the time of the ambulance internship. The way our didactic portion is spread out, but with clinicals spaced out among the modules, there is not really the rush you describe. We are doing one chapter per night for A&P, two chapters when we meet on Saturdays. My class meets on a B shift schedule so every 3rd day. During A&P we go 4 hours a night unless it falls on a Saturday then it's a full 8 hour day. When we start the paramedic part of the class it will be 5 hours on weeknights. The only days we are never in class are Sundays. It seems to be working quite well so far. We do a chapter then test on it the next class night. We will have a comprehensive final at the end of the A&P module. You have to score 75% or higher on the final and 80% or higher for your overall average in order to move on to the next module. Again, I'm not saying that is the exact right way to do it, but I would totally balk at a program that makes you learn everything in such a short time span. Being a paramedic isn't all about skills. You have to actually know the book stuff too. I don't see any reason that "experience" would help you in medic school. The textbooks are not written about real life, but the textbook world. It seems to me that having all that experience as an EMT might hurt you. Supporting information will follow over the next 15 months as I watch the experienced EMTs flunk out of my class. One of them is already failing. Stay tuned...

I also finished EMT school in December and am now a little over a month into paramedic school. As I've said a hundred times before it's simply the best option around here. I have NO problems in school and have the highest grade in my class. I study a lot and while I may spaz out at first when I'm working as a medic, I won't be alone. EMS is not an individual "sport" and it's not like when I get a job as a medic I will be thrown out there to sink or swim. That is why services have orientation and let newbies ride as 3rd rides for a period of time. You do NOT need to know how to talk to patients, etc etc to get through medic school, plain and simple. Whether that learning comes before or after school is irrelevant in my opinion. No, EMS education in the states is not ideal but it's what we have right now. Until the powers that be (whomever that is...) sees it your way, it won't change. Good luck to all my fellow medic students, we will go through this together!

Having a good hospital rotation is made great or crappy depending on who you get for a preceptor. The best preceptor I had in my hospital rotations during EMT school was an EMT who was working as an ER tech. My real preceptor left without telling me so I just glued myself to the tech. He taught me a lot, including placement of 12 lead EKGs and then let me do it on a real patient. It was awesome! When one of my preceptors scored me he said "I gave you fours because there is always something else to learn." I'd rather have 4s down the line than 5s because I know I'm not perfect. I'd rather my preceptors be honest and really show me where I need to improve rather than just picking 5s. My best preceptor ever actually gave me one 3 because I am very shy and he was the only one who really picked up on that and took the time to talk to me about it. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in medic school right now. Having the right preceptor really does make or break your clinicals. You NEED to complain because the school can discuss the problem with the hospital clinical coordinator. Do you want your experience to be replicated with another student? That's my two cents, and then some...

I notice that a lot of people on this site seem to be medic students and many of us are just starting out so we are sort of experiencing this together. The purpose of this thread is to find out who the other medic students are and where in the program they are. I'll go first... I started my medic class in January of this year. We are doing A&P until April then we will begin the paramedic curriculum with intro to adv practices, adv airway, pharmacology, and IVs. First clinicals start in late May, just doing IVs in day surgery and intubations in the OR. Currently we are in the cardiovascular section of A&P. My class will last a total of 15 months and will include 240 hours of ambulance ride outs and 480 hours (may not be exact number...) in various hospital rotations. Next! edit to add: This goes for Canadian ALS students as well, or whatever other country you may be from.

I don't have my book list handy but we are using: Brady A&P For Emergency Care Brady Essentials of Paramedic Care, 2nd ed (publishes March 8, 06) PEPP, 2nd ed BTLS There are a lot more but I can't remember them off the top of my head. I'll have to get my book list then edit this post later.

true. I could get a job running 911 if I went to the fire academy. Right. That will happen when airplanes swim and fish fly.

THANK YOU! That is the point I have been trying to make for a long time now. If I lived anywhere else I'd probably want to get some experience first, but alas I am stuck in TX and am in medic school after finishing my EMT class last semester.

As a 22 yo medic student I won't really comment on the age thing. I wonder if I'm too young sometimes... What made me laugh was the fact that she said she "owns her own apartment". Last I checked that was renting. I wonder how she goes to high school, medic school, and works enough to support herself? I work 20 or so hours a week and go to medic school for about 8 hours a week and as many of you have seen (literally on the web cam) I am almost always studying. Whatever floats her boat though, I guess.