So you Want to be a Paramedic???

[Craig Alan Evans]

The first step you need to take in order to be a good paramedic is to simply get in the game. I am a firm believer that a paramedic card does not make you a paramedic; it just gives you permission to learn how to be a paramedic. So just get the card and start your journey. I have worked with medics with graduate degrees and medics with GEDs. I have worked with medics who have graduated from a two year program that was touted as the best school in the area, as well as, the 6 week condensed course that jammed packed everything in so fast the students barely remembered a thing. Each and every one of these people was issued the same card. They each were given the same opportunity to begin their journey as a paramedic. I have seen medics from each extreme and all in between both succeed beyond my expectations and also fail miserably. So forget how you got the card. It doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t think you are the bees knees just because your schooling cost a fortune. On the other side of the coin don't be insecure because you received your training from the Fischer Price Paramedic School. It's all what you make of it. If you want to be a good paramedic start by being a good person first, then make a commitment to learn each and every day because if you aren't moving forward you and moving backward. Medicine is not a stagnant profession. It is always evolving and changing in practice. If you aren't learning something everyday then you are probably behind the times. Learn from each and every person you come in contact with. You can learn just as much from a bad paramedic as you can from a good one. You just learn what not to do rather than what to do. You can learn just as much from your patients, family members, and bystanders. Don't be afraid to ask questions. By all means don't be one of those paramedics that is silently ignorant. Just because you are a paramedic does not mean that you have suddenly become an all knowing savant. Just be honest, genuine, caring, and inquisitive and you will blossom into an excellent paramedic. Any thoughts on this topic?

 

[Amberlamps916]

This makes me feel good and motivated to succeed in medic school!

 

[terrible one]

Needs paragraphs.

 

[NomadicMedic]

None of this is news.

 

[Craig Alan Evans]

Yes, it could used some paragraphs, Thank you, and no it is not news but surprisingly enough not common knowledge among aspiring paramedics. The process can be daunting and overwhelming to many firefighters and EMTs. If it seems to be a waste of space to you then you have either forgotten the process or did not have any issues with the trasformation. I applaud you! With the implementation of EMT-B in the 90s I feel we created a huge knowledge gap from BLS to ALS. We went from the EMT-A curriculum here in VA which was a diagnostic based program to EMT-B which is an assessment based program. Since that time the knowledge gap has been closed mostly after students received their certifications. ALS training can be mystifying to some and cause great angst during the transition from BLS to ALS. The purpose of my writing was to empower up coming paramedics.

 

[Sasha]

Yeah. The card does matter. It means you possess the knowledge needed to be a paramedic.

Yes, you should be learning how to be a paramedic before you are a paramedic. That's what ride times are for.

And it does matter where you went to school. It's a multiple choice test. Some pass out of luck...

 

[usalsfyre]

I've actually had the pleasure of working with Lt. Evans at a previous employer. I assure you he knows of what he speaks.

 

[Craig Alan Evans]

Yeah. The card does matter. It means you possess the knowledge needed to be a paramedic.



Yes, you should be learning how to be a paramedic before you are a paramedic. That's what ride times are for.


And it does matter where you went to school. It's a multiple choice test. Some pass out of luck...

Yes, the card matters, otherwise you would not be allowed to learn how to be a paramedic. I would submit that it means you have the foundational knowledge needed to be a paramedic, certainly not all the knowledge.

Ride times during paramedic school introduce you to the field.

I haven't met anyone who was able to pass the national registry test out of luck. If you have encountered people who have passed the test and you feel do not measure up to the standards of your peers then that would be an argument in favor of my premise that the card only gives you permission to learn how to be a paramedic. As I stated I have seen great paramedics come from horrible schools and vice versa.

Just an opinion...not a fact

 

[Sasha]

Yes, the card matters, otherwise you would not be allowed to learn how to be a paramedic. I would submit that it means you have the foundational knowledge needed to be a paramedic, certainly not all the knowledge.

Ride times during paramedic school introduce you to the field.

I haven't met anyone who was able to pass the national registry test out of luck. If you have encountered people who have passed the test and you feel do not measure up to the standards of your peers then that would be an argument in favor of my premise that the card only gives you permission to learn how to be a paramedic. As I stated I have seen great paramedics come from horrible schools and vice versa.

Just an opinion...not a fact

Signing up for the class gives you permission to learn to be a paramedic.

I went to a mill. I know another poster who went to a mill. It can turn out great medics but that's because we had the drive to go above and beyond and bust our butts.

We are the exception to the rule.

Mills generally turn out crappy providers.

 

[abckidsmom]

Signing up for the class gives you permission to learn to be a paramedic.

I went to a mill. I know another poster who went to a mill. It can turn out great medics but that's because we had the drive to go above and beyond and bust our butts.

We are the exception to the rule.

Mills generally turn out crappy providers.

We have a medic who absolutely positively does not possess the people skills to be a medic, but he passed the registry. Now they're trying to figure out who's gonna precept him. Passing the test doesn't mean you have what it takes to be a medic.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Signing up for the class gives you permission to learn to be a paramedic.

I went to a mill. I know another poster who went to a mill. It can turn out great medics but that's because we had the drive to go above and beyond and bust our butts.

We are the exception to the rule.

Mills generally turn out crappy providers.

Not to be snarky, but what makes you "a great medic"?

 

[abckidsmom]

Not to be snarky, but what makes you "a great medic"?

To avoid making it personal, let's change the question to "what makes a great medic?" and see if she meets those criteria.

In my opinion, a great medic combines clinical competence with ability to compassionately manage people and situations while maintaining the attitude of a perpetual student.

 

[Sasha]

Not to be snarky, but what makes you "a great medic"?

Maybe I'm not great but I know I'm not crappy.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Good change alphabet mom. I didn't mean it to be a personal attack. I see people say "he/she is a great medic" and I wonder what the criteria for that is.

 

[abckidsmom]

Another criteria I have is if that medic was dispatched to my grandma how hard would I work to move heaven and earth to be available?

I work in my hometown and know about 20% of my patients personally. It makes me very sensitive to he lack of QA in my department.

 

[rwik123]

Signing up for the class gives you permission to learn to be a paramedic.

I went to a mill. I know another poster who went to a mill. It can turn out great medics but that's because we had the drive to go above and beyond and bust our butts.

We are the exception to the rule.

Mills generally turn out crappy providers.

Did you knowingly go to a mill?

There's no question that an involved medic program with academic groundings will produce a better medic. Why not attend a school that's not a mill and be pushed by your educators rather than attend a mill where you have to do extra to meet a standard that they aren't providing?

 

[Sasha]

Did you knowingly go to a mill?

There's no question that an involved medic program with academic groundings will produce a better medic. Why not attend a school that's not a mill and be pushed by your educators rather than attend a mill where you have to do extra to meet a standard that they aren't providing?

Because I didn't have EMTLife to tell me the difference and assumed all medic programs were the same.

 

[CALIFORNIA]

Hi, first post!

I always hear this debate about mills and "good" paramedic programs. Doesn't everybody study/learn from the same Brady textbooks? Isn't ACLS/PALS the same for everybody? The weight of success for the paramedic does not rest on the quality of the school at all.

I agree whole heartedly with the original poster, it's up to the paramedic/student to exceed and get hungry to be a great paramedic both in the classroom and the field.

(my 2 cents)

 

[medic417]

Yup she was young and stupid like many others. Thankfully she was smart enough to understand her class was lousy. Many post here that they went to a "great program" but sadly many of those "great programs" are worse than the mill Sasha attended just the Paramedics from there are to ignorant to realize that.

 

[medic417]

Hi, first post!

I always hear this debate about mills and "good" paramedic programs. Doesn't everybody study/learn from the same Brady textbooks? Isn't ACLS/PALS the same for everybody? The weight of success for the paramedic does not rest on the quality of the school at all.

I agree whole heartedly with the original poster, it's up to the paramedic/student to exceed and get hungry to be a great paramedic both in the classroom and the field.

(my 2 cents)

Nope some use Mosby, some use AAOS. Then you have the variables of how well the professors/instructors actually explain what is written. Some focus only on the test others focus on teaching you medicine. Big differences.