How to make the future Massachusetts EMT understand...

[RadhaCole]

The short story:

My sister wants to be an EMT. How do I tell her she needs to clean up her act to make her dream a reality?

The narrative:

My sister wants to be an EMT & recently graduated ("with honors") from a Massachusetts for-profit college's EMT course of study. I think they signed her up for $15K of student loans & they're solely a diploma mill.

Today I was her "patient" for the hands-on Massachusetts exam (please forgive my lack of knowledge of EMT lingo); she had previously passed all sections except for Splinting, so she was only re-doing that section, and the two "exercises" in Splinting consisted of a traction leg splint and a upper-body splint where she chose a card & had to perform whatever splinting action was on the card.

She is overweight & slovenly in her appearance. She cannot kneel on the ground to, for example, hold a patient's ankle in traction; she sits on the ground with legs splayed. She came to the exam with a ring on every finger, coffee spilled on her shirt & messy hair. She mumbled her questions to me & mumbled directions to her partner. She nervous-talked through things so that the examiner could hear -- "This equipment is different," "Well, I'm probably doing this the wrong way," "How do I do this now...OK, I do this..." I was nervous & uncomfortable & not confident in her abilities at all...and I am her sister and the fake patient, not a real patient!

I know this sounds harsh, but I was appalled that one would present oneself to state examiners in this way. She is in her mid-40s & this would be a career change after a period of unemployment. Why would anyone hire her over some fit 20-something guy coming out of the same program with the same grades? I tell her that she really has to step it up in terms of her appearance & demeanor (as I can't speak to the "technical" side of what EMTs actually DO), but she says I'm picking on her and to leave her alone.

Is there anything I can do to turn the tide...or is she doomed? I tell her she should talk to other EMTs and people who hire EMTs to find out what the expectations are, but she thinks she shouldn't have to do this. I am sick with worry about her, as she's on food stamps as it is. You would think if you were on food stamps, you would take your career opportunities and run with them, no matter what it took to succeed.

Thanks for listening!

 

[feldy]

The short story:

My sister wants to be an EMT. How do I tell her she needs to clean up her act to make her dream a reality?

The narrative:

My sister wants to be an EMT & recently graduated ("with honors") from a Massachusetts for-profit college's EMT course of study. I think they signed her up for $15K of student loans & they're solely a diploma mill.

Today I was her "patient" for the hands-on Massachusetts exam (please forgive my lack of knowledge of EMT lingo); she had previously passed all sections except for Splinting, so she was only re-doing that section, and the two "exercises" in Splinting consisted of a traction leg splint and a upper-body splint where she chose a card & had to perform whatever splinting action was on the card.

She is overweight & slovenly in her appearance. She cannot kneel on the ground to, for example, hold a patient's ankle in traction; she sits on the ground with legs splayed. She came to the exam with a ring on every finger, coffee spilled on her shirt & messy hair. She mumbled her questions to me & mumbled directions to her partner. She nervous-talked through things so that the examiner could hear -- "This equipment is different," "Well, I'm probably doing this the wrong way," "How do I do this now...OK, I do this..." I was nervous & uncomfortable & not confident in her abilities at all...and I am her sister and the fake patient, not a real patient!

I know this sounds harsh, but I was appalled that one would present oneself to state examiners in this way. She is in her mid-40s & this would be a career change after a period of unemployment. Why would anyone hire her over some fit 20-something guy coming out of the same program with the same grades? I tell her that she really has to step it up in terms of her appearance & demeanor (as I can't speak to the "technical" side of what EMTs actually DO), but she says I'm picking on her and to leave her alone.

Is there anything I can do to turn the tide...or is she doomed? I tell her she should talk to other EMTs and people who hire EMTs to find out what the expectations are, but she thinks she shouldn't have to do this. I am sick with worry about her, as she's on food stamps as it is. You would think if you were on food stamps, you would take your career opportunities and run with them, no matter what it took to succeed.

Thanks for listening!

That is a tough situation for you to be in. First off, those exams are nerve wrecking. While many people in class seem confident in class, the exam is just built to be like that and like anything...people tense up (some more than others) when they know they are being judged on every move they make.

She should try to talk to other emts. She will find that the job is not quite like it is presented in the class room.

Next, potential employers may see concern for her not being able to work while kneeling. There are people who are overweight in this profession, but they should still be able to work on the pt in any position.

If she has her mind set on doing this, then it will be difficult for anyone to change her mind. But, especially in MA, it is a really tough market to find a position on an Ambulance. That being said, there are other things to do with a Basic such as ER TECH which requires a little less maneuvering of pts from awkward positions.

 

[Steam Engine]

Hey RadhaCole-

Although I'm not currently working on an ambulance, I do have some experience with EMS in the Boston area, so hopefully my opinion will be of some use.

In regard to your sister's school, 15k is unheard of for an EMT-B class...mine was right around 1k including texts, and there were classes with other organizations that cost less than that. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding there...if not, your sister was royally ripped off. The good news, however, is that in general ambulance services don't care where you were certified, and likely won't even ask, so that shouldn't have any effect on her finding a job.

In terms of her abilities and presentation, I do see the potential for problems there. While testing is nerve-wracking for anyone, outwardly showing a lack of confidence like that in front of a patient is no good. I wouldn't worry too much about that at this point though, as confidence and improvement in skills and abilities will come from experience and mentoring from senior partners and FTO's.

Physically, she may have trouble doing this job with her current abilities. Even in inter-facility transports where lifting and moving is mostly confined to patients either sitting or laying down in a clinical setting, if she does not have a solid base of general strength, balance,and dexterity, she will struggle. Not only may this be embarrassing for her, it will quickly get annoying for partners who may need to pick up her slack, and it may even be dangerous.

I have a feeling that this is all stuff you know already, and are trying to convey to her...keep at it,let her know that you're in it to help, and I'd suggest have her read around these forums for some insight, even if she doesn't actively participate...I've been doing it for a couple of years now and learned a great deal.

 

[feldy]

Also...maybe try to get her to do a ride along somewhere if she hasnt done one yet. She can learn a lot just from watching other emts working and interacting with real patients. It is quite different that treating your fake, (uninjured) patient. I was amazed when I first got on a truck with how different it can be and i learned a lot.