# EMT-B finals next weeks ... freaking out.



## Phlipper (Jul 21, 2010)

Weird first post, I know:

I've wanted to try EMS for almost twenty years and only recently got the opportunity to start a course.  I have a new respect for what you guys do after busting my butt thru this thing.  I have a decent average but I am freaking a little about the final exam, on which an 80 is required to sit for the cert exam, regardless of class average.  Because I have been working (IT industry) almost the whole time I have been living on almost no sleep, and I just cram and cram before a test.  But I feel like I've hot-washed it all out afterwards.  Now I have the finals coming.  The classroom tests have been a bear: I felt like it was basically narrowing down to the two correct answers and then just choosing one and praying.  It really has been very confusing.  Now we have the final which I've been told is nothing like the chapter tests, and I'm worried that between hot-washing the info out and a totally new format ... I could seriously screw this up.  And I have turned down a couple of very good jobs to stay in the class.  Failing the final would be an absolute disaster.  I mean biblical proportions kind of disaster.

Any suggestions for studying for a con-ed final?  I can't think of anything except start rereading the book from cover to cover again, because the online quizzes really didn't help much during the class.  My hat is off to you guys who've done this.

Totally lost in NC.


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## atticrat (Jul 21, 2010)

Stop, relax, and breath. Failing a test (any test) isn't the end of the world.


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## Phlipper (Jul 21, 2010)

atticrat said:


> Stop, relax, and breath. Failing a test (any test) isn't the end of the world.



Actually, this may be.  If I have to go back to sitting in an office ten hours a day, EMS will eventually be dispatched to pick _me _up at work, where I have finally expired due to terminal boredom at a souless job that I hate.  :wacko:


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## atticrat (Jul 21, 2010)

You can always re-test.  From your first post it seems like you have a pretty decent handle on the class. Re-reading the book is a good idea if you have enough time, maybe some on-line test's (lot's of different ones available, try a few different sites). You just can't let the test get in your head, if you walk in thinking I'm screwed, you probably will be.


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## Roam (Jul 22, 2010)

Well, I am not sure how your tests are worded but online practice tests for the national registry MAY help. They certainly can't hurt. In my class I studied all the workbook problems, especially the scenarios because my teacher loved using in-depth questions on his tests. .

Again it is determinant on the types of questions the teacher is already using. My instructor used 300 questions from the national registry practice problems for our final. 

Good luck!


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## jjesusfreak01 (Jul 22, 2010)

Just took my class final today, have my state exam next wednesday. What textbook did you use? We used Brady's textbook by Karren and Mistovich. I found that the book had huge amounts of filler and fluff, and I would not recommend reading through it to study for the final, as you just wouldn't get enough good information that way. Rather, I would try to  whittle your study material down to the core important stuff.

Think about it like an algorithm. You are in the ambulance, driving to a scene. As you pull up, you get a general impression of the scene. What pieces of information can you get here, and what do they mean? More than a few patients may mean that you need to call for assistance. Is there extrication needed...hazmat? Is it too dangerous for you to even enter the scene? 

Once you have determined that a scene is safe, you don PPE if you haven't done so already and head towards the first patient. If you have more patients than you can handle at once, you may need to triage. When you get to the first patient you need to check LOC and ABCs, and then do an assessment depending on their status (Trauma or Medical, Conscious or Unconscious, Significant MOI or localized injury). One of the most important things to remember about ABCs is that you always do them first (excepting that you may want to have someone hold c-spine at the same time), and you never continue until you finish the ABCs in that order. Know everything related to the ABCs down pat. That cannot be stressed enough. ABCs are the single most tested thing on every exam I have taken. They are often disguised as, "what would you do first questions". 

Another thing you may be tested on is medication dosages, though for me these have only shown up in 1-2 questions per exam. 

OB/GYN stuff will definitely show up on your final, so know the important stuff, like what can and cannot be delivered, the difference between abruptio placenta and placenta previa (when they occur, how they present differently from an external standpoint, etc), as well as OB terminology like gravida/para, APGAR.

Above all of this, the single most important thing to remember is that almost everything done in EMS is done because it has worked before, and 99% of EMS is COMMON SENSE. If you look at an exam question and see an answer that makes you think, "That doesn't make any sense at all, why would anyone do that?", then that probably isn't the answer.

If you learn everything about every concept in the algorithm paragraphs above, you will have a good grasp on the main point of EMS from an EMT-B standpoint. I find that most of this stuff comes to me naturally, so what I focus on the most are numbers and specific terms, like rates (breathing and pulse for different age groups). Study as much as you can ahead of time, get a lot of rest, and don't worry. That's the best I can give.


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## Phlipper (Jul 22, 2010)

We used the AAOS Emergency Care and Transportation 9th edition, with the tests coming from the publishers test bank, and I gotta tell ya ... it plain sucked.  My wife, an RN, took the class with me.  We both have degrees in other areas, and I am almost finished with a second undergrad.  And we both felt the questions were often ridiculous in the extreme, and sometimes even clearly contradicted by the book.  Even some of the instructors would shake their heads when going over test results with us.  We will have about a 50% attrition rate by last class (Tuesday), and I think the book is partially to blame (some students just weren't dedicated enough, of course).  It truly is bad.

Hence ... my initial question.  From the craziness of the book and tests to "We made up the final and it's not like the book" I am having serious test anxiety.  No idea what to expect, and it's a one shot deal.  80% or all this time and struggle wasted.  I know it sounds hokey/trite/etc. ... but I really do just want to serve for a change.  I love IT and the money is nice, but I want to do something more meaningful.  So I've commuted four hours every day to work full-time and attend class in the same city and have basically forgone a family life and sleep.  It has been a pretty big sacrifice so I'm really sweating the final.

Thanks for all the info and the encouragement.


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## gw812 (Jul 22, 2010)

Everything Jesusfreak said above is the best advice to take. I just sat my final today and following that same logic I got an A. I'd stress reading the questions carefully for those 'limiting' words like FIRST, MOST, LEAST, and EXCEPT. If you blast too fast you'll pick the opposite, and the opposite of the correct answer always seems to be one of the choices. I've found that if the question doesn't specifically ask for what you would do first and just asks what you would do, choose the one that you would do first. 
Don't be hasty to diagnose illnesses, too. Many questions will ask for how you'd respond and some of the choices will be the endgame diagnosis, when it really wants you to go through the patient assessment steps and say (like above) what to do first. Look especially for questions where they give you a ton of extra patient vitals and history and read them slow. Most of that history is there to distract you and diagnose too fast, i.e. giving you a patient with a history of epilepsy, taking Tegretol, with all sorts of vitals, and the question asks you for the most important piece of information to ask for.  The majority of the answer choices involve asking about his history of epilepsy since you've probably already decided that his seizure came from it. The fourth choice is to ask how the seizure developed, which is the right choice if you're following the patient assessment steps. You don't definitively KNOW that his seizure came from that illness and if you're doing your job right you won't assume that. 
Stay calm, stay logical, and work your steps. Keep that in mind and you'll make it!


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## gw812 (Jul 22, 2010)

Also, my clas used tha AAOS book. If you have access to the online tests from that book, the jbcourse thing, TAKE THOSE TESTS! Every test we did was at least 75% from those online quizzes with the rest scenarios based on them. I betcha your course will build your final the same way.


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## jjesusfreak01 (Jul 23, 2010)

If the book exams were awful, you should be glad that they are changing it up for the final. That is probably for the best. The first five of my six in class exams were written to standardize continuing education exams for the department, and they were awful. My professor ended up dropping around 10 questions from each one. He finally got fed up with the exams and wrote the sixth exam himself, which was a little tougher, but contained quality questions that tested your knowledge rather than how lucky you are. 

The one person in my class with probably the worst test anxiety (no matter how many times I reassured her that she would do fine) ended up getting a 98 on the final and probably one of the highest grades in the class (after me of course). If you are worried about the test and have been studying your butt off, then there's a good chance you will do great, so long as you don't overstress.


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## EMT11KDL (Jul 23, 2010)

most books have review questions in the end of each chapter. Just go through those, and make sure you sleep before the test.  and stay relaxed. dont stress, you can re test.


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## dudemanguy (Jul 23, 2010)

First thing I'd do is just relax about the situation. It's not life or death, really it isnt. If you fail you take the class again some other time, I mean even if you do pass I hate to break it to you, but you still might be stuck in an IT job for a while because there arent many EMT jobs out there.

I'm not sure what you mean by hot washing info. Different classes probably do their final exam differently, but there are certain things you probably should memorize regardless. You could make flashcards to help with remembering them. These would be signs and symptoms, along with interventions. Normal vital sign ranges for adults and peds. GCS, burn severity. Regardless of how crappy your text is, I'm sure it contains this info. If vital signs are outside of normal ranges, understand reasons why this may be the case and what this may point to, and what interventions may be appropriate as a result.

You have one big advantage, your wife is an RN and taking the same class, so you have someone to study and compare notes with. Work out a realistic study schedule/reading schedule based on how much time you have and that makes sure you get enough sleep and some time off. Just remember your probably not going to feel as prepared as you think you should be come test time, this doesnt mean you wont pass, most people probably feel that way.


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## Phlipper (Jul 27, 2010)

Knocked it out of the park.  I was really tripping, but that spurred me to study till I could recite it all in my sleep.

Wish the NC Cert exam was next week.  I'll never be as ready as I am right now.


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## angels.girl84 (Jul 28, 2010)

Congrats  Mine is tomorrow!


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## Phlipper (Jul 29, 2010)

angels.girl84 said:


> Congrats  Mine is tomorrow!



How did you do?  Smoke it?


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## angels.girl84 (Jul 29, 2010)

Phlipper said:


> How did you do?  Smoke it?



We don't get the results till tonight! Ugh I'm freaking out but in a good way because I feel good about it! I'll update tonight!


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## jjesusfreak01 (Jul 29, 2010)

Got a 90 on the state exam, superpass!


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## Phlipper (Jul 29, 2010)

jjesusfreak01 said:


> Got a 90 on the state exam, superpass!



Congrats!  Are you going into the Wake volunteer service to get in line for a fulltime slot when one opens?


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## jjesusfreak01 (Jul 29, 2010)

Phlipper said:


> Congrats!  Are you going into the Wake volunteer service to get in line for a fulltime slot when one opens?



It's not really a volunteer service. After you finish their cadet training program you are eligible for one of their permanent spots, but at the moment, they do have spots available. Word I hear is that in their last class of about 30, only 7 cleared. I plan on applying for their next class, probably in September. And yeah, I am going for a fulltime slot.


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## angels.girl84 (Jul 29, 2010)

Awesome! I got a 95 on my final..... & it was the highest grade in my class.... I can breathe again! on the the Nationals!


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## Sassafras (Jul 29, 2010)

Is here where I say I only missed 1?  Yeah I was the class nerd.  Congrats though.  The A's are the best feeling, even when you do feel bad for the chaps that have to retest.


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