Taking the i/99 course in the Fall. Any tips on things I can start going over to prep

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Dan216

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I'm currently a basic at 19 years old. I've been certified since January, and feel I've become pretty decent with my BLS skills.

I volunteer for a fire department, and my chief wants to put me through the course, which I'm super excited about! All the paid guys are mostly i/85's so they will be in the i/99 course too.

Do you ALS guys have any tips or advice for things I can start doing now to prep for it? I'm already feeling a bit nervous about it! Thanks!
 
Well, it's now known as the AEMT course.

I'd start studying A&P. It'll give you a leg up in the class.
 
Ahh you're right it is! Sorry, but what's A&P?
 
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Anatomy and Physiology.... Yeah, you definitely need to take it before you start moving up.
 
:rofl: haha thanks guys. I have been studying up on the anatomy lately, but the physiology......... not so much!
 
Well, they go hand in hand. That's why we call it A&P. :)

If you can take a college level A&P series before your AEMT starts, you'll have much less trouble with understanding the "why" behind the "how". Make sense? Most classes like AEMT just gloss over the knowledge portion and just teach "if A do B" type of interventions.
 
I could be totally misinformed, but isn't the I99 course around 800 hours? Why not just take a medic course?
 
DEmedic said:
Well, they go hand in hand. That's why we call it A&P. :)

If you can take a college level A&P series before your AEMT starts, you'll have much less trouble with understanding the "why" behind the "how". Make sense? Most classes like AEMT just gloss over the knowledge portion and just teach "if A do B" type of interventions.
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I found this A&P course that my local college is putting on next month. Is this what I should take: http://northidaho.augusoft.net/inde...d=18&int_sub_category_id=200&int_catalog_id=0
 
I'm not certain, but I don't think the AEMT course is close to 800 hours. I believe it is less than the old I-99 standard and clocks in somewhere around 3-500 hours.
 
Dan216 said:
Is this what I should take: http://northidaho.augusoft.net/inde...d=18&int_sub_category_id=200&int_catalog_id=0
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I think that looks like an excellent course for someone starting out in EMS.

Here's the thing: anatomy, IMO, is a time-consuming yet "low-yield" course for EMT's and paramedics. Obviously you need at least a very basic grasp of it, but a thorough course that requires you to spend hours and hours memorizing all the nerve tracts and respiratory zones is just not necessary.

Physiology is much more important than anatomy. Physiology, though, also quickly gets into a depth that is outside the realm of pertinence to a paramedic, never mind an EMT-I. I mean, honestly, who can can recall the metabolites of arachidonic acid or which drugs utilize a second messenger, and even if you can, how does that affect your prehospital practice? The vast majority of physicians can't even explain physiology or pharmacology to you in a depth that even comes close to approaching what they learned in school.

My point here is NOT to discourage higher education; just to point out that some courses are more clinically relevant and offer much more "bang for your buck" than others.

If you have the time, money, and motivation to take a more in depth course, that's great. But honestly, even a 1-semester survey course is more than adequate to give you a good understanding of what will be covered in EMT-I or EMT-P school.
 
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Something I've found as I've been working on Paramedic journey is that if you are thinking about going to Medic school eventually, and depending on the college, do the highest level of A&P that you can at this point. I was planning on applying for a college in the town next to me and all they required for A&P as a pre-req was Human Form and Function under the advice of one of the paramedic teachers. I have now unfortunately found that other colleges want a higher level A&P to get in. I spent about $1000 on that one semester 4 credit class and now am finding that I will probably have to take the upper level class, which means another chunk of money and delayed entry into a program if I don't get accepted to this particular college.
Any level of A&P will definitely help in your EMT-I class though:) And if you are not strong in the math department, I'd definitely take an Algebra class too:)
Good luck!!
 
Why AMET and not just wait and get your medic?

If you insist on going ahead with AEMT, find out what A&P course the paramedic school you are likely to go to requires and take that one.
 
My advise is to take a Basic Arrythmias class before your I-99 course. As others have said the general survey A & P course will be helpful. When I was in Medic school everyone that did not complete Anatomy & Physiology One failed out after 4 weeks. Another bonus is A & P I covers pre-reqs for many paths like MD or RN. Good luck ILS is a great stepping stone to many good things. It give you a taste of ALS but you can still punt if you don't feel comfortable with a call.
 
I just finished my AEMT last Saturday, we really didn't do much with A&P it was more self study and it's a must to know how the body work especially since you will start to give more important drugs. My hardest part was the med math, I had to study and pratice it a lot to find a good way of doing it, I have always sucked at math. It's all what you put into the course to, I could have just ignored the med math and hoped that I would never have to do it but I read books about easy way to calculate drugs, so I would know how to do it even if it's really basic right now. You will have fun with the course, I know I did with mine.
 
Advanced EMT

Why is your State still using the I-99? I recommend studying for the National Standard level which is Advanced EMT. What State are you in?
 
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