What should I start studying before my Paramedic program starts?

[cakilcrease]

i am in the paramedic class right now in southeast texas, i have a year and a half under my belt as a basic and am making a 85% in the class while working full time, doing clinicals, and raising two children. it is also is the hardest thing that i have ever done!! if you are prepared to not have a life for the next year or however long the course is and are ready for ridicule from paramedics that did wait a little while to take the class, i say go for it!!! but do not crack a book until you have gotten into the classroom, getting ahead of yourself is the worst mistake you could possible make in this class. you will learn everything you need to learn in good time... my advise to you is to get as much sleep over the next two weeks, go see a movie, go out to a nice dinner with your family and explain to them that they will not see you for the next little while. this class is very intense, informative, and i curse the day i signed up for it... i also know that i am going to be able to make a difference in the world when i finish. just remember you only get out or it what ever you put into it... SO STUDY YOUR BUTT OFF AND DON'T LET ANYONE (EVEN THOSE THAT YOU RESPECT) STAND IN OUR WAY (AND THEY WILL).

 

[Katie]

i'd have to agree. also keep in mind that the way that the material is presented in your book or books may not be anything like what the instructors will teach. for us the book is like a supplement in addition to the lecture and the printed material we're given each class.

once you start school it's amazing how life goes away. enjoy the your time off now

 

[fcfiremedic]

class for me went a lot easier the more books i got. granted, the books your instructor will provide contain the information you need, but i cant even tell you how many different pharmacology guides and EKG books I have. Also, know your A&P as well as you possibly can. I have several friends that just took the EMT-P NR written and say it hit really hard on A&P and Mechanisms of Action for meds. Ive seen some paramedic classes just teach pharmacology like, "ok, you give 'x' drug when this happens, and give 'x' amount". i hate that. pure cookbook medicine. I STRONGLY believe its important to know WHY you are giving a drug, and HOW it works on your body. Don't try to "memorize" the material. unless you can truely grasp it, and understand it, memorizing wont really do you any good (except when it comes to ACLS algorithms). I can teach an entire paramedic class to a 2 year old chimpanzee, the key is understanding the material and finding a way to relate to it.

 

[VentMedic]

Reading through the posts on this thread should give one an idea why a standardized and structured EMS education should be implemented.

There are several reasons why people struggle with Paramedic or even EMT-B school. The students may not have been exposed to any prior class work since high school. Their study habits may not have been that great in high school and now they are asked to comprehend a fair amount of material in a relatively short amount of time. And no, in comparison to all the other healthcare professions, EMT-P is just "certificate" of information in many places with only 700 "hours of training" being required. The exception of course is for those in a college degree program.

When one goes through a college degree program, there are several prerequisites that serve many purposes. Besides the content of the class itself, it prepares one to read, study and comprehend many different concepts. Even English literature has a purpose for reading comprehension, analytical study of the data and putting your views of the subject on paper from both an objective and subjective point of view.

If you take many science classes such as A&P (at least 2 semesters), Microbiology, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology (2 semesters), Psychology and at least College Math or Algebra, you will be prepared to understand and apply the concepts Paramedic school is asking of you. As it is now in some places, Paramedic school is more memorization than comprehension. With the proper prerequisites, you would already understand how the body works and what a medication does. You just need to apply it for some aspect emergency medicine.

Nursing, Respiratory Therapy, Radiology and all the other healthcare students usually look forward to starting classes in their chosen profession after 1 - 2 years of prerequisites classes. The rest of their classes will then take another 1 - 3 years minimum but with their specialty in focus. It is actually exciting to start a learning process knowing you have been adequately prepared.

During the perquisite classes, students may also be introduced to other professions. One may find that EMS, patient care or any part of health care is not for them early even before they start EMT or Paramedic classes. However, the other classes and study habits can be transferred to another program of study.

I mentioned before about the Paramedic program being just a certificate for others. Some places do require RRTs and RNs to be Paramedic "certified" to do flight if it requires scene response. Often there can be a challenge or a short bridge class of 200 - 300 hours or a couple of college courses. They have all the A&P and Pharmacology information and now just need to know how to apply it to EMS. After their years of studying for their own profession and more hours of qualifying for professional certs within that profession, even 700 hours is not a big deal. It takes an RN almost 1700 hours to qualify for the CCRN test. Neonatal RNs and RRTs usually need a Bachelors degree along with many more professional certifications (not including PALS and NRP which are basic) and 5 years of experience before they do transport outside of the hospital.