Hands on training in the classroom

[firefighter139]

As an instructor who has taught for many of year I was just wondering how many instructors include hands on training to new EMT students as often as possible during class time?

The reason why I ask is as also an State evaluator during practicals, I see so many students that even struggle with baseline vitals. I had one student tell me once my b/p was 210/163 while I was sitting and at rest. So when I asked this student how much hands on training they had received they said maybe an hour through out the whole semester. ONE HOUR for everything this student is suppose to know how to do? I am running into this more and more which makes me wonder of the quality of instruction we are giving. It is very sad if instructors are sending new EMT's out into this wild and crazy world knowing every big word in the book but has no clue how to utilize it once it is in their hands.

I know they keep cutting back our teaching hours but PLEASE include the hands on!!! Teaching an hour each class of hands on will go much future than an hour of book work anytime. If you would like suggestions how I teach the class at our local college or at the Vol. Fire Dept. or at the paid service I work for just post me. :wink:

[Alcomedicism]

As a recent EMTB student, I can say hands on definitely helps out alot. Its one thing to explain the procedure to the class, but once they see how its done and then they do it themselves, I think it sticks with them much better. I'd do it for every class if it were possible. Alsi I'd allow the students to come to your station to practice on the dummies and some of the ambulance toys. The more they practice the more familiar they become with it. Just my .02 cents, as a student.

-Dix

[Guest]

The more hands on we give them the better their retention. If you're an instructor, you've probably heard of or seen Edgar Dale's Cone of Learning (re: the amount of retention of just listening, as opposed to listening, seeing, doing and teaching)... It just makes better sense to encourage more hands on training.

[Woody76559]

We conduct an EMT-B class here at my service. We have class on Monday from 6-10 and Saturday from 8-5. Mondays are reserved for lecture and if there is time remaining we do skills. Saturdays we do skills. The first half is spent explaining and demonstrating the skill. The second half is actual hands on practice. This is four hours worth. Sure, some of the folks complain, but they'll be happy when they can do it without any hesitation.

Bottom line for hands on is this: If you're doing the skills while you're dreaming, then it's working.

[medic05~ Bouncer]

It makes no sense to NOT have hands on in class. As a student it makes more sense to know what I'm doing on a dummy before a live person. My class we actually get to stick one another so we get to feel what its like. The more you do it the better you get to where you CAN do the procedures in your sleep. Repetition is the best experience there is, and reading it in a book cannot give that to you.

[cranberry]

Hands-on really cements the skills in the students brain. How 'bout a homework assignment if you can't get to a skills lab during class time. Not easy at the upper levels ( my husband just wont let me do a needle decompression on him, go figure), but as far as taking vitals, let them practice on friends and family and get documentation ( with signatures from "patients) ) to prove they have done the skill...something like 10 complete sets of vitals a week. Or improvise at home with splinting materials and have them take a picture of what they did. Get creative...the students will moan about it a lot at first, but they will GET IT by the time it comes to do it for real.

just a thought,

cranberry

[Ridryder 911]

As a professional educator, we are taught each adult learner receives & able to retain information by different teaching methods. Some by lecture, some by hands-on, some by combination of both. (has the highest retention)

Of course this all depends upon the topic & skill need to taught. Yes, incorporate hands on & be sure students should be familiar on performing the skill & understands the rationale for each of the skill & procedures.

Be safe,

Ridryder 911

[lemonlimeEMT]

I'd like to add my 2 cents (as Dixie put it) from a student's perspective. Repetition was the best way for us to learn the skills, the only problem with my class was that I took it senior year of high school, and our teacher had to have a lot of surgery that year and so we had subs a lot. And the subs didn't know anything about EMS or the skills, so while the sub was there we just practiced but we didn't know if we were doing it exactly right. It would have been nice to have a more supervised hands on practice.

[MDmedic2FL]

Like Ridryder, I, too, teach in a professional setting (a paramedic program, in a college, during the day hours); however, I find myself 'stuck' in my office a lot at night and get to witness what the

EMT-B instructor (a paramedic by day) must go through with respect to the endless hours of juggling theory ('book work' / lecture) and 'hands on' training with her students and I am AMAZED by this woman's ability to manage it all in such a short period of time!! She meets on T and Th from 6:30-9:30 and some Saturdays. On those evenings, she gives a lecture, then breaks into groups and runs through lab practicals. EACH student MUST take the team lead position! She puts a chart on the board to check off each student as he/she completes that task. It is a truly fluid process to watch. And, these students can cite the 'why' (the pathophysiology) and perform the required task usually without incident! Happily, I've learned several pointers from her......and I use them! Kudos to my EMT-B instructor counterpart! She is an awesome instructor and I hope to continue to benefit, as do her students......and, ultimately, the citizens. I only hope other 'administrative agencies' will understand that instructors need this class time to give to students for this 'hands on' time.

As for my classes, I find that my students 'need it all'.....I have 'book learners', 'visual learners' and 'hands on' learners'....so that's what they get....they get it all...And, so far...it's working. We have a class of usually 25 each Fall semester, and I break them into 'groups' of 5 or so.....this works great for games, etc. It also 'forces' them to get to know and trust one another...that 'team work' thing. They also learn our golden rule, "adapt and overcome".....Don't have what you expect to have, now what do you do? They love that stuff...and it makes them THINK....critical thinking is the HOT topic in education these days and YOU all, as EMS providers do that better than any other group of folks on earth....so these educational games are GREAT for integrating that. Oh, and we play Jeopardy and they like that, too. I also created a Medic Bingo for our Pharmacology class. And, I'm doing a weird version of MedicMonopoly right now....it's not done yet. Bottom line.....they have to hear it, see it, and do it to do it well. We all do.

Teresa

[supertorontomedic]

It is sooo important to have variety in the classroom. We do at least 5hrs per week of practical but not all of it is scenario or equipment practice.

Sometimes we go through "round robin" type scenarios where I will ask "what do you do?" then make them justify every step. when one student gets stuck or has answered sufficiently I move onto the next until we have gone around the class.

I will use ECG strips and information from real calls that I have done (mostly recent) which makes it real for the students. They know I don't make the stuff up and they respond strongly to it.

As MDmedic2FL said, each student must at some point take a lead role. I like the idea of splitting up the group into teams of 4. One person is the patient, one the responder, a partner (who will take orders but not initiate anything on their own), and a 'marker' who has our evaluation sheet (they laminate the sheet and mark each other on each scenario). Each person rotates through each role and learns from different perspectives. Gives them a well balanced approach to scenario based learning. They often learn the most about the actual scenario in the other positions and as a team leader (or attendant) they learn about the stress of being in the hot-seat and being watched. Plus, they each get to learn from everyone's mistakes which I find is the best way for them to learn sometimes.