Lone Star

If your friend is going to start passing out 'Gibbs head slaps' she owes you two additional ones:

Is this by chance, the story you're referring to: This is the same orgainization where I did my 'ride alongs' for both EMT-B and EMT-I. I don't know Lt. Jackson personally, but I've heard her name in conversations while I was on my clinical rotations. 1"Southside Fire saves one of their own." WTOC Evening News. Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS): WTOC 11, Savannah, 16 JUL 2010. Television.

I would have to echo the majority here. While being sympathetic and empathetic are good qualities, mentioning the incident during the interview would serve no purpose. I highly doubt that the topic will come up in the interview, and there's no reason to bring it up there. After you get hired, it's possible that the incident will be mentioned. Then and only then would it appear to be appropriate to express sympathy and empathy. Bringing it up in the interview might be viewed as if you're trying to capitalize on her misfortune. LS

Glad I could help! Your description was good enough that it reminded me that I had seen it. I spent about an hour tracking it down.

Let me guess, you started to panic because it stopped after only 70 questions?

Just for you.... Your requested video

Toby, First off, welcome to the City! You'll find a bunch of people on this site that are more than happy to talk about what we do. But be forewarned, the majority of us aren't going to blow smoke up your skirt and make EMS sound more glamorous than it is. We WILL tell you the 'truth' about it though! A bit about me: I'm a 46 year old Paramedic student, working on an Associate's Degree. I was licensed in another state for 12 years, until circumstances beyond my control caused my license to expire. I've also worked for 15 years as a Firefighter, and also worked for a good number of years in the industrial/manufacturing arena.

According to the NREMT website: Successful completion of a state-approved EMT-Basic course that meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Transportation EMT-Basic National Standard Curriculum. You must have completed the course within the past two years. Your Program Director must verify your successful completion of the course on the NREMT web site 1 . 1. "NREMT - EMT-Basic." National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, n.d. Web. 15 Jul 2010. <https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/reg_basic_history.asp>.

JT, First off, congratulations on the 'conditional offer of employment'! I'm confused though....didn't you just get to CO? Am I going to have to hunt you down and nail your feet to one place for a while? LOL Texas is known for it's high temps in the summer (hell, sometimes it's 80º in January!) Keep hydrated, but obviously stay away from the caffinated and acoholic beverages. (I don't really think I need to tell you why). Best of luck! LS

First off, the questions are worded to not only test your knowledge, they're designed to measure critical thinking. That's why they give you just the barest amount of information. Your job is to sort out the 'relevant stuff' and base your treatments on that information. Having survived more tests in 12 years of being licensed than I can count, I can only tell you what I've witnessed in all that time. Even though I just faced the NREMT for the first time at the EMT-I level (which I passed on the first shot), I can also speak with some authority on what I've noticed other people telling me about their experience. As a reporter,you should know that if people aren't grasping the 'true meaning' of your post, then maybe you've done swomething wrong. Your choice of words (ie: 'I have to guess which one is most right'), that's going to give the wrong impression to the reader. You came to us for help, which we're more than willing to give you. But when we draw the wrong conclusions to your post, try clarifying your initial post and then listen to what we have to say. Getting in a snit isn't going to help you find the answers you need!

There have been countless threads on this site alone that deal with 'tips and tricks' for studying and taking the NREMT test. If you're a 'straight A student', then you shouldn't even be sweating the NREMT. It doesn't cover anything thats not in the course material. This isn't 'ambush testing', it only tests your retention of the presented material (from lectures and from the textbooks). One of the biggest 'problems' that most people have while taking the NREMT cognitive test (can't really call it a 'written test' any more, can we?) is that they tend to 'read into the question' by trying to guess what the question 'could mean', as opposed to reading only the question and drawing what 'they DO mean' from the information provided. Another big issue with the cognitive testing is that people worry about which question number the test ends on. The test is devised in such a way that when it gathers enough information about your knowledge base, it will stop. This isn't like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", where you only progress to the next question by answering the previous one correctly. EMT-B isn't rocket science, so let's not make the NREMT-B test into a bigger monster by fearing 'what could happen if'. The only 'ifs' that truly apply are 'If you know your material, you'll do fine. If you DON'T know your material, you shouldn't be testing in the first place'. I realize this sounds 'harsh', but let's be realistic about this; EMT-B, like any other educational opportunity, is dependant on the amount of effort you put into it. If you slack off and try to cram for the test a couple nights before the test, you're probably not going to pass. This is NOT the type of provider we need in the field. However, if you've studied all your material on a continual basis and KNOW your material...then you've overcome the only 'hurdle' to passing the NREMT. While the multiple choice test is referred to as 'multiple guess' by some, this is NOT the place you want to be 'guessing' at the right answer! We're talking about placing peoples lives in your hands; and for that reason alone, you better be damn sure you KNOW your material!

In MI, the 'Echo Unit' is a non-transporting ALS unit (most commonly seen with the County Sheriff's Department). They are most commonly one man units. In most cases, an Echo Unit is automatically dispatched to 'tier 1 and tier 2 calls', (Cardiac, Respiratory) Genesee County Sheriff's Department Paramedic Division On a call where transport is advised or necessary, the Echo Unit paramedic will stay with the patient on the transporting ambulance, and the 'displaced EMT/EMT-Specialist' will drive the Echo Unit. The unit number of the transporting unit will change from Bravo/Charlie/Lincoln to an 'Alpha' designation. In MI, Unit designations are as follows: Alpha - ALS Bravo - BLS Echo - Non-transporting ALS Foxtrot - Non-transporting LALS Lincoln - LALS (EMT-Intermediate/Specialist) To be honest, I've never seen/heard a Foxtrot Unit dispatched.

The sad reality of the matter is this: Coastal cities have issued 'swimmer safety warnings and rules' for years and years. Unfortunately, a good portion of today's society (and I'm not bagging on any group because of age or any other 'qualifier') that seems to think that "...the rules don't apply to ME!" Until we can find a way to overcome that syndrome, and the accompanying thought process of “It’ll never happen to ME!” we’re fighting a losing battle. Sometimes we just have to shake our head and realize:

Shoot lower, Sheriff; he's on a shetland!

Ok, not to sound too ignorant here.... In scuba diving, as you begin your ascent, you're going from an area of greater pressure to an area of lower pressure. By ascending too fast, forces blood gasses into bubbles in the circulatory system and within tissues. Similarly, when one starts to ascend in altitude, they're going from higher pressures to lower pressures and 'thinner air'. I can understand the shortness of breath. The questions I have are these: 1) Physilogically, are the blood gasses reacting as they would in decompression sickness? 2) When descending from an altitude (greater than 8,000 feet), does the body suffer through some sort of 'compression sickness'?

Welcome to the City! You'll find that most of the citizenry here is more than willing to help you as you progress through your educational endevors. There is a wealth of information here and we are more than willing to share it. There is some good advice about testing as well. Feel free to look around, kick the tires and check under the hood. Jump on in, the water's fine; and we've recently fed the piranhas, so they won't attack too soon! LS

Every ALS intercept I've ever run simply involved the medic transferring gear to my truck and taking over patient care. ALS was called for as soon as I got on scene and realized that the information that the dispatcher had to work with severely understated the patient condition. The transfer of care only lasted about 30 seconds, as the medic that got on board started their own assessment. I wasn't offended by this, as they needed to fully ascertain the patient's condition and status after any treatments I've given. I think that the whole key that decides whether an ALS intercept is successful is getting the EMT to realize that the patient's condition, not ego, is the deciding factor. The EMT HAS to realize that they're very limited in what they can do for the patient, and further has to admit that it's in the patient's best interest to call in the 'heavy guns'. I've had medics bitch and whine about getting mobilized for a BLS call, only to find out that the patient is decompensating rapidly. I've never had a paramedic bitch because they got 'called out for nothing'.

Getting passed over sucks big time, but look on the bright side here just for a moment.... You made enough of an impression for them to remember your name and call you in for another interview. You made a good impression during the interview that the next opening that comes along, your name will be remembered again. Name recognition goes a long way in the hiring and interview process. You've been 'remembered' out of all the applicants that have filled out the paperwork, so you've got a 'foot in the door' on the next opening. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but this can work to your benefit. Don't give up and don't give in to depression! LS

During your 'down time', I'd be wiliing to bet that there are some great opportunities for panoramic pictures of the area! Congrats on the job, it sounds like it might develop into a nature photography hobby too..win/win!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQLTv53BZ-0

This is the 'congratulatory email' I got from the NREMT: NREMT (automated e-mail, do not reply) [DoNotReply@nremt.org]Actions Friday, February 05, 2010 9:00 AM To:REDACTED Results of your National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians cognitive examination are now available on the National Registry website. To view/print your results, click here and log into your account using the user name and password that you created. Then, click on "Check Application Status" where you can view and print the results from your cognitive examination. Examination Department, NREMT This is the only statement I got after following the above instructions: Intermediate 85 Application Summary: Application Confirmation ID: REDACTED Application Created: 1/7/2010 4:56:00 PM (CST) Exam Date: 2/4/2010 (CST) Results Date: 2/5/2010 (CST) Examination Scored Congratulations on successfully earning your national EMS certification. Certification documents will be mailed to the address provided in your account profile by first class US Postal service within three business days. National certification is not a license to practice. You should contact your state EMS office for information on licensing requirements.

Since receiving a perfect score on the test is a very remote possibility, how about making the reults accessible, so that the testees can spotlight the areas they're 'weak' in? This would only serve to help people become better providers in the end. I'm not asking that each specific question missed be listed, but each general area of testing be listed (ie: OB, Airway, Trauma) and the percentages of each section. Feedback is usualy generated for those that don't pass the test, but for those that do...the only 'feedback' is 'Congratulations, you've passed" Granted, not everyone would appreciate this feedback, but I'm sure that the majority of 'education advocates' would!

Speedy...you're hereby grounded from the trampoline for the rest of the summer!

Please tell us that the phrases "Hey y'all! Watch this!" and "Here, hold my beer..." were never uttered before that fateful "giant leap for all 'zillas everywhere"......