NREMT will be discontinued in KY?

[EMT Headed]

I'm all for doing away with state exams altogether & making the NR test the requirement, as it is here in GA. Much less hassle for all involved and you'd have the added benefit of being able to get quickly licensed in all 50 states if you wanted to move. Of course, it'll probably never happen.

[spenac]

I'm all for doing away with state exams altogether & making the NR test the requirement, as it is here in GA. Much less hassle for all involved and you'd have the added benefit of being able to get quickly licensed in all 50 states if you wanted to move. Of course, it'll probably never happen.

The sad part is that even with NR if you move to another NR state they may still require you to take a state exam.

[EMS49393]

Like others have commented - you fail to figure in how cheap the cost of living there is. When you can rent a four year old three bedroom house that's very respectable for $450 a month just outside your area ummm - can you really expect to make that much? Twenty four - twenty eight thousand a year goes a whole lot farther there. WV's pay is notoriously poor across the state regardless of location - so here's a suggestion - don't work there ! Go where the money is. Most of us that are making decent money now have paid our dues at the lower paying services and yes, the better paying services in that area are not going to hire a new basic. That's just the way it is. Also I don't know where you went through school (though I have a suspicion) and if so, CPR is included in class. Every state has a standard and you can either shut up and meet it or gripe and walk away. The choice is yours.

Brand new basics in this area make between $8 and $9 dollars a hour. The cost of living is so high that many of them work two and three jobs to make ends meet or the live at home with their parents. In 2000, I had been a basic for nearly 10 years and was still making $6.50/hr in the Baltimore area working private ambulance because I am not a fire fighter. I worked two other jobs and I could barely pay my rent.

Just as Fireflymedic stated: we have all paid our dues. You either man up and do it or find another job.

[fireflymedic]

EMS - you mention that you were in KY for a time and if so, then you understand with the exception of the metro louisville area (which is still extremely cheap compared to most areas), directly in Lexington, or in Northern KY bordering Cincinnati - it is cheap to live here more comparable to suburbs in other areas. The more rural areas of KY are ridiculously cheap to live in as I stated earlier. Bottom line - you want to make better money than that - go get your medic - you'll be more marketable and alot of options. I'm sorry, but the good pay just isn't out there for a job that requires only 120 hours of education - some services still employing first responders and their pay level is almost equal (within 50 cents at most services). That's just how it is kid, sorry - we all gotta start somewhere. Get in, do a good job, work your way up, get your medic and get on with a good service - they are out there !

[Dustdevil]

As much as I feel the NREMT was established because someone wanted to create a job for him/herself...

Wouldn't that apply to every profession's examination and certification agency, or do you feel this is somehow unique to EMS?

Edited January 9, 2010 by Dustdevil

[firemedic37]

In Iowa you are required to take and pass the NREMT in order to ontain state certification at all EMS levels.

I passed both the written and practicals my first time at both the NREMT-B and NREMT-P levels, last day of EMT-B class we took the written and practical NREMT test. My Paramedic class ended on a Tuesday took the practical on Sunday and the written on Tuessday. I think the sooner you test the better off you are, the longer you wait the worse off you are.

It also depends on how well your instructor prepared you for your tests. Some people teach to earn extra income others do it because they enjoy teaching and helping others become good EMT's.

NREMT is a step in the right direction, yes there are flaws but it is much better than nothing. I hope that someday I can go to another State and work as a Paramedic without having to retake the NREMT examine even though I hold a NREMT-Paramedic card.

[ccmedoc]

Its the biggest scam I ever saw. Its setup to make you fail it the first time so you can go take it again. I know people have tooken it 4-5 times.

Hmmmmmmm

Anyhow, the NREMTP test is very simple. There are no tricks to passing it other than knowing entry level paramedic information. If you have to take the test more than once, I would look to the instructors, or maybe EMS is just not your bag. I re-certify every two years by the test, even though I have enough CEUs, just to keep tabs on the testing. I think the CBT is much easier than the old written, and I am sick of hearing how the man has put it to the "would be paramedics" taking the test..Conspiracy theory 101 is in session....

Edited January 9, 2010 by ccmedoc

[fireflymedic]

CBT is nice with the exception of one thing - if you realize that something is wrong once you have submitted it, you have no opportunity to go back and change it whereas with paper you can. Also, you cannot answer the questions you know that you are familiar with leaving the others until later to be answered. This frequently allows the student to build confidence. It definitely is of benefit though to those that are very comfortable with the material. As with anything though, some students do not test well for a variety of reasons and that should be addressed long before you get to this point to have those anxieties settled, and students should have a preparatory in similar style for them to take to be comfortable with the format. Just my thoughts on that.

[JPINFV]

That's more of an issue with adaptive testing vs non-adaptive testing than CBT vs paper.

[fireflymedic]

That's more of an issue with adaptive testing vs non-adaptive testing than CBT vs paper.

I was under the impression that NREMT exam was adaptive testing - am I incorrect in this? If so, then my complaint opinion changes drastically. Please clarify for me, because to my knowledge it was more of an adaptive test delegating a certain number of questions and difficulty based on prior responses. Or am I misunderstanding it entirely ? Thanks !