Going to be starting EMT-B Certification this Fall

[DanTheBassistMan]

Hello, I am new to this forum, and not sure if I'm even supposed to be here since I'm not already an EMT. Anyways, I am starting EMT-B certification classes this fall. I've had a strong interest in emergency work, and would like to make a career out of it. I'm 19 and married with a baby, so I have had no further education besides high school.

What are some tips that you all have about joining EMS? Especially tips for school, like what I should buy before going, etc. I'd appreciate it greatly!

 

[DesertMedic66]

Get your book for class and start reading it. Ideally you should have read the information before you cover it in class.

 

[DanTheBassistMan]

Get your book for class and start reading it. Ideally you should have read the information before you cover it in class.

I will for sure buy the book early. Hopefully I can get the information for class soon, I still haven't gotten a full answer.

 

[floridamed224]

Like Desert said, get your textbook and start reading it. In the mean time it wouldn't hurt to get copies of the Skills Assessment from the NREMT website if your state requires you to take the National Registry. Don't worry about knowing them word for word, just look over them. The Skills Assessments seem to worry some people.
As a side note, don't stress about the class. If you study it isn't a really hard class. When I filled out the paperwork for the class my fiance went with me and the secretary told us to kiss each other goodbye because we would never see each other from the studying and the clinicals. That wasn't true at all. We saw each other alot. My advice- Don't listen to half of what people say negatively about EMT school. Learn your material so that when you do your clinicals you know what you are doing. That will make the clinicals more enjoyable.

 

[StCEMT]

It does take a lot of time and work at points, but it really isn't that bad. The further along you get, the easier things become. Going over the book would help. One thing that helped me (assuming your class works the same) is don't worry about taking notes in class. You have a lot of information coming pretty quickly in that time and after the first day I realized there was no way I could keep up. If the power points are the same information from the book, bring your book and a highlighter and just follow along highlighting the important stuff. Made it a lot easier for me to find the main ideas later quickly and then I could read the surrounding stuff I didn't highlight to get the supplementary info when studying on my own time. I'd also say don't get the cheapest stethoscope you can find. I bought a mid level Littman and it was great. The one time I had to use a POS one from school was awful, I couldn't hear nearly as well as I could with my own. And when trying to learn how to properly do all that, I kind of liked being able to clearly hear what I was looking for.

Other than that, don't sweat it. It really isn't that hard if you put in the work. And don't psych yourself out over assessments. If you know your stuff, be confident, show what you know, and go out balls swinging. If not, then you need to fail so you can be shown where you can improve. That can all be summed up to care about what you are learning and being proficient at it though.

 

[MikeEMTB]

Print out your practical skills sheets now for nremt or whatever state practical you will be taking and start memorizing them in order. Also check out the mnemonics on this forum like DCAP-BTLS, AVPU, OPQRST, SAMPLE etc., and what each letter stands for. memorize those before class starts and you'll be way ahead of the game. Enjoy yourself too, the class is fun and you'll meet some awesome people

 

[StCEMT]

Mike makes a good point. If you can get assessments down early, it will help you in 2 places. 1. You will be competent when actually practicing assessment. 2. You WILL do better on test questions with scenarios. (I may or may not have missed a few until I really cracked down on my assessments....)

 

[Alpiner]

I didn't purchase anything for my class (book was included in tuition) until ride time started and I purchased pants/shoes.

Don't make the same mistake I did and take more time studying and fully digest every chapter of your book before moving on.

Your main focus is learning, learning and more learning and It will become strenuous at times to stay focused but it's worth it when you really feel you know your stuff.

If you have a smartphone, check nremts site for patient assessments and spend your down time studying those.

 

[GirevikMedic]

Good advice form all so far so I'll toss in my couple pennies on something else. You said you're 19, married with a baby. Just make sure that both you and your wife understand that this field comes with long hours, funky schedules, possibly more than 1 job to make good money and/or stress and burnout. Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to dissuade you or anyone else in your position. It's just a reality that many aren't prepped for until they're knee deep in it. EMS can certainly be a grinder but it can also be a very rewarding (and well paying) career with exposure to other opportunities along the way.