bstone
Forum Deputy Chief
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I am utterly frustrated with the National Registry. This is my personal frustration and I am unsure if other people have been similarly effected.
In late May 06 I took the Intermediate-85 exam. I passed the written exam just fine but was told I needed to retest (aka failed) Patient Assessment. I was shocked as I had always gotten it utterly perfect in Intermediate school, never missing a beat. I do know that I was about the last person of perhaps 70 or so to test during a long, long Sunday. The proctor looked completely exhausted when I walked in the room and sleepily conducted my test.
When I got the results I sent a letter on July 1, 2006 to NREMT's exam section (per the instructions on NREMT's website) asking for a review of this. I felt the proctor missed something I had said. I sent my letter via US Mail Certified Mail to ensure delivery (it was). They got my letter and, according to their record, on July 17, 2006 they "reviewed" my file and "confirmed" I needed to rest.
Today, November 1, 2006 - 5 months after I sent the letter- I called NREMT to see what has happened. Life was going quickly and I noticed that I had never heard from them. I am not working full time in EMS but getting my Intermediate card is important to me.
After being bounced around I finally got ahold of a woman who told me they "confirmed" I needed to retest. I asked why I had never, ever received anything from the NREMT and she said "I don't know". She said further appeals would have to go to her boss, Rob Wager an Associate Director of the NREMT.
I called Mr Wagner and briefed him of my situation. I told him 1) I felt the proctor simply missed something I said and 2) was very frustrated I never heard anything from the NREMT. He told me in short order that there is *no* method of appeal, the NREMT won't tell me what I supposedly failed and I would have to get remedial training and retest.
I told him I could have retested 4 time by now and so I was obviously frustrated. When I asked him why I had never gotten anything from the NREMT he gave a very half-hearted apology but then turned it around. He told me *I* was the on at fault for waiting so long to contact the NREMT. Additionally, he kept saying "we've been on the phone for 12 minutes" and "we've been on the phone for 17 minutes now". He did this three times. I told him I had no clue why he kept stating the time we had been on the phone. He said "you took almost half a year to contact the NREMT about something that could have been cleared up in 15 minutes on the phone". I told him I felt he was being rude to me and I did not appreciate it. He said "I am sorry you feel that way" (aka too bad). I wished him a good afternoon and hung up the phone.
Obviously I'll register to take the PA again and brush up on it very well. However my faith in the NREMT has been completely eliminated. If their examination section cannot send me one simple letter and their Associate Director is so rude, how do they expect me to place my EMS future in their hands?
I may have "failed" Patient Assessment but NREMT fails entirely in my book.
In late May 06 I took the Intermediate-85 exam. I passed the written exam just fine but was told I needed to retest (aka failed) Patient Assessment. I was shocked as I had always gotten it utterly perfect in Intermediate school, never missing a beat. I do know that I was about the last person of perhaps 70 or so to test during a long, long Sunday. The proctor looked completely exhausted when I walked in the room and sleepily conducted my test.
When I got the results I sent a letter on July 1, 2006 to NREMT's exam section (per the instructions on NREMT's website) asking for a review of this. I felt the proctor missed something I had said. I sent my letter via US Mail Certified Mail to ensure delivery (it was). They got my letter and, according to their record, on July 17, 2006 they "reviewed" my file and "confirmed" I needed to rest.
Today, November 1, 2006 - 5 months after I sent the letter- I called NREMT to see what has happened. Life was going quickly and I noticed that I had never heard from them. I am not working full time in EMS but getting my Intermediate card is important to me.
After being bounced around I finally got ahold of a woman who told me they "confirmed" I needed to retest. I asked why I had never, ever received anything from the NREMT and she said "I don't know". She said further appeals would have to go to her boss, Rob Wager an Associate Director of the NREMT.
I called Mr Wagner and briefed him of my situation. I told him 1) I felt the proctor simply missed something I said and 2) was very frustrated I never heard anything from the NREMT. He told me in short order that there is *no* method of appeal, the NREMT won't tell me what I supposedly failed and I would have to get remedial training and retest.
I told him I could have retested 4 time by now and so I was obviously frustrated. When I asked him why I had never gotten anything from the NREMT he gave a very half-hearted apology but then turned it around. He told me *I* was the on at fault for waiting so long to contact the NREMT. Additionally, he kept saying "we've been on the phone for 12 minutes" and "we've been on the phone for 17 minutes now". He did this three times. I told him I had no clue why he kept stating the time we had been on the phone. He said "you took almost half a year to contact the NREMT about something that could have been cleared up in 15 minutes on the phone". I told him I felt he was being rude to me and I did not appreciate it. He said "I am sorry you feel that way" (aka too bad). I wished him a good afternoon and hung up the phone.
Obviously I'll register to take the PA again and brush up on it very well. However my faith in the NREMT has been completely eliminated. If their examination section cannot send me one simple letter and their Associate Director is so rude, how do they expect me to place my EMS future in their hands?
I may have "failed" Patient Assessment but NREMT fails entirely in my book.