Need help with students

[blevinsjosh]

I am currently teaching an emt basic class from the aaos 9th edition book.

The class started with a different instructor and they tested section 1 and did a retake of that exam. Then section 2 and retook it as well. At that time we had 5 students passing with a score greater than an 80%.

We had a review class over the human body, airway, pt assessment, and lifting and moving. We then retested the material.

Half the class failed the exam. They failed the exam by not filling in the anatomy of the heart or tracing the blood flow.

Any Suggestions appreciated

 

[MrBrown]

I am highly suspicious of any AAOS EMS text.

Who are you teaching? Like randoms off the street? Firefighters? Lifeguards?

How are you teaching? Five days a week ten hours a day? One day a week for a year? etc

Notes? homework? required reading? etc

 

[BayArea]

I studied the AAOS EMT 9th Edition and not sure why anyone would think it to be suspicious. Though after looking at Brady, I prefer it over AAOS. Regardless, I came at medicine completely blind and found the initial anatomy chapter a bit daunting. There is a lot packed into that chapter for the uninitiated. On this chapter I asked my instructor if he expected us to memorize everything and he responded that no, the expectation was to get a good basic understanding and that everything would be reemphasized in later chapters. Thankfully when we tested that chapter it was the only chapter tested on that day. Regarding the heart and blood flow, it was easy for me to remember that all veins go towards the heart and all arteries go away from the heart. Once I had that, it was easy to follow the blood flow. Another thing that was an easy reminder was the right side of the heart has the tricuspid valve and right side of the lungs has three lobes, the left side of the heart has the biscuspid valve and two lobes in the left lung. Anything like these examples to make it easy to remember something will help. In the end though, people need to study and memorize.

 

[Veneficus]

I am currently teaching an emt basic class from the aaos 9th edition book.

That is your first problem.

The class started with a different instructor and they tested section 1 and did a retake of that exam. Then section 2 and retook it as well. At that time we had 5 students passing with a score greater than an 80%..

Sounds like an instructor program. We had a mentally challenged kid pass EMT basic class with the same criteria as every other student. He was given no consideration that wasn't available to any student, he just utilized extra practice time more.

We had a review class over the human body, airway, pt assessment, and lifting and moving. We then retested the material.

If the material was improperly taught to begin with, a reveiw will not work, you have to "unteach" wrong information and reteach it correctly, which will take probably 2-3 times as long as doing it right, and even then in an adult learner you now have to convince them the initial info was wrong. Takes a very skilled salesperson for that.

Half the class failed the exam. They failed the exam by not filling in the anatomy of the heart or tracing the blood flow.

Any Suggestions appreciated

Academically speaking, 75% of all students should pass. From your brief description it sounds like you owe these people a "start over" and extra time in the early chapters with a more reputable text and proper instructor.

You have a big problem it sounds like. The solution will not be painless or easy.

 

[subliminal1284]

Dont know how they run things there but in our class if a student fails 2 tests they are kicked out of the class and will have to start all over again from the beginning, if you failed your 2nd test after the halfway point of the class then you are kicked out and do not get any refund on the class. Out of about 24 people in my class only about 12 made it.

 

[Veneficus]

Dont know how they run things there but in our class if a student fails 2 tests they are kicked out of the class and will have to start all over again from the beginning, if you failed your 2nd test after the halfway point of the class then you are kicked out and do not get any refund on the class. Out of about 24 people in my class only about 12 made it.

That sounds like a mill or a scam to me.

 

[subliminal1284]

Its not an accelerated course so I dont know if it qualifies as a mill or not, it is just the course at our local community college. I think it actually helped me because knowing that made me work as hard as possible to make sure I passed.

 

[joeshmoe]

Sounds like you got some pretty dumb students.

For my basic class, the classroom lecture was HORRIBLE, absolutely useless from start to finish. Despite this, the schools testing standards were really strict. Passing on all tests and quizes was 80% or above, couldnt fail more than 2 chapter quizes(out of 38). Couldnt fail a module test, and fail the final, regardless of how you were doing, you failed the class. Oh yeah and our final was brutal. That said we still had more than 2/3 of the students pass the class, and everyone I heard of passed the NREMT first time.

I think it helped that our class was almost 6 months long, so we had plenty of time to read from the book, get lots of clinical experience, and learn ourselves, because god knows it wasnt the instructors feeding us the info.
Our text was Brady Emergency Care.

 

[MrBrown]

We had a mentally challenged kid pass EMT basic class with the same criteria as every other student. He was given no consideration that wasn't available to any student,

Man why you gotta bring me up like that, damn, talk about make a brother look bad

 

[Trauma Chaser]

LOL My basic class had a ton of dumb asses. finally are instrustor actually started giving out all of the questions that could be on the test and people were still failing them. They would always bi*ch about the instructor but it wasn't his fault, some people were just idiots. Just remember, you can't unteach stupid lol. Some people just don't belong in ems

 

[MonkeySquasher]

You have a big problem it sounds like. The solution will not be painless or easy.

/thread.

 

[SeeNoMore]

I don't think it's fair to call all these students we don't know stupid. Lets be honest, a lot of EMS education is horrible. By the same token yes some students are either not cut out for the role or do not (for whatever reason) put the time in to study.


But as everyone screams for more education we have to make sure it is worthwhile education. I am already regretting the school I chose where the testing is very difficult but the lectures are a joke and we are given next to no time to learn the material. I take my share of the blame for not doing better research on the school,but overall I feel something needs to change. It can't be accpetable for half of a class to fail a test if people are trying. I know in my class people can study, be fairly well versed in a subject given the time allotted to study, and then be faced with tests that seem purposefully designed to test retention of random facts rather than concepts or core components. I and a few others have passing grades routinely, but many others seem to just accept that half or more of the class will eventually just fail out.

 

[Trauma Chaser]

I don't think it's fair to call all these students we don't know stupid. Lets be honest, a lot of EMS education is horrible. By the same token yes some students are either not cut out for the role or do not (for whatever reason) put the time in to study.


But as everyone screams for more education we have to make sure it is worthwhile education. I am already regretting the school I chose where the testing is very difficult but the lectures are a joke and we are given next to no time to learn the material. I take my share of the blame for not doing better research on the school,but overall I feel something needs to change. It can't be accpetable for half of a class to fail a test if people are trying. I know in my class people can study, be fairly well versed in a subject given the time allotted to study, and then be faced with tests that seem purposefully designed to test retention of random facts rather than concepts or core components. I and a few others have passing grades routinely, but many others seem to just accept that half or more of the class will eventually just fail out.

Very true. I took a two week accelerated class and it freakin was horrible!!!! 14 days straight, 14 hours a day. blah!!!! Plus the clinicals! I made it 12 days and got sick and ended up in the hospital where my other class mates were doing clinicals lol!!! I was pis**d. I missed the test and practicle! All that hell for nothing. I decided to just retake the course at a regular 6 month facility and it was so much more in depth and I learned soooo much more. I hope to god if I ever need EMS its not from someone who went to that school.

 

[SeeNoMore]

It feels like at this point to be a great paramedic you have to be one in spite of the system not because of it. Ive said it before, but this board and other sites like it give me hope. But what I see is providers determined to be informed, educated, and competent. Many I know are not bothered by EMS education, and certainly do not want more of it. So I'm not blaming just the education. It's a lot of problems mixed together. But maybe it's not all grim. We have to remember there are a lot of changes going on right now in EMS. It could be that in the near future we'll have better education and a good idea which prehospital practices are worth doing.