Hard Time in Paramedic School

Hi,

As long as you are paying attention in class, you should do fine. That is of course, if the instructors are going over the material. Do you guys have a lot of lecture hours? Or do you have a lot of reading that is done on your own, and never talked about in class?

If you do not feel that you are getting the most out of the class or lectures, you should bring it up to a member of the educational team a.s.a.p. There is no sense in throwing away close to 10 grand if you are going to take nothing away from it.

I hope that things work out for you and that you make the most out of it.

Good luck and take care,
 
The hardest thing for me, so far, is the impending hospital clinicals. Just thinking about them gets me all freaked out.


Later!

--Coop
 
41 Duck said:
The hardest thing for me, so far, is the impending hospital clinicals. Just thinking about them gets me all freaked out.


Later!

--Coop
Click to expand...

Oh? Those are the easiest, most-stress free part of the whole process. They're easy and fun.
 
More like intimidating and terrifying.


Later!

--Coop
 
Those should be fun and interesting. If you can go with a Dr for your ER shifts you will learn a lot when doing assessments. The one I'm with right now is VERY thorough in his assessments. This is good as its making me be more thorough in mine. I'm learning all kinds of neat things, casting, sutures, x-rays, subtle things to look for eg: very tiny vesicles in shingles etc. In between the nurses keep me busy with IV's, injections, meds etc. All in all I'm having a blast. It's a time to practice what you've learned and to learn more. I'm sure once you get there you will do OK and have a good time doing it.
 
I scheduled half my time. Start in a couple weeks. Just hoping I survive, at this point.


Later!

--Coop
 
41 Duck said:
More like intimidating and terrifying.
Click to expand...

But clinicals are the easy part. At that point, there is always someone there to answer a question, give you pointers, help you out, etc. Because you are a student, they are ultimately responsible. Not saying you get a "free pass", but it is understood that you are a student and you will make mistakes. The staff you work with are sort of a safety net to keep you from making mistakes that will hurt your patients.

What is intimidating is knowing that your first shift as the lead medic is only a couple days away.
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Part of it is utter lack of familiarity with clinical environments and what goes on in one, part of it is a kind of stagefright... I can do just about anything fine on my own... but when I know I'm being evaluated, I fall to pieces.

A twelve minute practical exam is hell on my nerves. The required ED time is over six hundred times that length.


Later!

--Coop
 
I, too am in the midst of my medic training and the thing that has helped me most is the fact that I am on the road full time as a basic. It gives me a context for what I am trying to learn and it gives me a full 12 hours of access to a captive medic, most of whom have been more than happy to answer my questions, give me the lead on runs if it is appropriate and share their bazillion hours of experience. (Not all of course, and some are they "boy, I won't do it their way" kind of teachers!). Someone mentioned context earlier and to me that has made all the difference.
And just to add one more thought -- I used to try to memorize all the stuff thrown at me until I figured out that a better and more effective way of learning a new concept/skill would be to say "what do I want to learn here and why do I want to learn it?" I starting thinking the concept instead of thinking each individual component, if that makes sense.
Good luck, everybody finds their own way to do this, some with even more daunting circumstances than your own. I'm off to a two hour study session with a couple of my classmates right now!

Cyndi
EMT-S
Medic student

Every day on this side of the grass is a good day!
 
First of all, don't listen to any negative talk anyone tells you. If this is hard for you then you either need to get a tutor to help you out, or dedicate more time to studying if you aren't studying enough. How do you know whether you are studying enough? Well the simple answer is that your test grades will be a good indicator, but you can tell before you take the exams by doing the questions in the homework or the back of the chapter. If you can't answer a question without going back to the book, then you need to reread that section. Listen in class too, that's how I got though medics without studying much. If you have a bad instructor then stick to the text, and take notes on important things. Writing will always helping you remember the material better, and reading before class will help you follow along in the lecture. Finally, go over this stuff with your friends. Explaining things to other people helps burn this information in your head. Don't get overwhelmed, medics school has it's tough parts, but you can do it if you really want to. It simply takes effort and persistence. Stay positive, and feel free to ask any of us questions here, we are a good resource as we have been through this already.
 
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Thus far I've completed 60hrs out of my required 140 hr ED stint. Haven't been kicked out yet. That said... it's certainly not a place I'd like to spend 40+ hours a week. I just want it to be over.


Later!

--Coop
 
41 Duck said:
Thus far I've completed 60hrs out of my required 140 hr ED stint. Haven't been kicked out yet. That said... it's certainly not a place I'd like to spend 40+ hours a week. I just want it to be over.


Later!

--Coop
Click to expand...

I just had to do 12 hours in basic class, I couldn't imagine 140.
 
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