tskstorm

Key point for all to remember, its a tool, not an end all be all!

yam

Although he makes a good point haha..

Dust send me one via snail mail please

The numbers posted were on mannequins. In a system that doesn't do many intubation's. As a paramedic student I've done 3 tubes in the last 2 months, and thats averaging only 20 hours a week on an ALS ambulances. Theres a good chance that in a system where the medics intubate often the nubers would be substantially different.

I've never seen charcoal drank that didn't make a patient vomit. So we try to do it right before we get there if the opportunity permits.

This brings up another interesting point, here in NYC, they will not approve Combi or King tubes for BLS, not for reasons of patient care but because of unions! They(union) refuses to allow the city to give BLS/EMT-B more skills, as they want to add skills, but not add to the pay scale. If they were to increase the EMT-B pay scale then of course the Medics will want a pay increase too, so they stick with Combi tubes as an ALS skill.

The only critique I have is, how many people who live in the projects/slums (where I work) have a personal Dr. that isn't the ER?

awesome tips, lets go bug the Ed staff now

Burnt toast isn't in my protocol. How often you use charcoal, would be based on the system you work in. No one likes to use it thats why we wait till we are 20 seconds out of the ER to give it

Here the protocol is written saying patient with altered mental status who can follow directions and can swallow. (usually tested by giving orange juice or soda with extra sugar, prior to the glucose)

Great Idea, I will most likely have some classmates(on the bottom end of the scale) take the test and see how they do! Thanks again !

We do have a decent amount of metric system conversion questions, but they focus mostly on kg, gm, mg, and mcg's. I will try and add in some others. the problem is, they would prefer keeping the math section to only 50 questions, but I can always ask if I could add more, but I suppose coming up with the first 50 will be the challenge as it is, but there are just so many topics in math to cover. Math is only a quarter of the pretest. I will add the algebra in, however the test must remain multiple choice due to scoring and laziness on the programs part but I will put in word problems with multiple choice answers, the route to get the answer will be quite unimportant. Perhaps I could end the exam with 5 word problems, "...one covering length, weight, volume, concentration etc..." I will contact some nursing schools but I don't really know where to begin with that, although the college I go to and am writing this for does have a nursing program, perhaps I can speak to some of the professors from that department. Thx dust

The thing here, is two things, one, you will have to do basic subtraction in your long division, so 2 or 3 basic additions and subtractions questions should suffice, I mean if you can't do the 2 or 3 right, you wont get 10 of them right either.

The test will be arranged into mini subjects, first 5 questions will be addition/subtraction, next 5 would be fraction multiplication etc.... This way when the results come in, it will be easy for the program to evaluate the candidates weaknesses, and possibly get them appropriate help before class starts.

This would be more medic level questions, not pre-medic entrance exam.

The school is anti-putting actual calcs on. They want the math to be there without the actual calc. I think its just silly.

Yes I know, however, I don't think the entrance exam reflects the medication calcs as well as it could but not sure how to improve it. Adding and subtracting problems are pretty silly, I am also planning on setting up the exam to hopefully give a decent item analysis, to see where the student is weak, if they are specifically weak in any area. Thx for the tidbit about Mrs. America though!

First off I am not an instructor yet, I'm not even a paramedic yet, however I have been charged with making a part of the pretest, for future incoming paramedics. I have been given the math section as I am very strong in math, and medication calcs. However the exam I took to get in I thought didn't have enough math and it was too easy, people who scored in the 90's on it, are doing horrible in math in class. I thought stepping it up would be a good idea. I have permission to do just about anything on the exam I want so long as I keep future paramedic candidates best interest in mind. Trying to make it harder in a way they can succeed better later, as opposed to making it harder just because I can. The exam currently holds addition subtraction (with the exception of like 2 problems the rest will be removed I think basic addition and subtraction questions are pretty silly) multiplication and division of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. metric system conversions, percentages, decimal to percent, and thats really it. I am looking for suggestions on types of problems, there are currently no word problems but I was thinking about adding them in, as part of doing medication calcs is picking and choosing what information you need for that problem. Also just general advice about test making would be greatly appreciated.

10-13 * Advise Weather/Road Conditions * Officer in need of assistance * Mental health patient transport * Officer needs immediate assistance (New York City)

10-13 Fire Marshall needs police assistance fdny / nypd 10-13 Officer needs immediate assistance (New York City) 10-47 Request police 10-48 Request police forthwith for harassment

"Owing to its high traffic volumes and antiquated design, the FDR Drive has a maximum 40 MPH speed limit." http://www.nycroads.com/roads/fdr/ or you can also check here http://www.nycroads.com/history/speed_NYC/

You all might be right to say we are getting sent out too early, however, this is the way it is right now. So I'm forced to deal, I suppose. If we could focus on improving the situation instead of badgering the situation I would appreciate it. Anyone have tips on vectored exams? or appropriate questions to ask? Things like this?

None taken. The course is just under 12 months long, and need about 900 clinical hours, if you don't start early you don't finish. Grade wise I'm hanging at the top. 99 on BLS final, 101 on midterm(don't ask,) and 98 on semester final. I comprehend everything we go over, but we haven't gone over enough to be confident field providers even as students, all I'm good for at the moment is BLS, lugging equipment and starting a line.

Well we have finished one semester, out of 4. we covered BLS, and mostly preparatory topics, med/legal, ethics, well being, some pathophysiology, some A&P, introductory pharmacology, vascular access, airway management/ventilation, human development, physical exam, patient assessment, critical thinking, lastly communications and documentation. So short of BLS, maintaining an airway(I can't tube in the field yet) and starting an IV, thats it short of patient assessment, and the problem with patient assessment, and physical exam is we covered how to do them, not when to do them, how they apply, and things of this nature. Ex. I know how to start an IV, I can start one with ease, I understand one reason to start an IV is "in case we need to give medications" but the problem lies in I don't know when and what patients need medications, as we aren't responsible for the protocols and we haven't covered many disease/injury etc.. processes and how to treat them. I know the preceptors will stop me if I start doing something wrong, but I still don't even want to come close to mistreating a patient.