NREMT-P Practical

[ryguy5034]

Hello,

I'm taking both portions of the NREMT-P next month. I passed my state test without a problem, but I've heard the national exam is much harder. Does anyone have any recommendations as far as studying for the computer portion? I feel like there's so much material, that either I know it or you don't at this point. Seems kind of hard to target certain areas to study specifically.

[LegendaryPunk]

I just took my practical within the past week, so I'll share my experience with the exam. In my opinion, the most difficult stations, at least in relation to the other areas you'll be tested on, are the oral boards and cardiology.

For the oral boards you just have to remember to verbalize everything that ordinaily second nature to you now. What type of structure is the residence? Pet toys in the yard? Stairs leading up to the door? Narrow hallways and sharp corners? In real life it might take you two seconds to think, "Looks like we'll need the stair-chair," or "gonna need the Reeves for this one," but for this exam you need to remember to verbalize those decisions, as well as your reasoning behind them.

I terms of patient care, this is where previous field experience comes in handy. The scenarios are pretty basic - CVA, suspected MI, asthma, MVA etc. Don't expect to find compounded complaints either, e.g. difficulty breathing secondary heart failure. Very straight forward.

Don't give them any extra rope to hang you with either. I've heard stories of students saying something like, "I'd also have my meds ready to RSI the patient and intubate," for a simple asthma call, then failing the test because they didn't know the RSI drugs / dosage / procedure.

Cardiology can be tricky because you need to do a little bit of thinking, and also need to move quickly to beat the clock. Rhythm interpretation is generally straight forward, but don’t get worked up if you see one that makes you stop and think. The other tricky part is deciding if your patient is stable / unstable. Look for key words such as confused, diaphoretic, and decreased BP. After that it’s just a matter of regurgitating the algorithms. Also, there is usually one rhythm where you don’t have to do anything – just O2, vitals and monitor en route to the hospital.

Good luck!

[DwayneEMTP]

I've proctored the NR skills a few times before, and you know what? In my opinion most people fail because they freak out, not because they didn't know the skills.

I'd watch them practicing in the hallway, hear them walking through assessments, easy peasy. Then they'd come into the room, start to shake and stutter, get their brain all messed up with nerves...and fail.

I finally walked out into the hallway and yelled, "Boys and girls! You've done this a hundred times. It's easy, and you have ALL DAY practically! Slow down, relax, it's all going to be ok!" And that helped some, but not others.

Also, on the nerves side. It makes no difference at all what the proctor thinks of you. He is there to give instructions and then check little boxes if you say certain things, and not check them if you don't. Just like a machine. You can go in drooling, farting, and talking in tongues, but as long as you hit all of the relevant points and miss all of the fail points, s/he has to pass you. It really is that simple. Just check off the little boxes, go home and get laid, or drunk, or whatever it is that you use to celebrate. (Both at the same time can sometimes be awesome, but it's a balancing act...just sayin')

Take a deep breath. Know that for every few points that you allow your pulse and respiration to rise you are decreasing your chances of passing first time through. And, C'mon man...have you looked at the medics around you that have passed this friggin' thing? Exactly....how hard can it be....

Dwayne

[scratrat]

Dwayne, yes, I have seen some of the medics that pass this thing lol.

That's why I better freakin' pass it!! After moving states and getting settled, I FINALLY have my practical scheduled for September. I've been reading the sheets to remember to verbalize all the crap that I HAVEN'T done in 12 years! HA!!

[scratrat]

Well, after 12 years of "street" I managed to verbalize everything correctly and got my NREMT-P back. Somehow, I thought they were a little easier going this time around then I remember. Maybe it's old age...

[paramedicmike]

Congrats, Scatrat!

[scratrat]

OMG....how long does it take them to post your info on the web????? I know I passed but I want to see it in black and white!!! Well, color, or whatever their website is........