New EMT student

[April79]

I'm fixing to start emt school and very excited and scared at the same time. 

[paramedicmike]

Welcome.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Good to be excited, and scared, but don't be too scared.  Emt is your basic building block of EMS,  hopefully you will continue on to medic and beyond.  Take your studies seriously but have fun as well.  

Enjoy the class.  Come back often and ask questions.  

[JTEMS]

I just finished EMT a few weeks ago and passed NREMT yesterday. The best advice I can give to any new student is to have your priorities straight. EMS comes before EVERYTHING in your life. Studying for your tests comes before seeing your friends. You need to dedicate at least 3-4 hours at minimum every day to study for your exams. After you finish a test you may have a few days you can study less, but when a test is coming up, GO HARD. It all comes down to the amount of effort you are willing to put forth. A lot of people struggled because they had other things they thought were more important. You don't need to be worried. Just know that THIS is your life now. I'm sure if you try your hardest you will do fantastic! 

Edited August 13, 2016 by JTEMS

[Just Plain Ruff]

Are you kidding me JT?  EMS Does not come before EVERYTHING in your life.  That's terrible advice.   I'm sure that many parents would argue against that advice, I know I sure do.  My kids would not allow me to ignore them over school.  They sure as heck don't allow me to ignore them over work.  School should be no different.  If you are living breathing and eating EMS to the detriment of everything else in your life then that's a burn out waiting to happen.  

You have to have work life or school life balance or you will be a very unhappy person.  
 

 

[JTEMS]

We may have to agree to disagree on this. My EMS instructors told me on the first day to put a picture of yourself on the fridge for your family, because that is the only time they are gonna see you over the duration of the class. 

It's just my opinion. I can appreciate yours.

Edited August 15, 2016 by JTEMS

[paramedicmike]

If that's really what your instructors told you at the beginning of your class then it raises a lot of questions.  EMT class is not rocket surgery.  While the duration of the class (condensed classes over 2-4 weeks versus classes spread out over a few months) can affect the time you will spend studying and preparing making it your priority over everything else is neither healthy nor productive.

You're young.  Perhaps your naivete is more influential than you know.  I recognize that your limited experience may affect they way you look at and view events in life.  If any student elects to make their studies their priority in deference to everything else that is certainly their choice.  However, understand that there are consequences to that decision.  Nobody can be turned on to a particular topic all the time.  My hope is that you recognize that early and avoid the burnout that inevitably comes with the attitude advocated by your instructors.

[Just Plain Ruff]

10 hours ago, JTEMS said:

We may have to agree to disagree on this. My EMS instructors told me on the first day to put a picture of yourself on the fridge for your family, because that is the only time they are gonna see you over the duration of the class. 

It's just my opinion. I can appreciate yours.

I'm quite concerned about the statement that your instructors told you. EMT school is the basic building block of EMS and by that effect it is not a hard class.  For an instructor to tell you that you aren't going to see your family over the duration of the class is troubling to say the least.  

The only thing I can think of that would make that statement OK is if the course was one of those EMT mill programs that churns out EMTS in 6 weeks or less.  And that is a whole other discussion, medic/emt mills.  

But I digress,  I spent 4 months in my EMT course and I was also able to complete a full semester's worth of college level (400 level) courses as well.  So honestly, there should not be any students that miss out on family time, not able to work a job, and not able to have a work life balance in EMT School.  If there are students like that out there, then there is something wrong with either the class they are taking or wrong with the student themself. 

JTEMS, if I can ask you,  how long was your EMT course?   

[JTEMS]

4 months. It was actually hard for most people in my class. I found myself having more trouble with my own stress than the tests themselves.

What I remember is "They tell the medic classes every year to put a picture of yourself on the fridge for your family, because that is all that your family is gonna see of you for the next 8 months. I want you to think the same way with the end of the course coming up, LOSE your life right now." 

They were probably more speaking of medic when they said this, but it came up quite a few times at the beginning and end of the course.

I have the best instructors I could have asked for. My whole class passed because of them (3 people dropped, but no one failed)

Edited August 16, 2016 by JTEMS

[ERDoc]