Texas EMTs and Medics, help me out.

[flight-lp]

Thanks for those resources, some of those are new to me and look very helpful.

Education is what i am putting priority on, not getting out there and getting paid.

I stopped by 2 firestations and they said that 99% of houstons 911 response is run by fire dept. Is that false? I also found some documents detailing what must be done to operate an ambulance in houston, and found this, which makes me think he was correct.

" Per City Ordinance Chapter 4, Sec 4-9 EMS Providers are required to obtain permission

from the Houston Fire Department Dispatcher before running Emergency Lights and Sirens

within the City of Houston. "

It is very possible i am wrong. I am just making sure that once i get educated, i will be able to work. I am stuck in houston for the next few years and it would not be good if i were not able to get a paid position in 911 reponse. Honestly, i dont want to work transport for much longer than is required for me to establish a firm base in patient care, vitals, etc.

EMS within the city of Houston is solely run by HFD, so yes you would need to be a firefighter. Very few outlying services are fire based (thank god) and most "ambulances" you see are mom and pop dialysis companies.

As a new EMT, you have a slim to none chance of getting on a 911 unit unless you received your EMT training through that agency (i.e. Cypress Creek EMS). Houston is way oversaturated with horizontal taxi units that do nothing more than rip off the federal governement. Because of this, there is always a need for EMT's.

A smart EMT would not waste their time putting their certification on the line every day for money grubbing company owners and would go directly into a Paramedic program. There are several in the Houston area that have already been mentioned, but please for the love of god, do not waste your time and more importantly, a lot of money by going to A-M for their 3 month program. It is not complete, not remotely thorough, and is completely under organized. Your clinical exposure in College Station is acceptable at best. The biggest aspect of pt. care that you will learn is how to get a patient to Houston as quickly as possible!

PM me for more specific info if you wish..............Good Luck to you!

[paramedicmel]

That is exactly what he is saying.

How can you sit there and say that I am not as good as you?? You have never seen me work or even know who the hell I am! How self centered are you guys? I have taken the more in depth classes....most 2 yr programs incorporate A&P...well, I have taken A&P! I have taken many classes that were prereqs for the 9 month class. Its not like the only college credits I have are the EMT-B class and the Paramedic class. So again, how in the hell can you tell me that I am less "educated" than you? So before you sit there and tell people that you are smarter than they are, learn more about the person's education. And trust me I have met plenty of Paramedics that took a 2 yr program that I wouldn't let touch my dog much less a family member!

[spenac]

The class is actually 15 weeks then clinicals. TEEX also has a 9 month course, which was the same length my class was at Blinn College. I really didn't mean to start a debate or for anyone to basically start telling me that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. I know some pretty damn good medics that have taken the TEEX programs.

Actually they have a ten week and a 15 week program. I give you a qoute from TEEX website:

"We have two Fast Track Paramedic formats that meet for a total of 624 hours. The first Fast Track Paramedic format meets eight hours a day three days a week (Monday / Wednesday / Friday) for ten weeks and consists of 624 total hours. The total hours are divided into 240 didactic / lecture, 192 hospital clinical, and 192 ambulance internship.

The second Fast Track Paramedic format meets eight hours a day two days a week (Tuesday / Thursday) for fifteen weeks and consists of 624 total hours. The total hours are divided into 240 didactic / lecture, 192 hospital clinical, and 192 ambulance internship."

[Scaramedic]

Well in Dust's case he is an RN, which means he has a degree. It also means he passed the NCLEX which has questions like the following...

1. Myasthenic crisis and cholinergic crisis are the major complications

of myasthenia gravis. Which of the following is essential nursing

knowledge when caring for a client in crisis?

a. Weakness and paralysis of the muscles for swallowing

and breathing occur in either crisis

b. Cholinergic drugs should be administered to prevent further

complications associated with the crisis

c. The clinical condition of the client usually improves after

several days of treatment

6. A client is about to be discharged on the drug bishydroxycoumarin

(Dicumarol). Of the principles below, which one is the most important

to teach the client before discharge?

a. He should be sure to take the medication before meals

b. He should shave with an electric razor

c. If he misses a dose, he should double the dose at the

next scheduled time

d. It is the responsibility of the physician to do the teaching

for this medication

9. A client has chronic dermatitis involving the neck, face and antecubital

creases. She has a strong family history of varied allergy disorders. This

type of dermatitis is probably best described as

a. Contact dermatitis

b. Atopic dermatitis

c. Eczema

d. Dermatitis medicamentosa

12. The nurse would expect to find an improvement in which of the blood

values as a result of dialysis treatment?

a. High serum creatinine levels

b. Low hemoglobin

c. Hypocalcemia

d. Hypokalemia

14. A 24-year-old male is admitted with a possible head injury. His arterial

blood gases show that his pH is less than 7.3, his PaCO2 is elevated

above 60 mmHg, and his PaO2 is less than 45 mmHg. Evaluating this

ABG panel, the nurse would conclude that

a. Edema has resulted from a low pH state

b. Acidosis has caused vasoconstriction of cerebral arterioles

c. Cerebral edema has resulted from a low oxygen state

d. Cerebral blood flow has decreased

17. A client with tuberculosis is given the drug pyrazinamide (Pyrazinamide).

Which one of the following diagnostic tests would be inaccurate if the

client is receiving the drug?

a. Liver function test

b. Gall bladder studies

c. Thyroid function studies

d. Blood glucose

32. A client being treated for esophageal varices has a Sengstaken-

Blakemore tube inserted to control the bleeding. The most important

assessment is for the nurse to

a. Check that a hemostat is at the bedside

b. Monitor IV fluids for the shift

c. Regularly assess respiratory status

d. Check that the balloon is deflated on a regular basis

Can you answer these questions, no googling allowed. I bet Dust can.

Peace,

Marty

P.S. This test scares the hell out of me!!!

[p3medic]

You know we hire emt-b's. If they pass the written, practical and oral exams, they are invited to attend the academy which is appox 800hrs of clinical and field experience, rotate through various specialties, obs, ew, ccu etc....There are daily classes on a&p, patho, pharm, etc...along with system issues and procedures at fire standbys, bomb, law enforcement stand bys, crime scene management, hazmat, pepp, btls, among others....the process is about 6 months long, and includes a 500 hr field internship....if they pass all that, they get to work with a senior emt b partner for a year while they are on probation.

Is it the best way? who knows, some say so, others not so much, but i can tell you that at the end of 6 months, these emt b's have recieved a significant amount of education and clinical rotations, and are far better prepared to deliver bls level care to people than someone out of a 600hr als fast course.....Just my opion....The medic internship is much worse.....(or better) depending on how you look at it. So from the look of it, our bls members get more hours of education that a fast tracked medic.....just something to think about....

[brentoli]

Me I'm waiting for the 2 week paramedic course :twisted: .

It teaches you how to use your mobile computers to properly google terms, and use WebMD in the back of the ambulance.

[paramedicmel]

Marty,

I don't think I ever questioned the education or knowledge of a RN. I was being questioned about my knowledge as a Paramedic. I have not once questioned anyone's knowledge. I am not the one attacking anyone's education or knowledge, I am the one being attacked. I truly don't have to prove myself to anyone and no one will make me question myself in the ability to do my job with the best patient care. And no one here on this site, in my opinion, has the right to say they are better than the other when they don't know that person. Would it surprise you that I have a Bachelor's Degree in Biology? And why does that surprise you? Why is it that people, such as some of you on this site, think you can sit and judge people by what paramedic program they have taken when they don't know anything about the person past that? Its just sad that some people need to talk down to others to make themselves look or feel better. Really, what is the point in telling someone that they are not "as good" as someone else? Does it make you feel like a better paramedic, a better RN, or a better person?

[Scaramedic]

I wasn't trying to be insulting or downgrading your education. I was just pointing out that Dust does have more knowledge than most of us, including me. I know absolutely nothing about the TEEX program, my only issue is it does seem rather short. Maybe they have found a way to teach that nobody else has.

Peace,

Marty

[paramedicmel]

I was just pointing out that Dust does have more knowledge than most of us, including me.

How can you say that he has more knowledge than most of us? He might have more knowledge about being a RN but what else does he know more about then you or I? My point is that no one should say that they are smarter than anyone regardless what the subject. Especially when they don't know the person in question.

[p3medic]

I don't believe he is calling you a poor medic, what he is doing is questioning the validity of teaching the appropriate amount of education and not just how and when to perform skills. If you have a 4 year science degree than the 9 month program might be ok for you, however for the vast majority of applicants holding a ged or emt b certificate encompassing the entire knowledge base of that individual, a 9 month crammed course is a recipe for disaster. A biology degree is great, its a great place to start, you have a working kowledge of how the body should work ,and some of what happens when it does not...It does not teach you how to do a propper assessment of a patient, one focused on the problem at hand. It teaches you what the NR wants you to know to pass the test, thats it.

No one has questioned your educational background, just your support for this "part time" medic factory. I went to TEEX in 89' for there marine fire fighter course while attending Texas A&M, it was one week long and crammed in everything you need to know about fighting fires at sea, according to USCG regs....problem was, I had no real concept of thermodynamics, heat stress, confined space etc.... the course was required by the university prior to the summer cruise, and was fun, but I would not consider myself knowledgable about maritime fire fighting, any more than a 9 month medic is going to differentiate a vt from and aberantly conducted svt.....yeah, we all got the certificate, but the ability of the individuals to apply that info is suspect at best....IMHO