# NREMT Paramedic - Written and Practical



## StudMartin (Jul 15, 2014)

I'm scheduled to take my NREMT paramedic written exam at the beginning of August and am looking to schedule the skills portion for the end of August.

The written I am somewhat less concerned/worried about.  I feel I have a pretty solid understanding on most of what will be covered and have been faring pretty well on both JB Learning and EMT-Prep.  That said, the next few weeks I will be going over practice questions _ad nauseum_.

The skills portion on the other hand has me more than a bit anxious.  Has anyone taken it recently that can offer some insight?  How the day went/how the proctors were/re-test policy if you failed any stations/etc?  

The actual "skills" stations seem quite straightforward (i.e. intubation, IV, IO, "basic" stations) but the oral/medical/trauma seem like they are a bit more abstract if you will, which makes perfect sense.  The oral and medical stations, for example, are there a set number of scenarios that could be selected from?  The only one I could see on the NR site was sepsis.      

Thanks all in advance.


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## wanderingmedic (Jul 15, 2014)

Most of the retest policies will be site dependent. Where I did my psychomotor test, we were allowed one retest on each of the stations we failed. Most proctors are EMS educators, and deep down they want you to pass. It pains them to see you make mistakes, and not be able to teach/correct you. 

In terms of actual difficulty, I did not think the stations were that hard at all. Know the skills sheets cold. I thought the scenarios were fairly common sense. Just remember, BLS before ALS, do the ABCs, an you should be fine. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification if something the proctor says is unclear.

Other than that, don't stress out too much. Come prepared and be confident (but not cocky).


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## joshrunkle35 (Jul 16, 2014)

azemtb255 said:


> Most of the retest policies will be site dependent. Where I did my psychomotor test, we were allowed one retest on each of the stations we failed. Most proctors are EMS educators, and deep down they want you to pass. It pains them to see you make mistakes, and not be able to teach/correct you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




This. Exactly. 

I'll also add: one of my scenarios was hard because it was so simple that I was overthinking it. I still passed it, but it was like EMT-B easy. The other scenario was also hard because it was so oversimplified but had way more to do with scene safety and good customer service and keeping the patient calm than it did to do with a specific medical scenario (as I had practiced). Again, I passed it, but I was a little psyched out as I thought it was too simple.

You can get any type of scenario, just don't overthink it. Do anything you would do on a skill sheet. Be polite and assertive.


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## Angel (Jul 16, 2014)

I agree with what everyone else said. I was like you, especially with the oral scenario. Run it like you'd run a call in real life, always reassess and don't forget scene safe, BSI even if they tell you the scene is safe. 
Both oral scenarios were easy and straight forward. Don't forget full head to toe and ask lots of questions. Lots and lots just to help you narrow it down. 
Take a breath and relax. If you're nervous that's a good thing, it means you care. An where I tested that's exactly what they want to see. 

Good luck. You're almost there! Congrats on making it this far.


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## Izsc (Jun 3, 2015)

i am about to take the NREMT Paramedic Practical Exam. I am a bit nervous about: 1. The IV bolus Medications, do they test you on the Math (e.g. mg/kg, dopamine infusion, drip rate etc)? Or, do they give you a pre filled syringe with Basic ACLS (e.g. You are instructed to administer Atropin 0.5 mg, epi 1mg which comes in 10,000 etc.)? If you have to calculate dosages are you allowed to do it on a calculator? If not, how is it possible to calculate in such a short timeframe (e.g IV Bolus station is only 3 minutes? Is there a good website that can help you with calculation shortcuts?

Also, as for the Oral Board Stations, is there standard case scenarios that i can look up anywhere online before?


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## NomadicMedic (Jun 3, 2015)

It's a preload. 

And the oral board is a standard, cut and dried paramedic scenario. Nothing that is out of the norm.


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 3, 2015)

IV bolus station is usually a prefilled syringe. I believe I had to do .5mg of atropine for my test. The IV drip station you will have to do some math.


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## Izsc (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks for your response. Can you please clarify "some math", could it be a dopamine drip? Do you have enough time to work it out on paper? Are you allowed to use a calculator?


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## PotatoMedic (Jun 4, 2015)

No calculator.  And no it is just ns or lr.  Did your program never look a the sheets and let you know what to expect?


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## DesertMedic66 (Jun 4, 2015)

Izsc said:


> Thanks for your response. Can you please clarify "some math", could it be a dopamine drip? Do you have enough time to work it out on paper? Are you allowed to use a calculator?





FireWA1 said:


> No calculator.  And no it is just ns or lr.  Did your program never look a the sheets and let you know what to expect?



For us we had to do a Mag Sulfate drip. No calculators were allowed. I don't remember the time frame. We had to do the math on a sheet of paper.

Just looked at NREMT and my mistake, it is not one of the skills tested. My medic program must have added it in as a program test and not NREMT.


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## Gurby (Jun 4, 2015)

When I did the national registry, the med bolus was just D50 or something.  However, they had us calculate a drip rate for saline to run in on the pedi IO station.  This is on the skills sheet, so I would be comfortable doing it.


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## Medic Tim (Jun 4, 2015)

I believe there are 4 meds they use.... And are on the nremt website somewhere


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## COmedic17 (Jun 6, 2015)

Izsc said:


> Thanks for your response. Can you please clarify "some math", could it be a dopamine drip? Do you have enough time to work it out on paper? Are you allowed to use a calculator?


I did mine in Las Vegas (skills stations). 
I passed all on first try. I believe the only actual math I had to do was a pedi saline infusion based on weight. 

However, for my current job I had to calculate dopamine drips, during a static station (Although I had a written exam too). 


It's best to just know your med math.


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