Paramedic to Corpsman back to Paramedic

[Tom Wigmore]

Hey there folks, I haven't been on here for quite some time but I figured someone here might offer some advice. I was a nationally registered paramedic and worked outside of Austin,TX. I left in 2009 to enlist in the US NAVY to become a FMF corpsman, which I did successfully and served in Afghanistan. However between the first year of training duty stations, my first duty station in Okinawa and Afghanistan I was unable to re-certify my CE hrs and my Paramedic cert lapsed. I'm currently finishing my enlistment in Camp Pendleton. I have contacted the state of california and have completed my ACLS, PHTLS, a paramedic refresher at UCLA. I have been using EMT-Achieve to study with but unfortunately I attempted to retake NREMT and failed. Does anyone have any advice for anyone trying to retake national registry years after any paramedic schooling?

Thank you for any assistance or advice,

Tom

[Arctickat]

Yeah, call your congressman...or better yet, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, because that, my friend, if a Fuquing travesty. Your service as a corpsman should have kept you certified in the civilian world.

Thanks for your service, if I was from the States I might have better advice...but I gotta say, Jon Stewart has managed to shame many legislators into doing the right thing.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Yeah, you got the raw end of a rotten steak on a stick.

Can't you call the registry and plead your case? Let them know what you are doing now and why your circumstances made it to where you couldn't fulfill the registries requirements. Or maybe you have.

keep us posted with what happens. Seems like you are getting Fu ed.

[island emt]

At one time there was a waiver for military on active duty, that allowed you to retain your certification, similar to many states and your drivers license.

It would behove you to call and speak directly to someone high up the food chain at the natreg.

That being said, they are only in it to make money so they may blow you off.

[chbare]

Another potential consideration is something called the Mark King initiative. You may want to ask the registry about it if other options fail.

[chbare]

I just happened to see the lapsed certification policy in a new brochure I received from the registry, though I'd quote it:

"If your national EMS certification has lapsed within a two year period or you are currently state licensed...you must:

1. document successful completion of a state approved 48 hour refresher course...within the last two years

2. complete an online application and pay the application fee

3. successfully complete the...cognitive and psychomotor examination

If your National EMS Certification has lapsed beyond a two year period and your state licensure has also expired, you must apply to re-enter...via the...Re-entry policy..."

You can find this on the NREMT website as well.

[DwayneEMTP]

It sounds as if you've done everything necessary to recert except pass the test. My advice, and please take this as an honest reply and not a snipe... Stop making the test harder than it is. Go back, take it again, but forget your paramedic knowledge and take it with the mindset of an EMT B. Us your paramedic knowledge only of absolutely forced into it. I think that you'll find that the medic test is not so far removed from the basic test. Scene safe, BSI, ABC. Always those first. And only if you can't solve the problem there, go to more advanced thinking. I promise you that this is true. You've got this Brother...no worries.

It sounds as if you've done everything necessary to recert except pass the test. My advice, and please take this as an honest reply and not a snipe... Stop making the test harder than it is. Go back, take it again, but forget your paramedic knowledge and take it with the mindset of an EMT B. Us your paramedic knowledge only of absolutely forced into it. I think that you'll find that the medic test is not so far removed from the basic test. Scene safe, BSI, ABC. Always those first. And only if you can't solve the problem there, go to more advanced thinking. I promise you that this is true. You've got this Brother...no worries.

[Just Plain Ruff]

It sounds as if you've done everything necessary to recert except pass the test. My advice, and please take this as an honest reply and not a snipe... Stop making the test harder than it is. Go back, take it again, but forget your paramedic knowledge and take it with the mindset of an EMT B. Us your paramedic knowledge only of absolutely forced into it. I think that you'll find that the medic test is not so far removed from the basic test. Scene safe, BSI, ABC. Always those first. And only if you can't solve the problem there, go to more advanced thinking. I promise you that this is true. You've got this Brother...no worries.

It sounds as if you've done everything necessary to recert except pass the test. My advice, and please take this as an honest reply and not a snipe... Stop making the test harder than it is. Go back, take it again, but forget your paramedic knowledge and take it with the mindset of an EMT B. Us your paramedic knowledge only of absolutely forced into it. I think that you'll find that the medic test is not so far removed from the basic test. Scene safe, BSI, ABC. Always those first. And only if you can't solve the problem there, go to more advanced thinking. I promise you that this is true. You've got this Brother...no worries.

A double shot from Dwayne. Booyah!!!

[DwayneEMTP]

Heh...yeah, sometimes when I'm posting I get a blank screen with the little thingy that shows that it's still loading, before it goes to the post, after it's posted? Does that make sense? So it looks to me like it failed (I give it ten or fifteen mins) and then try again...I guess it posted this time... :-)

[yakc130]

What Dwayne and the others have said. I'm going through the refresher stuff now to get my Registry back after losing it years ago. Most contracts require it to get hired overseas.

As for what you guys were saying about the military, they have their own system, and do NOT support local/national requirements for maintaining your civilian status. Yes, a corpsman or medic can do a lot of cool shit in the field, but the civilian side doesn't recognize it, either.

Think about it. The majority of patients that they deal with are young and healthy males who are suffering from trauma. There is no need to know cardiology and other "old person" diseases. It would cost the military, and the government, too much money to maintain everyones civilian certs.

It's really a very screwed up and unfortunate situation.