Feeling Overwhelmed...

[CBR600RR]

First off...i am feeling super sorry for myself and really damn sad. I was SO freaking excited when i started this. However now, the feelings have changed

Today i get the FASTEST powerpoint presentation / crash course on anatomy EVER. (I have a GED, i never took high school Anatomy) Half the slides we didnt even talk about.....i mean seriously this was a semesters worth of Anatomy and medical terms crammed into 4 hours.....and the Anatomy was only given 1 of those hours.

I feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of information i am expected to learn in so little time (3 months//3 days a week). I feel like i will have to pay to take this class 3 times so that i can actually be an effective EMT.

moral of the story is........i dont feel like im learning anything. Im very scared that come clinical time....i will have no f-ing clue wtf to do. I will sound like an idiot and be completely unprepared. I am TERRIFIED that im going to cause more harm than good.....and hurt somebody because i will not know how to properly do something. I am going to try and learn as much on my own at home from my book....but that just doesnt seem like how it should be done.

I looked at the C.C here.....and all they have is a A.S. program and its alot more expensive. Not to mention, 3/4 of the classes had nothing to do with EMS.

Is it possible that anywhere out there exists a place that focuses on quality, long-term (like a year or more) job specific training for EMT certification? I would seriously travel/relocate temporarily to do it.

Seems like its either get an A.S and go broke going to a C.C while learning mounds of stuff you dont need to know

OR

Save a litte $$ and go to a place like i am now, where they try to cram 3 months of info into one day.

I dunno, i feel stumped......thoughts???? Suggestions??? anything is appreciated.

[DwayneEMTP]

Yeah Brother, first, breathe. Truly.

I'm curious about which of the 3/4 of the classes in the community college course you believe have nothing to do with EMS? Math? Tons of it. English? Reread your post and tell me what you think. If you enter this field you'll spend a huge part of your life enteracting with professionals and you will want, and need, to do so in a much better way than you are now.

In many places there are grants for college, plus what you see for money is rarely what you're actually going to pay. My AAS cost me somewhere around $9,000 or so. It's certainly the best investment that I've ever made and I continue to pay it off $150 a month or so. (low interest student loan)

It sounds as if you're looking to be a really good provider. If that truly is the case then you need to consider one of the AAS courses, and get good with the fact that all of those classes that you don't believe apply to EMS are actually vital to being a good provider. And you're absolutely right, you can't even begin to get a feel for A&P in a few hours. After two semesters I loved what I knew, and it was time very well spent, but most of it I still have no clue about.

You can skip them, and be a yahoo, or accept that there is way, way more to EMS than putting on bandages and starting IVs and that very few are really good, rounded providers. There aren't any shortcuts.

But again, I'd be interested to hear, and not so that I can bust your balls, that's not my intent, what classes in the AAS you feel have "nothing" to do with EMS..

Hang in there my friend...Almost all of us where overwhelmed in the beginning...we'll work it out...

[DFIB]

The older I get I become more convinced that one of the keys of being really good at EMS are our non-medical skills. Non medical skills like English. Math, Sociology, etc. definitely mark a difference in understanding the context of our patients overall condition therefore better enabling us to provide a more complete,kind, and comprehensive care. It also allows us economy of communication and thought that will make you quick and sure.

I entered EMS as an adult so I had a lifetime of college learning and career experience under my belt. It made a difference in how fast I could integrate into the service and marks a definite difference in the care patients receive as compared to the care they get from other EMT's in the same service. A general education will make you a more well rounded person as well as a more complete provider. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I am that great, I am saying that I am better that I would have been if I had not had the advantage of an broad education. All of those other courses will make you a more educated provider even if they are not directly related to Paramedical Sciences. Dwayne makes a good case for the fact that if you have the opportunity to go to an AAS program, you should go for it.

As far as EMT anatomy goes, you have to acknowledge that in class you are only going to get a general idea of the materials you are expected to learn. This will be consistent in all of your EMT course. You will get the basics of every condition. For example: Your basic class will most likely define muscle contraction as the shortening of a muscle fiber. It will not explain active ad passive transport, action potentials, polarization, depolarization, Calcium and potassium transport, actin, miosin or the host of enzymes and metabolic processes that are involved in muscle contraction. This is why it is a basic course. It is up to you to fill in the planks using your book as a blueprint. depending on what book you have will have a complementary web page to help you study.

Therefore it is up to you to have the initiative to read and learn the information in your textbook. Take advantage of all of the wonders of the internet to get explanations for things that don't make sense. If you just Google Human Anatomy you will find a host of free interactive programs where you can practice and hone your knowledge.

Each module of EMT will build on the one before. Don't worry about clinicals now, just worry about anatomy. By the time you get to clinicals you will have had the opportunity to learn everything you need to succeed.

Most of all, take a step back, relax, get a good cup pf coffee, roll up your sleeves and study hard. In a few months you can come back and tell us how easy it was to pass your finals and become an EMT.

Edited September 28, 2012 by DFIB

[CBR600RR]

Yeah Brother, first, breathe. Truly.

I'm curious about which of the 3/4 of the classes in the community college course you believe have nothing to do with EMS? Math? Tons of it. English? Reread your post and tell me what you think. If you enter this field you'll spend a huge part of your life enteracting with professionals and you will want, and need, to do so in a much better way than you are now.

In many places there are grants for college, plus what you see for money is rarely what you're actually going to pay. My AAS cost me somewhere around $9,000 or so. It's certainly the best investment that I've ever made and I continue to pay it off $150 a month or so. (low interest student loan)

It sounds as if you're looking to be a really good provider. If that truly is the case then you need to consider one of the AAS courses, and get good with the fact that all of those classes that you don't believe apply to EMS are actually vital to being a good provider. And you're absolutely right, you can't even begin to get a feel for A&P in a few hours. After two semesters I loved what I knew, and it was time very well spent, but most of it I still have no clue about.

You can skip them, and be a yahoo, or accept that there is way, way more to EMS than putting on bandages and starting IVs and that very few are really good, rounded providers. There aren't any shortcuts.

But again, I'd be interested to hear, and not so that I can bust your balls, that's not my intent, what classes in the AAS you feel have "nothing" to do with EMS..

Hang in there my friend...Almost all of us where overwhelmed in the beginning...we'll work it out...

Thanks for the reply, Dwayne and DFIB.

I have decided to go first thing on Tues. to my Community College and register for the first EMS course they have in 2013. First, I am going to finish this three month class, however I don't think I will do the Clinicals. I truly don't think I will be ready in just 3 moths to go out in the field and treat people at any level. However, I cant say for sure now, I'll make that decision when its time to.

So if C.C is the way to go, I'm going to go that route. This class I'm in now will just be a nice preparatory deal before I start College.

The classes I was saying I thought had "nothing to do with EMS" were things like English, Math.....the general ed classes. Chalk that up to me being naive about this whole process, which I guess is what landed me at this school I am presently at. Please excuse my grammatical errors in my posts on here. When i am typing a formal letter, or taking placement tests I pay more attention to my punctuation and such.

So wish me luck on Tuesday, hopefully all goes well and by the end of next week I will be registered for a proper EMS course. Thanks Dwayne/DFIB

Edited September 28, 2012 by CBR600RR

[DwayneEMTP]

You know what Brother, you're taking my post in the spirit intended bodes really well for your being a decent fit at least for EMS. Embracing criticizm is the life blood, in my opinion, of doing medicine at our level, and perhaps all levels, but I have no way to know.

And you will find that the respect that is shown to the community by cleaning up your posts will pay big dividends.

If you should happen to think that I criticized your first post from a point of view of arrogance, take a look at my early posting history here. You will see the most idiot, inane, gramatically incorrect bullshit that you can possible imagine. The fact that I'm sometimes confused for someone above the 6th grade level is a credit to the kindess of those here pointing out my errors, certainly not due to any brilliance on my part. And I can't begin to express my gratitude for them not allowing me to continue down a path that I now find humiliating when I look back.

I'm excited for you! The ride through the AAS program can be hard, and really long, and it won't be easy...but when you come out the other end you've got so much more information available to be able to become whatever type provider you choose.

Take the time between now and the beginning of the medic class and see if you can get your A&P done...any good program is going to demand both of those. And I think that completing your current class is an excellent idea.

And do yourself, and us a favor, would you? Keep posting here. Ask questions, argue, participate. But fair warning..interacting with professionals at the level that we're blessed with here will put you in a different, more professional mindset than most of those that you will go to school with...and that will rarely be popular.

It's good to have you. Those here held my hand through my entire college experience, as they continue to do now. I'm confident that you'll find the same if you're brave enough to reach out when you need to...

Good luck my friend! It's going to be a hell of a ride!

Dwayne

[DFIB]

Good for you on deciding for the larder but better route. Hang around and participate in the forums. We would love to know how your studies progress.

And do yourself, and us a favor, would you? Keep posting here. Ask questions, argue, participate. But fair warning..interacting with professionals at the level that we're blessed with here will put you in a different, more professional mindset than most of those that you will go to school with...and that will rarely be popular.

This could sound like Dwayne is tooting our own horn, but, I have grown as a professional by participating in this forum. After you have been here for a while you will find that it is more akin to a community than a forum. I quickly evolved from a "trauma is cool" mentality to a more mature outlook of EMS, my writing is better and my thought processes are more clear. I might even be a little more of a "global" thinker than before, but only a little.

It is good to have you. Welcome.

[Arctickat]

Dwayne's posts do an excellent job in weeding out the bad apples because they're the ones who get all bent outta shape when he provides valid and valuable advice. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders Honda boy(girl?) and you have the most important trait required. The DESIRE to learn and the UNDERSTANDING that there are those who can HELP you. A & P is a tough class, but also very rewarding. The sensation of being overwhelmed has probably happened to almost any of the quality people here, so you're not alone in this.

[paramedicmike]

I don't think anything that has been said so far needs repeating. However, I do think it needs yet another person to validate the exceptional advice already given. Not because I respect the people who've already posted. Because what they've posted is pretty spot on.

Over the course of my EMS career I've done math. Every day. I've talked history. Every day. I've studied social interactions (sociology) and interpersonal interactions (psychology). Every day. I've dealt with patients with mental illness (psychology and psychiatry). Every day. I've written reports which ultimately become legal documents (english, composition). Every day. I've talked religion and made efforts to be sensitive to a variety of religious beliefs and practices (theology). Every day. I've dealt with people from foreign lands who speak different languages (for me, primarily Spanish). Every day.

I could go on. But I think you get the point that EMS isn't strictly medicine. It's so much more broad in its educational requirements than simply learning to start an IV or where the schaphoid is and why certain drugs can't be given under certain circumstances.

What I think should be addressed that hasn't yet been touched on is your fear of not knowing anything going into a clinical setting.

When you go into a clinical setting for school you are a student. Believe it or not, it's kind of expected that you're not going to know much, or anything, at the beginning. That's why you're a student. You're there to learn. You're there to learn how to apply what you've been able to absorb in class in a real life setting. If your preceptors are worth their salt they will know this from the beginning. And if anyone tells you they weren't nervous as a new student going into their very first clinical experience they're lying through their teeth.

Having the fear you described is both healthy and necessary. It will begin to recede with time and experience. It should not, however, go away completely. I can honestly tell you that I still see patients who make me a little nervous. That nervousness keeps me on my toes and doesn't let me become complacent. Take the fear you're feeling and turn it into positive energy. Turn it into learning energy. Turn it into the drive to learn more, do more research on the topics you encounter, to become better at dealing with people and situations and your assessments.

Harness it and make it work for you.

And stick around here. Ask questions. Participate. Don't worry that you're a student. We were all students at some point. We are all, as you'll find out, *still* students even though we may not find ourselves in a classroom setting. Part of why we're here, and why some of us have been involved in this site for going on 10 years or more is because after all this time we still see the value and benefit that this site affords us. (Don't let the "joined date" fool you. There have been several versions of this site and Dwayne, 'kat and others including myself have been here since before our currently listed "join date".)

Stick around. Get involved in a degree awarding EMS program. Harness that fear and make it work for you. Ask us for help. We're happy to help.

[DwayneEMTP]

Good for you on deciding for the larder... ...route....

For the record, you don't necessarily have to get fat if you go to college instead...

Man..what an excellent thread...

[DFIB]

For the record, you don't necessarily have to get fat if you go to college instead...

Man..what an excellent thread...

There is no guarantee!

CBR600 - Mike is right. Clinicals can be a great learning experience as well as a place to make good friends.