Second Time Paramedic Student

[TQ1106]

I went to paramedic school about 2 years ago and dropped out of the program halfway through. I only had a year and a half of experience, so I will admit I struggled. I felt super defeated after leaving the program and wasn't sure if I would return, but I start back in the fall through another program. I definitely have learned a lot since I left, including the importance of resilience in this field. My system is very busy, and of all my paramedic partners have been eager to teach. Are there any medics out there who also left and returned to Paramedic school? If you are a Paramedic, just in general, do you have any tips on going back?

 

[Akulahawk]

I was in a semi-similar spot when I went to Nursing School. Being able to do a bit of self-reflection to see where your own weaknesses are and how you might be able to overcome them (or at least mitigate them) is a huge thing. The fact that you're going back and (probably) starting over from the beginning will be an interesting situation for you, particularly in that you've already seen much of the info already. If you really take the opportunity bull by it's horns, you could seriously use this as a chance to look for deeper connections between things and tease out more nuances about how things work and why. You could also use this time to learn to study more efficiently. I can't teach you that stuff. The more efficiently you learn, the more quickly you'll be able to use/adapt it to your own situation. I've done the college/university thing for a while and the better I got at studying/learning, the more time I had to either do other things or go back and review what I'd already gone over and look for more of the details about things. It also meant that I knew how much I needed to study to achieve a given outcome.

In the meantime, try to find some kind of A&P course or find some kind of A&P review that gets you going through the major systems so your brain stays primed to learn that kind of stuff when you get back to Medic School.

Good luck!

 

[mgr22]

I taught for 11 years in a school that averaged one or two applicants a year who'd been dropped or had dropped out before. We were very careful about accepting those folks again, but some made it through the second time. In general, those who succeeded understood their weaknesses and had taken steps to address them before reapplying -- e.g., math tutoring, lifestyle changes, attitude improvement.

You sound properly motivated, in that you're not blaming anyone else for your difficulties. If I were interviewing you, though, I'd ask you why you want to try again. Is this something you want to do, or something you feel you're supposed to do? If it's the latter, maybe you should rethink your decision. I know students who failed more than once.

On a positive note, I once hired a medic who'd failed our course, then passed another. She owned the failure, was upbeat and passionate about succeeding, fixed her problems and did a great job for me.

 

[TQ1106]

Thank you! I appreciate your advice and most certainly will take those questions into account.

 

[TQ1106]

I was in a semi-similar spot when I went to Nursing School. Being able to do a bit of self-reflection to see where your own weaknesses are and how you might be able to overcome them (or at least mitigate them) is a huge thing. The fact that you're going back and (probably) starting over from the beginning will be an interesting situation for you, particularly in that you've already seen much of the info already. If you really take the opportunity bull by it's horns, you could seriously use this as a chance to look for deeper connections between things and tease out more nuances about how things work and why. You could also use this time to learn to study more efficiently. I can't teach you that stuff. The more efficiently you learn, the more quickly you'll be able to use/adapt it to your own situation. I've done the college/university thing for a while and the better I got at studying/learning, the more time I had to either do other things or go back and review what I'd already gone over and look for more of the details about things. It also meant that I knew how much I needed to study to achieve a given outcome.

In the meantime, try to find some kind of A&P course or find some kind of A&P review that gets you going through the major systems so your brain stays primed to learn that kind of stuff when you get back to Medic School.

Good luck!

Thank you! I appreciate your response