Test Day - Your Stories?

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Simusid

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Five people in my service had their medic practical yesterday and I volunteered to be a victim/patient. I could easily take the day off so I figured what the heck. When I got there I learned that as a basic I ended up being the partner rather than the patient. So instead of being boarded and collared all day, I got to hold c-spine instead. It was still fun though and I'm glad I went to help out.

I think there were 34 medics testing. My station did at least 10. We did upper extremity splinting and longboard. I think I had at least 3 failures and I saw at least a couple more. One guy badly slinged an ulna and didn't swath at all. One guy completely forgot to attach the pad to the longboard and didn't notice until his patient was on the board. Several people very nearly ran out of time (or the tester gave them a break). And one of my own medics failed my station because he boarded using 3 straps instead of 4 and the middle strap was too high. The tester said that the pelivs wasn't adequately secured and I'm sure he was right.

Comments were made that medics probably spend too much time studying ALS before the test and the BLS stuff catches them. I'd love to hear your stories about test day!

Gary Huntress
Swansea Ambulance Corps
Swansea MA


In other news - I just took my pulse....38???? wth??
 
Mountain Res-Q

Mountain Res-Q

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I failed a EMT student during skills testing 4 years ago during a simple medical assessment... pateint with chest pain and a nitro rx... I'll give him credit for the fact that he asked if the pt. was on any meds (viagra)... but I had to fail him when he assisted the pt. with their nitro and I allowed the pt. to crump... he he he he he...

The student retested with another person and passed... I ended up working with the student a year latter and I wish he hadn't passed... he was a substandard EMT and got fired from 2 EMT gigs in one year... last I heard he was trying to get his LVN... lol
 
daedalus

daedalus

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Mountain Res-Q said:
I failed a EMT student during skills testing 4 years ago during a simple medical assessment... pateint with chest pain and a nitro rx... I'll give him credit for the fact that he asked if the pt. was on any meds (viagra)... but I had to fail him when he assisted the pt. with their nitro and I allowed the pt. to crump... he he he he he...

The student retested with another person and passed... I ended up working with the student a year latter and I wish he hadn't passed... he was a substandard EMT and got fired from 2 EMT gigs in one year... last I heard he was trying to get his LVN... lol
Click to expand...

Why did you fail the student than?
 
EMTinNEPA

EMTinNEPA

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"BLS before ALS" is a mantra that is chanted over and over again. While it may work for some people, I try not to divide the procedures performed. Medicine is medicine. If somebody is forgetting the basics, then they have no reason to try and play with the big boys.

As for your heart-rate of 38... are you in really good cardiovascular condition?
 
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Simusid

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EMTinNEPA said:
"BLS before ALS" is a mantra that is chanted over and over again. While it may work for some people, I try not to divide the procedures performed. Medicine is medicine. If somebody is forgetting the basics, then they have no reason to try and play with the big boys.

As for your heart-rate of 38... are you in really good cardiovascular condition?
Click to expand...

Yup, I even heard "BLS first" quite a few times before the testing.

I think I'm in pretty good shape for my age (47). I go to the gym and run regularly.....but still....38 sounds really low.
 
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PapaBear434

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I actually failed my EMT-B cert because my partner was running our trauma practical. I was holding the arm (supposedly broke during a gymnastics tournament) while he tied a sling. Turns out, he had NEVER TIED A SLING BEFORE. We ended up running out of time, but I still tried to pass by telling HIM to take the arm so I could get the sling on.

Frustrating when you fail due to no fault of your own, but hey. That's what I get for testing with a random partner and not with someone I knew.

On my retest, I was lead and blew through it quick and easy with half my time to spare. Guy said he couldn't tell me if I passed or not, but gave me a wink anyway. They asked me to stay a partner with the girl I was with, as she still had to do her medical practical, so I said "Sure, why not?"

Again, wish I hadn't. I felt bad for her, because she got flustered. She kept trying to give a patient a nitro, even though his BP was 88/40. I kept trying to get her attention, as she simulated a call to med control, that we couldn't give nitro with a BP that low, but trying to not let the tester see it. She'd nod like she understood, and continued her request for nitro administration. I finally said something louder, she slapped her head and said "OH YEAH! Whoopsy!" and went into treatments for shock...

I really hope she DIDN'T pass, because I would feel responsible for that being out on the street...
 
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PapaBear434

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Simusid said:
In other news - I just took my pulse....38???? wth??
Click to expand...

I never understood why every time I take my SPO2, it is never above 95%. I don't know why, I don't smoke or have any respiratory disorder. Just don't move oxygen well, I guess.

I blame it on my Mom. Smoked like a chimney every day, and I was in the car with her all the time. She'd make the token gesture of "cracking the window," which just blew the smoke back at me.
 
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Keeven83

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I just passed my medic practical a few months ago!

A lot of people had trouble with the cardiology station. For those of you that dont know they show you a flash card with a cardiac rythm on it, give you a quick run down of their vitals what not then ask you what you would do for treatment. The thing was not every rythm needed to be treated. A lot of people jumped right into giving drugs when all the pt needed was O2 and monitoring.
 
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JB42

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I blame it on my Mom. Smoked like a chimney every day, and I was in the car with her all the time. She'd make the token gesture of "cracking the window," which just blew the smoke back at me.
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You'll be happy to know that is illegal in NH now. And I believe a few other states as well. You cannot smoke with a minor in the vehicle. Fantastic law.
 
Sasha

Sasha

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JB42 said:
You'll be happy to know that is illegal in NH now. And I believe a few other states as well. You cannot smoke with a minor in the vehicle. Fantastic law.
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That is a really good law. I wish it was illegal to smoke around non smokers.
 
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Gen09

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Class Exams

For some reason, I can study for hours and hours, do the chapters in my workbook, study flashcards, vocab, etc. but when it comes to test days I always bomb them. I don't understand. I'm the type of person who learns hands-on so I've bumbed up my ride-time to try and get in more practice, but is there anything else I can do to help me learn? This field of study is trick because we're working on people in emergencies and it's not that easy to practice on people besides just doing vitals. It was easy in high school having four classes but now I'm struggling with 1? What are your studying and practice methods? Thanks!
 
mycrofft

mycrofft

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EMT exam was a breeze. Nursing Boards...

They offered them at the civic auditorium in Lincoln for thye entire state once a year. It was during a ORE (operational readiness exercise) for my Guard unit at Linclon's airport. I had no car.

Since I had moved away, I road the bus down, was allowed to sleep on a litter at my former employer's a few blocks away from the hall. They gave me a ride to the Guard, I did my thing, copped a ride to the ambulance company in somneone's car, slept, then walked to the auditorium in fatigues and carrying my web gear. Got there three minutes late, but they admitted me (I had to leave my helmet, hat and web stuff with the proctor), walked down past all these hundreds of folks who had just gotten their pencils, took my seat near the front, and off we went. That night: back to the Guard, and completed the exercise.
Passed both, I might add!
 
Akulahawk

Akulahawk

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After having several cups of coffee and a decent meal an hour ago... my pulse rate is...

56.
 
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