EMT Practical advice?

[Meghan Shannon]

I take my practical exam in 2 weeks for EMT-I 85. I was hoping someone might have some good advice/words of wisdom for me.

School's been out for a while and so I don't have any equipment to practice with, and combitube still worries me a little.

I found those really cheesy videos on youtube, and I have my sheets from registry to review.

Ideas?

[FireMedic65]

Lots of posts all over the forums on this. Just study your material. Be well prepared, know the stations and what you have to do to pass them. Eat well so you stay alert and focused.. all that fun stuff.

[Jwade]

I take my practical exam in 2 weeks for EMT-I 85. I was hoping someone might have some good advice/words of wisdom for me.

School's been out for a while and so I don't have any equipment to practice with, and combitube still worries me a little.

I found those really cheesy videos on youtube, and I have my sheets from registry to review.

Ideas?

BREATHE!!!!!!

Memorize your sheets, as this is what will hurt you during the practical if you miss too many points.

Combitube should be the last of your worries....Just remember, BLUE FIRST, and TAKE THE SYRINGE OFF THE CUFF AFTER YOUR FILL IT UP! This is where most people fail the section.

Did I mention BREATHE?

Good luck, you will do just fine.

JW

[Meghan Shannon]

I love the "blue first". I was always worried about what cuff comes first.

And the Breathing is always good to remember.

Thanks!

[Meghan Shannon]

Here's my real question about combitube station. Did you hyperventilate the patient on room air or take the 30 seconds to start by attaching the BVM to the 02? Because according to the sheet we can do either. Is there a preference?

And is there a difference between hyperventilation and pre-oxygenation?

[Jwade]

Here's my real question about combitube station. Did you hyperventilate the patient on room air or take the 30 seconds to start by attaching the BVM to the 02? Because according to the sheet we can do either. Is there a preference?

And is there a difference between hyperventilation and pre-oxygenation?

Shannon,

Is there a difference, YES, but just worry about doing your normal routine.......Start bagging the patient as you would any other normal patient who needed an airway. This will be more than sufficient.

JW

[FireMedic65]

Do not waste your time attaching oxygen before you start bagging, but make sure you do get o2 flowing ASAP. Wasting time to apply o2 is that much more time the patient has with NO oxygen at all. The normal 21% oxygen in the room air is better than 0%. As Jwade said, bag right away. Attach o2 in ASAP while bagging.

[chbare]

Here's my real question about combitube station. Did you hyperventilate the patient on room air or take the 30 seconds to start by attaching the BVM to the 02? Because according to the sheet we can do either. Is there a preference?

And is there a difference between hyperventilation and pre-oxygenation?

Read the sheet very carefully. This is from somebody who took the 85 exam and psychomotor tests:

You can immediately begin bag mask ventilations on room air after BSI, opening the airway, and properly placing an adjunct. However, you must verbalize that you will attach the bag valve mask to a high concentration of oxygen. Failure to ultimately ensure high concentration (FiO2 greater than 0.85 by NREMT standards), will result in failure of the entire station. However, you can elect to begin bag mask ventilation with the device initially attached to high concentration of oxygen. The choice is up to you. As mentioned, stick to your method as long as it meets the criteria. You can download the psychomotor skill sheets from nremt.org.

Edit:

Yes, there is a difference between hyperventilation and pre-oxygenation. Hyperventilation is ventilation that exceeds metabolic requirements and is often associated with lower than normal CO2 levels. Pre-oxygenation is a process commonly defined by replacing nitrogen with oxygen in the functional residual capacity (FRC) of the lungs, in essence creating a reserve of oxygen that will continue to diffuse with its gradient out of the alveoli.

Take care,

chbare.

Edited December 15, 2009 by chbare

[fireflymedic]

Get good sleep the night before, don't have any added stress that morning (give yourself plenty of time), relax, get to know the place and do what you know how to do ! And just remember - the first one is blue - just like a certain team that wears blue is #1 (hehe). They're also marked on there. Relax, you'll do fine. Wishing you luck !

Let us know how it goes.

[tniuqs]

Dear Meghan Shannon:

You may find this link helpful, knowing you material is the best way to avoid the jitters.

http://www.templejc.edu/dept/ems/Pages/PowerPoint.html

In scenario testing when I come to "duh" spot .... I just imagine all the examiners naked.

It doesn't help recalling information but it keeps them guessing why you are smiling ... best not verbalize THAT btw.

cheers