Why do you take this so serious?

[MedicPrincess]

Last night we got out of class really early. So one of the guys and I decided to head out and grab some dinner and study. A couple of the girls asked if they could tag along and we were like Sure, but understand we really do study. We don't just say we are and then sit over there and get drunk.

So we get there and him and I break out our books and get right into it. The other two girls begin just chatting away about their boyfriends, and the party they went to last weekend, and the party they are going to have this weekend, blah blah blah....

Well I kept asking them questions, and they would get them wrong. So the other guy and I would try and explain to them what the correct answer is,and they would go right back to chatting about their boyfriends, ect.

After about an hour of this, one of them looks at me and says "You need to lighten up. You take this sh*t way to seriously!"

The other says "Yea you should do what I do. I don't read the chapters at all. Then the day of the test, about 2 hours before class, I just start cramming. Works for me."

So I ask "Oh, yea? What did you get on your last test? And the one before that? How many times did you have to go through the Skill Stations tonight? What was your final grade for EMT 1?"

Her answers were as follows "56. 62. 8. 75"

So as nice as I could manage, with as little sarcasm as possible, and at the exact same time as the guy that came with us said "Yea, sounds like its working for you."

Then him and I both went on to explain why we "take this way to seriously." And when we were done, they both got up and left. Finally, got some real studying done.

Oh, and for the record, He has the top average in our class, I am 2 points behind him with the second highest. But thats okay, I will catch him on this next exam. :lol: :lol:

 

[EMTstudent]

Way to go!

I would have done the same thing. There are some people in my class that are just doing it half-a$$ too. They just don't care about it. <_< Which bothers me, because if they don't take the class seriously, then why are they in the class??? Why not let someone else register for the class who really wants to get into emergency medicine...

*ranting off*

 

[Wingnut]

I'm with ya princess! I studied my butt off and was top of the class...3 of us had a competition for it, and we studied together, had lunch together & took our breaks together...a handful of others did fairly well but everyone else kind of skidded by. You'd think that would tell people something??


Now if only I could get that to work in my anatomy class

 

[emtbuff]

Good Job for you all. I know when I took the class since I was the youngest, and was the only one in high school I did alot of studying during my lunch hour sitting in the senior lounge. Which was always fun. But when we did study between breaks and stuff I would jump right on in and help and study with everyone else.

Now that I am nursing I have seen what happens to those that take it seriouse as to those that think it will be a good paying job when they get done. Out of my nursing class we started with 16 students. After first semester we were down to 9 students. Supposively next semester we are suppose to be adding a couple (we say only if they aren't crappy) but all in all it is easy to pick out those that take it serious and those that don't.

However on the other hand it has became quite evedinet to me that there are some in the class that i teach now that do really well on the practicle stations and do very poor on the written. It all kinda depends on your abilities and what you are best at.

All in all keep up the good work and keep taking it seriously but don't forget to have time to have fun to.

 

[EMTstudent]

Yeah, I am in the same boat. I have a study group with 2 other people. We are doing pretty well in the class. I think my class is fairly average. My grades are near the top... so I am not the best student, but I know I am doing my best and it shows when I pass all the the tests and I don't have to retake them and most of the others have to retake all of their tests. In our class, you have to maintain above an 80%. Below 80 is considered failing.

Right now I have a 96 average. Although it's not the 100% I am striving for, I can't complain because I know the material I am studying and I feel it's a good average.

I think there are some students in my class who are starting to drop the class...

 

[Summit]

Our Chief said "Do you really know what you are doing or are you just faking it? How are you going to fake saving a life?"

Truer point never made.

 

[Wingnut]

[/QUOTE]

 

[Wingnut]

Gah


I have this nickname for a reason, don't ask <_<

 

[ffemt8978]

I take it so seriously becasue of calls like this:

Today we were paged out to the local high school for 16yoM who fell and was having difficulty breathing. By the time we got there, he was in full arrest. We shocked once and got a rythym back. We then flew him to a local hospital where the last I heard he was in stable condition but was still uncosncious. This was an active, athletic 16yo male with no history of any kind except a concussion five years ago. There was no apparent reason for him to code on us.




Oh yeah, he was the son of one of our department's members...and that's why I take it so seriously. You never know when it's going to be for a family member or friend that your services are needed.

 

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by ffemt8978@Mar 3 2005, 10:55 PM
I take it so seriously becasue of calls like this:

Today we were paged out to the local high school for 16yoM who fell and was having difficulty breathing. By the time we got there, he was in full arrest. We shocked once and got a rythym back. We then flew him to a local hospital where the last I heard he was in stable condition but was still uncosncious. This was an active, athletic 16yo male with no history of any kind except a concussion five years ago. There was no apparent reason for him to code on us.




Oh yeah, he was the son of one of our department's members...and that's why I take it so seriously. You never know when it's going to be for a family member or friend that your services are needed.

There was a story like that in some magazine, that was to support the idea of public AED's. A Teenager was playing basketball, had no prior hx, fell onto his chest-causing no apparent injury. The sudden compression on his chest caused instant cardiac arrest, I believe the AED at the school was used in favor of the patient.


When I took my EMT class, people wanted to get together after class, but nobody wanted to study. I wanted to study every minute I could, and I still don't know why half of the people took the class. One guy knew less when the class was over I'm convinced. He was asked to explain why he would get "Air Transport" for a scenario. He thought "Air Trasport" was the use of portable oxygen... :huh: How they managed to get nothing out of the best classes I've ever attended, I'll never know. Some people just shouldn't work in EMS. Maybe they are looking at EMS as a short cut to a career, and then discover you need to have a passion for the job and bomb out.

 

[rescuecpt]

Originally posted by Blueeighty8@Mar 4 2005, 12:03 AM
There was a story like that in some magazine, that was to support the idea of public AED's. A Teenager was playing basketball, had no prior hx, fell onto his chest-causing no apparent injury. The sudden compression on his chest caused instant cardiac arrest, I believe the AED at the school was used in favor of the patient.

It's a law that schools have them in NY state because of a lacrosse player in my school district who died when hit in the chest with a lacrosse ball during a game.

Northport-East Northport School District Leads The Way
In response to the tragic death of Louis Acompora, the Northport-East Northport School District has aggressively implemented Automated External Defibrillators into their Emergency Response Plan for school district personnel. The district has distributed over twenty AEDs throughout its schools, and have extensively trained numerous staff members in the use of AEDs. For information on how the Northport-East Northport School District implemented their plan, please contact Superintendent of Schools, Dr. William Brosnan.

Louis Acompora Memorial Foundation "Taking our children out of harm's way"

There are a lot of interesting articles about this there.

 

[MedicPrincess]

One of our instructors, on our first day, why we were taking this class. At the time there were 18 people in the class. 9 of them said they are FF and need it for their resumes, 3 of them said they were bored with their current jobs and just decided to try something else, 1 is an RN and wants to fly, 3 want different positions with the company they are with, 1 is still in highschool and by taking a college course she gets to get out of class at 11 each day, and I intend to continue on and apply the the Paramedic course.

Anybody care to venture a guess as to which ones have failed out already? Or will be failing out real soon?

One of the girls that tagged along, doesnt understand even the basic terms. Like I asked her the contraindications for administering activated charcol.

She asked me what that "contdictation" word means.

Ugh! Shaking my head.

 

[EMTstudent]

Originally posted by EMTPrincess@Mar 4 2005, 07:28 AM
She asked me what that "contdictation" word means.

Ugh! Shaking my head.

That's unbelievable.



My class about 1/2 of them are going into the fire academy (since it's a requirement here to be an EMT in order to get INTO the fire academy) so that's okay.
We have 4 people who want to be RN's, so they are taking this because they are waiting to get accepted into nursing.
We have an 18 yr old who was just bored right after high school... she has no idea what's going on.
We have a few "career change" people in the class. But they are okay...they are taking it seriously, but they only want to stay as EMT's or pursue nursing, or PA after this.
I am the ONLY one who is in this to become a paramedic.

 

[Jon]

We have an 18 yr old who was just bored right after high school... she has no idea what's going on.

1 is still in highschool and by taking a college course she gets to get out of class at 11 each day, and I intend to continue on and apply the the Paramedic course.

Anybody care to venture a guess as to which ones have failed out already? Or will be failing out real soon?

One of the girls that tagged along, doesnt understand even the basic terms. Like I asked her the contraindications for administering activated charcol.

Ok - I started class at 15 (turned 16 two weeks into course). I had been involved in the fire co's explorer program, and really wanted to become a paramedic eventually. I was one of the top 3 people straight through the class.

Also in my class was a 17 year old who was the daughter of a local paramedic and a local firefighter. She passed, also with flying colors,

My class also had sevral firefighters in it, some young, some old - some did fine, some had to be helped with blood pressures.

This was an evening summer program. We also had two 18/19 year old female college students who were looking at medicine / nursing as a profession - both did fine through the course.

Jon

 

[Summit]

In general, given the success rates of AEDs when they happen to be applicable on the rare chance htere is a situation where it would even be taken off itst stand, I think the funds spent on public AEDs, very expensive devices, could be spent in other ways that would save far more lives.

 

[EMTstudent]

Ok - I started class at 15 (turned 16 two weeks into course). I had been involved in the fire co's explorer program, and really wanted to become a paramedic eventually. I was one of the top 3 people straight through the class.

Also in my class was a 17 year old who was the daughter of a local paramedic and a local firefighter. She passed, also with flying colors,

My class also had sevral firefighters in it, some young, some old - some did fine, some had to be helped with blood pressures.

This was an evening summer program. We also had two 18/19 year old female college students who were looking at medicine / nursing as a profession - both did fine through the course.

We're not bashing young people... I was describing the students in my class. One of the soon-to-be fire fighters is also 18 and he's doing terrific. He's part of my study group also. I only know she's 18 because she told us. I don't know everyone's age in my class...

 

[rescuecpt]

Originally posted by Summit@Mar 4 2005, 03:11 PM
In general, given the success rates of AEDs when they happen to be applicable on the rare chance htere is a situation where it would even be taken off itst stand, I think the funds spent on public AEDs, very expensive devices, could be spent in other ways that would save far more lives.

Like?

I always ask myself this question in circumstances like this. If it was my family, how much would I be willing to pay to save them? Even if it is never my family it is nice to know it is there. And AEDs aren't THAT expensive - hell, it costs more to keep criminals alive in jail than for one year in NY State than to outfit every school with an AED.

 

[TTLWHKR]

EXPENSIVE!?!?!

You have no idea how lucky we are 'these days'!

Ten years ago, we purchased just TWO AED's; that cost us over $28,000.00.


Two weeks ago we purchased SIX AED's; the cost was less than $10,000.00-even with all the training matierials!

The one piece of equipment that has been so controversal over the years, yet everyone should have in their rig-is finally available to EVERYONE at amazingly low prices.

The fire service and EMS have always paid TOO MUCH for our necessities. Compare catalogs, I do this as a purchasing agent, look for the best prices. We are paying too much for everything because they know we need it, and can't get by with out it. I can buy our first aid supplies in bulk from WalMart, for about 45% less than I can from name brand catalogs such as our "regional supplier" Bound Tree. The commonwealth of PA buys their products from BoundTree (someone is probably getting a kickback). PA just purchased Minilators, one each for every EMS services that participated in a state wide domestic terrorism class. They cost more in BoundTree than any catalog on the market. Why do they charge us so much? Because we need it.

However, I believe that the cost of such important things going down is leading a trend in Emergency Medical supply. Grab a new catalog, open it to something you really use often like complex splints or even the cot. These big and rugged Ferno and Stryker cots used to run anywhere from eight to twelve THOUSAND dollars. That's a lot for a bed with wheels, and they only went up and down-that was it, simple wheels.

Now they have big wheels, some have wheels with tread that grab the terrain, some even have tracks like the stryker stair chairs. You can push the cut up and down stairs instead of lifting. The new costs are anywhere from one to five thousand dollars. Traction splint prices have came down hundreds.

Too bad the fire service suppliers can't jump on the bandwagon, I just ordered TFT Pistol Grip 500gpm adj. Nozzles. H@#% $%#! You could probably build a small fire house for the cost of those eight nozzles!

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by Blueeighty8@Mar 4 2005, 07:44 PM
EXPENSIVE!?!?!

You have no idea how lucky we are 'these days'!

Ten years ago, we purchased just TWO AED's; that cost us over $28,000.00.


Two weeks ago we purchased SIX AED's; the cost was less than $10,000.00-even with all the training matierials!

I have seen the Phillips "Home" AED priced at less than 2k.

I know that an LP500 can run close to 5k.

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by EMTstudent@Mar 4 2005, 04:09 PM
We're not bashing young people... I was describing the students in my class. One of the soon-to-be fire fighters is also 18 and he's doing terrific. He's part of my study group also. I only know she's 18 because she told us. I don't know everyone's age in my class...

Never said you were - jsut saying that someone is giving young EMT wannabes a bad name :lol:

Jon