# What was your emt-b final like?



## Natalia29 (May 5, 2009)

I'm just toward the end of my emt-b class (2 days) and while it has been challenging I've enjoyed the experience. I have a tough set of teachers but I really enjoy their approach, it's informative to say the least. It is a question I've asked a handful of people but I'd like a wider demographic... 

What was your final like? 

We've been practicing for the last few weeks and I love the challenge but I don't know that many emt-b student's have this type of test, I'll explain. 

Basically you walk in the teacher says you've been called to a scene for (man down, sob, mva)...go. 3 per group and we must assess and treat the patient. We've had pneumothorax, head injuries, tia's, mi's, fx's, gestational hypotension, asthma, hypoperfusion, dka, pericardial tamponade (just to name a few). There can be more than one thing wrong with the patient. You go in and get to work in discovering what you have, treating, documenting, loading the patient and calling the "hospital" with a comprehensive report of everything you found, your treatment and stats. He will give you baselines and subsequent vitals if you take the steps to obtain them from your pt. S/S and subsequent info if you know what, when and where to look for them. I enjoy the challenge and we've really excelled but looking at other classes, I wonder if the emt-b students would be able to pass? 

Do any of you have similar final practical scenarios? This is pass fail and is in addition to a 200 question written exam. If not, what have your final's been like? Just curious, I'd appreciate feedback....

Thanks


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## AJ Hidell (May 5, 2009)

My EMT final was a lot easier.  We did not yet have automobiles or fire, so the potential scenarios were pretty limited.  The written was a lot longer back then though, as we had to chisel it out on the cave wall.


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## Natalia29 (May 5, 2009)

Haha... we have a cro-magnon with a R humerus fx, I'm going to need a rigid *stone* splint and some *leaves*...let him hop on ur back we'll transport him to the medicine man Was it really that long ago?


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## 281mustang (May 5, 2009)

Our practical was one on one, we weren't allowed any partners. The one I got was an unconsciousness young woman 8 months pregnant that was in a MVA with a femur fracture. I think she had more injuries but I don't remember them off the top of my head. And the written exam was a 200 question final.


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## Shishkabob (May 5, 2009)

Scenerios are easy. 

Scene safety, BSI, ABC, whatever limited drugs you can give that are called for in the scenerio (like nitro for chest pain with BP >100), transport.

Don't get hung up on it, as they might throw in a curve ball or 2.  Not much an EMT-B can do for abd pain.  I saw so many students freeze on that one until time ran out because they were thinking about what they should have done, instead of what they could do  (Transport).

The written is just cumulative.


Good luck.


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## WarDance (May 5, 2009)

We had pretty much the same thing.  "Crews" of 3 were on call every night to practice.  Then we had 3 scenarios on our finals night.  Ours were pretty cool because we sometimes had "real" patients and we got taken to random locations.


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## TraumaFX (May 5, 2009)

I've taught a number of EMT-B courses over the years. I'm currently teaching one right now and we're at the half way point. I pretty much stick with your standard testing scenarios during the final, but during the actual course I have the students go into scenarios where the patient may have many things wrong with them. And sometimes the patient has NOTHING wrong with them - it's the scene itself that's not good and the student needs to recognize that their safety is #1. 
But regarding a scenario with different types of problems with one patient, yes I do them. I think it's extremely important to be able to use ALL your knowledge and do some critical decision making. I've been in EMS for 25 years and have had countless numbers of patients with multiple problems. That's real life in my opinion and if I'm training my students for the real thing, then the training has to be real. But for the final, I stick with the standard stuff. It's stressful enough.


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## Mountain Res-Q (May 5, 2009)

I don't remember much from my finals.  But I have, on occasion been an evaluator/tester for the local school.  Newbies here are given a "one on one" skills testing.  We try to give them real life medical (vs. trauma) scenerios, since those are the ones that are often harder to diagnose and are more common than trauma.  Anyone can splint an obvious fracture, but it takes a good EMSer to properly assess and treat a patinet whose only complaint is a generic pain or SOB.  My favorite one I ever gave someone: Chest Pain and an assessment that indicated Angina or possible MI.  Pt has his own nitro, but hadn't taken it yet.  I am looking for a correct response before assisting the pt. with the nitro.  Student asked all the right questions, got a BP over 100, and checked the Rx over, even asking the whole "Are you on Viagra, etc...".  The patient said as he was supposed to "Yes."  Student was so flustered by the exam process that he didn't acknowledge most of the patients responses (just running through a memorized assessment) and then gave the nitro.  As the patient was told... he went down.  Student had no clue what the hell happened until I reminded him that Viagra and Nitro don't mix.  He wanted to crawl into a hole.  But for me the scenrio wasn't over.  "What now?"  I wanted him to "correct" his mistake and continue to evaluate/treat a patient whose condition had changed.  His response:  "I go back to working at the casino."  Ya... I failed him... and ended up working with him 2 years latter (and two EMS jobs latter for him)... scary, huh?

Morale of the story... Assessment is not a simple "Scene Safe, BSI, ABC's, Vitals, SAMPLE, OPQRST, Physical" run through... at least for me.  If you don't listen to what the patient is tell you, adjust your assessment to get the information you NEED fast, and treat accordingly, then what's the point?


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## AJ Hidell (May 6, 2009)

Linuss said:


> Scenerios are easy.


Obviously not easy to spell.  

Scenarios can be quite tricky.  In fact, many people do much better on actual scenes than they do on scenarios.  The problem with scenarios is that you have to use more senses and skills to successfully negotiate them than you do an actual scene.  On a real scene, you can actually see dangers and diagnostic signs.  In scenarios, you have to visualize them in your mind.  I once failed an NR scenario for not immobilizing a GSW victim who was found near a flight of stairs.  Had there actually been a flight of stairs there for me to see, I would have thought to immobilize him.  But the flight of stairs was nothing but three words inside of a lengthy verbal scenario, so it did not register.

Scenarios are not easy.  They kill a lot of otherwise good students.


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## JBK617 (May 6, 2009)

Class finals were one trauma one medical, written 145 points possible, 144 questions and I swear on my mother’s grave 1 point for putting your name on the test answer sheet. Seems there as a problem in the pass with folks not putting name on answer sheets

State exam was again one trauma, one medical and hundred or so questions, (some questions were on the test for evaluation purposes) via computer testing.  Had state results for practical’s in week and half and written as soon as I hit submit on computer.

One thing that has always helped me when taking any kind of practical be it for EMS or other jobs, is all evaluators no matter what they think put their pants on one leg at time like you do, they have at one time or another made mistakes.  Take a deep breath before you start and breath.


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## LAS46 (May 6, 2009)

Natalia29 said:


> I'm just toward the end of my emt-b class (2 days) and while it has been challenging I've enjoyed the experience. I have a tough set of teachers but I really enjoy their approach, it's informative to say the least. It is a question I've asked a handful of people but I'd like a wider demographic...
> 
> What was your final like?
> 
> ...



Mine is exactly like this except I also will be taking the 175 Question NREMT exam also after I finish my Practical exams (which is tonight) and then I will be done. For Colorado and NM the way you have explained your exam above sounds just like what they do for NREMT and CO and NM exams.

Dustin
NREMT-B Student


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## VFFforpeople (May 6, 2009)

I ran a few scenarios, and 150 question final with a get 80% on all or fail. This almost sounds like the AMR test >.> in a way.


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## HotelCo (May 6, 2009)

Final practical included: Trauma and medical assess. Airway station, Backboarding station. Splinting station. That's about all I remember.


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## Natalia29 (May 7, 2009)

Thanks for all the insight everyone, I had the practical last night and passed  Now I just need to review for monday night but honestly...I'm confident.


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## LAS46 (May 7, 2009)

The NREMT-B Written exam in Pueblo, CO is currently using questions from the FYI section at the end of each chapter... so if you are taking the test in Pueblo then be prepared for that...

:usa:


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## csly27 (May 7, 2009)

congrats on passin the practicle, I enjoyed mine. It was me and a partner for a medical call, after scene safty and bsi, we had our pt stabalized, well they through us one heck of a curve ball, our med pt became our trauma pt. We were rollin down the freeway, when the back doors opened up and out rolled our pt. I was really not expecting that, Dont think that would really happen, but I did good and passed Our written was 200 questions, then ride along then the National Registry. I had a couple of great instructors, I did that in California before I moved to Texas.


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## Shishkabob (May 7, 2009)

LAS46 said:


> The NREMT-B Written exam in Pueblo, CO is currently using questions from the FYI section at the end of each chapter... so if you are taking the test in Pueblo then be prepared for that...
> 
> :usa:





Erm... the NR doesn't use any questions from any chapter.




Rid sits in a dark room for 17 hours a day conjuring up ways to slip people up.


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