Intro and question Re: studying

[jbrehm]

Hey all! My name's Josh Brehm, I'm 20 years old and live in Dallas, Oregon. I'm a volunteer firefighter with Dallas Fire and I'm going to Chemeketa Community College to get a dual degree in fire science and, most importantly, emergency medical technology.

I'm currently within 4 weeks of finishing my EMT-B class and I'm not feeling all too confident in myself right now. I don't think I have down everything I need to have down (mostly in the area of assessing, i.e., medical assessment). I don't feel like I know how to connect signs and symptoms with what's going on and I just overall don't feel like I've necessarily gotten out of the program what I need to.

I'd like to know if there are any studying materials I should get to make myself a better medic and to help me pass the written/practical exams coming up ever so soon. I learn best by working on something as opposed to passively reading. So doing practice tests with rationales behind their answers and having worksheets I can do, or anything else of that nature, would be the best options for me. I think I'll do okay on the state and national exams (though, being myself, would much prefer having one of the top scores of course), but I really want to have something I can use to make myself the best EMT-B I can be. That's what I want the most.

Thanks!

[DwayneEMTP]

Hey John! Welcome!

The best advice I can give...

For skills testing, know your skill sheets. YOU OWN THE PROCTOR WHEN YOU TEST!!! People always freak out and miss simple things. The proctors job is to mark off the little check box when you mention it. If you mark off all all the boxes, you pass. If you look like an idiot, smell funny, pee your pants, vomit...nothing they can do. Each skill sheet takes about 3 of your 10-15 minutes. When they say, "Is there anything else you'd like to say or do?" Start at the beginning and do it all again!!

Skills are a breeze...

For the National Registry? Nearly every question will boil down to BSI, Scene safety, ABCs. They will try and trick you into picking something else, but eliminate those as a possibility before you consider anything else.

You'll get something like; You arrive on scene to find a teenage girl with a large knife wound to her throat, she is screaming and bleeding badly, what is the first thing you should do? And there will always be an answer mentioning putting pressure on the wound. If you failed to answer BSI, or Scence safety if they're available then you failed this question. See what I mean?

I'm kind of wierd about these things. I like to use these tests to see what's in my head, so I don't touch a book for about a week before any non-class testing.

Before NR basic? No studying and I got somewhere in the low-mid 90s I think...can't remember exactly. Paramedic skills testing...Nope...no studying...passed each station on the first attempt (I had to chalenge one when I disagreed with the proctor, and passed through). And that's saying something. If you spend any time here you'll soon realize I should really be riding the EMS short bus...so If I can do it you can too.

Almost all of your classmates that fail will do so because they freaked out and froze. Understand that if you are prepared, you will find these tests almost frustratingly simple.

Good luck man! Others will have better advice than mine...so check back!

Dwayne

[Eydawn]

Are you doing ok with the class materials, but not really confident in what you've learned? That's kind of what I got from your post. If so... do some extra research- check out a good Anatomy and Physiology text from your local library (or your college's library). Research common diseases and health conditions, and learn what their symptoms are... in other words, think outside the NREMT box, so to speak.

Listen to many different chests, get used to taking vitals in strange positions and sound conditions... and really learn how to ask the questions you need to ask for your assessment.

It sounds like you feel that you can't assess as well as you'd like, so you feel you aren't going to be a good medical provider. Here's what helps me... instead of thinking inside the SAMPLE box and focusing on going in order, I just start a conversation with my patient. "So, what'd you say hurts the most? Scale of 1-10? Anything change it? Ok... so what were you doing before this happened? Take any meds? Allergies? Hey, does it do anything different when I do this? Ever injured it before? What'd ya eat for lunch?"

Work with your gut, learn as much as you can about human health on your own, and consider taking an A and P course if you can afford it. Many in here will tell you to go to the paramedic level right after getting your basic. I won't tell you what to do or when, but I do offer that the EMT-B assessment feels skimpy because in educational terms, it IS skimpy. EMT-B's need better education. Until that changes, we have to do what we can on our own to make up the difference.

Does this help at all? Welcome to the City!

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[jbrehm]

Thanks for the welcome guys! (except my name's Josh, not John :wink: )

Dwayne, I've been hearing that a lot, the keeping to the basics when taking your test. I don't seem to have that much of a problem with that in class so far, but I do need to make sure I remember that. Thanks for your encouragement, it helps!

Eydawn, I'm doing fine with the class materials. My first term I got a 99% on the final and a 98% in the class and I think I might have gotten a B on one of my exams so far this term with the rest being A's. If my goal were simply to pass the class with an A, I wouldn't be NEARLY so stressed out, the class is relatively easy. But I obviously need to pass my state and national tests and become a good medic.

I like the idea of having a conversation with the patient more than simply sticking to SAMPLE/OPQRST. By sticking to the latter, I know how to cover everything, but if I can transition to asking my own questions then I'd probably learn how to better determine what's possibly going on.

I'm actually already in my second out of three a&p terms, and I absolutely love them! I never knew how amazing the human body was. I got an A in my first term of it and it looks like I'll receive an A for my second term so I understand the body decently well (for someone who only took classes on it). I guess it's just the way my emt class is taught that I'm not understanding the emergencies and their signs and symptoms. I really need some kind of study aid or something that will cover everything I need to know for being a Basic to supplement my basic text book.

Thanks for your help so far guys, and sorry if I'm rambling. I'm excited and absolutely nervous/terrified about all of this, so it can get the best of me

Josh

[rocket]

I like your attitude, Josh. It's always great to encounter someone who learns a little and then gets hungry to learn a whole lot more.

...And from what I've read in this thread I think that is what is going on for you. Now I can only speak from my own experiences here...and in my experience the difference between my EMT-B and EMT-P instruction was fundamental: in EMT-B I was trained, and in EMT-P I was educated. For me at least, EMT-B wasn't comprehensive enough to cover much more than your basic "alphabet soup" type questions.

In EMT-P you cover a lot of pathophysiology. As you learn the pathophysiology the kinds of questions you should ask to rule in/out different issues become a lot more evident. This education builds on the interview and assessment techniques you learn in EMT-B to put together a better clinical picture.

You are on your way through A&P so you are already ahead of the game. Once you learn how it works (A&P) you are better prepared to understand how and why it doesn't work (pathophysiology).

My advice: get yourself a Paramedic text book and start reading on your own. Chances are you will find many of the answers there. You can also supplement in some other materials such as nursing or even MD-grade pathophysiology texts too (get yourself a medical dictionary as a supplement) but keep in mind that a Paramedic text is designed to address your level of learning and will probably be the best fit for right now.

Now the caveat: I would treat the goals of obtaining your EMT-B cert and learning the additional info you seek as separate issues. Testing out for EMT-B is really down to regurgitating what you have been taught or shown to do and many folks tend to get into trouble when they "overthink" questions or situations. The classic mistake is the person who rushes right into treatment before establishing personal and scene safety. Depending on the type of person you are, you might wind up making the immediate goal (getting your EMT- a little harder if you've read ahead with the Paramedic materials.

Sooo.....shop around for a text (or try to find a lender from someone) and then hang on to it until your exam. Take the EMT-B exam and then find yourself a nice quiet spot to crack open that EMT-P text and start finding the next pieces of the puzzle you are working on. 8)

Good luck!

-Trevor

[jbrehm]

Trevor,

Thanks for your reply! I really like the idea of getting a paramedic textbook to study before I get into my college's program. Hopefully I can find out what textbooks they're using so I can study the one's I'll have to use later on. On the note of studying prior to my paramedic training, would it be wise of me to study as much about medications while I study the paramedic text books?

Back to the original topic of EMT-B training ... I definitely do recognize the difference between training to be a good Basic and training for the exams. I'm going to use your idea of studying the paramedic textbooks as my means of becoming a better basic, so that's set. But, I still need to find a way to prepare myself for the written exams. The practical obviously just depends on my ability to memorize and be able to perform all of my skills (not a big deal aside from the medical assessment for which I need to make sure I have my drugs and S/S down); but, as I'm sure everyone here knows, there's a big difference in testing style between the exams you have in your classes and the state and national exams.

Because of that, I need to practice taking tests that simulate the type of exams I'll be faced with. Do you or anyone else know where I can find a good number of tests that I can take that do a good job of preparing Basic wanna-be's for the state/national tests? It'd be great if I could find a source that also provided the logic behind the correct answers and any other beneficial info for me.

Thanks!

Josh

[Eydawn]

That's what I thought I was hearing in your post. Good for you on already taking the A and P! I'm due for Human Gross Anatomy next, lol... already had Physio.

I have to agree.. grab a paramedic text, but don't necessarily limit yourself to that. If you're familiar with PubMed at all or any of the other databases, look up some primary research on conditions like asthma or diabetes, etc. Familiarize yourself with meds that are used to treat common conditions, like hypertension, COPD, seizures, etc. If you know the basics, you can learn much more when you ask your patient "Do you take any meds? How about vitamins? Herbal stuff?" See how much more info you can get?

Assessment also takes practice. Imagining things in class *sucks* and doesn't prepare you to look at the real thing. Which is why you *will* be fooled by fakers your first couple of times, until you learn to read those subtle cues that differentiate between "YES, they're sick" and "NO, they're losers or have other problems going on here..."

You sound like someone who really enjoys the "why" of things... have you considered going to paramedic school? I think you might enjoy it!

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[Eydawn]

Spend the money on a practice test book. You can find them at Barnes and Noble, or similar sellers. I know the test you're going to be taking is computer based (at least for the NREMT) but the practice books are fairly close.

It's going to feel like you're choosing the least wrong answer of the choices offered... that's normal. Don't worry about it.

You won't have any problem at all with the NREMT (and probably your state as well) if you're as good a test taker as your grades would indicate!

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[jbrehm]

Wendy,

You're taking anatomy and physiology separate from each other? I haven't heard of people doing that before. Hope you do well!

Yeah, the assessments take a lot of practice. That's why I'm planning on doing as many ride-alongs with my department (I'm a volunteer FF) to get as much exposure as possible and perhaps getting a job with them as a basic once I get my cert. The reason I'm actually taking a&p and getting my basic and all my other classes is so I can become a paramedic. At first I was only going to get my basic because it was a requirement for my fire science degree. After starting the classes though I really got into it all. I realized though that the training for basic isn't that thorough and I really wanted to understand, like you said Wendy, WHY this and that are happening, what's causing it, and what can be done about it. So, I decided to go for my paramedic.

So, when it comes to getting a book, which one should I get? I don't mind putting down the cash for it, but I want to make sure I get what will help the best. Like I said, I'd prefer one that didn't just have tests and answers, but also rationales behind the answer and ques to determining if the question is trying to trip me up.

Josh

[Eydawn]

Yeah... I had an intensive Human Physiology with Lab at Kalamazoo College... then I transferred to CSU, and I need anatomy, so I figured I'd go for the one with the cadaver lab attached. (Vick's Vaporub and I are about to become friends!)

Can't help you on choice of medic book... anyone got ideas?

Wendy

CO EMT-B