What have i gotten myself into

[joepagiii]

well a couple of months back i was asked if i wanted to take an emt course...my first thought was how hard can it be......well looking back that was a bad thought to have .(boy ever)....right now im stymied by the complexity of info that im trying to remember (only on patient assesments)...What im hoping to garner from you folks is well any tips (other than study hard which i do)...up till now ive been in I.T...and have certs in ..well quite a few other fields...im also a caretaker for a 88 yr Alzheimers patient and a stay at home dad for a 3 yr old...those 2 make my study time neigh on impossible ...so again any tips or advice anyone wants to impart id be greatful..
sorry bout the rambling onishness of my post..

 

[AJ Hidell]

Why are you taking this course?

 

[Sasha]

Study hard is all you really can do.

 

[joepagiii]

mostly cause i have no direction...im 35.....no career no real goals...ive fixed pcs for over 10 yrs...(hobbie)...been in n construction (masonry) i have 3 kids...what does that say to them that there dad is unemployed I was always in awe of the guys who did it...

 

[2easy4u]

Practice

I didn't hear why you are taking an EMT course.
Here is a small pearl for assessment.
Start out with a doll. Not your kid because kids think it's a game and it's not. That can come later. Start with your assessment beginning at the head and work your way down to the toes. Remember take care of ABC's and bleeding!
Get a study partner or your wife to give you V/S ,S/S when you ask. Follow your EMT criteria.:unsure:
Do this over and over until your so sick of it you puke. And then do it faster and harder.
The idea is for you to be able to perform your assessment and treat the patient no matter what else is going on. To be an EMT that I would be comfortable with working on me, this is what I personally expect. The school I attended taught this way. And if the instructor wasn't comfortable with you working on them, you didn't pass the course.
This is a serious profession. If your not ready for that, don't do it.
:unsure:

 

[joepagiii]

@2easy4u..ill do that...that one makes alot of sense and yeah...i know its a serious job i learn better hands on
@sasha....im really trying that...(the brady book has too many distracting pictures)
as for why....i thought i explained let me clarify...i want to be something that my kids can say hey theres my dad...he did that...instead im the guy that gets everyones viral laden pcs fixed,tells them how to use the blackberry,etc....
ot question....why no thanks button

 

[AJ Hidell]

mostly cause i have no direction...im 35.....no career no real goals...ive fixed pcs for over 10 yrs...(hobbie)...been in n construction (masonry) i have 3 kids...what does that say to them that there dad is unemployed I was always in awe of the guys who did it...

What do you say to them when, after busting your behind for 120 hours of night school, dad is still umemployed, and unable to find any job that pays as well as the manager at McDonalds? Have you done a serious, in-depth job market survey to find out if you can actually get a "career" with this certificate? In many, many parts of the country, you cannot. Look before you leap, is all I'm saying. Good luck.

 

[2easy4u]

Great Answer

Nothing personal, when I asked why. I think your getting into it for some of the right reasons. You will find that you are your own worse enemy. Study the material until you know it well. Because you don't want to give yourself a chance to blame yourself if you have a patient that is difficult. It is very important for your patient and your own self preservation that you know what to do and when to do it.
You'll do fine.
B)

 

[joepagiii]

early on we were told that the county i live in dont take basics.only intermediates (more class)...so i have a plan of sorts..it depends on many variables....one being i pass...two being that i can find a class I dont want to be a career student but if i need to go to classes for a coupla years then so be it... there are other variables also therer...but they wont ultimately effect the outcome just the course in which i need to take to get there
2easy4u...i also like helping people....why on earth do i do pc repair...

 

[AJ Hidell]

Of all the career programs at your local community college, the paramedic program is probably among the least likely to get you a job. And it is even less likely to get you a job that will actually amount to a "career" that you can feed a family with. Think about it: two years investment, and then everything depends on getting hired by the one EMS employer in your county. Now look at how many new medics are being cranked out by the school(s) in that area every year, vs. how many openings actually come up in that one agency, then calculate your career chances.

It's a noble goal, but you should do a lot more homework on the profession itself before you waste another two years of your life for no return. I know it looks all cool and glamourous from a n00b perspective, but seriously, you're not a single kid living off of daddy's dime anymore. Your choices here don't just affect you. They affect a family. Before you get seduced by visions of glory from watching Third Watch, be absolutely positive that this is something that is going to even pay off for you. There are a lot more ex-paramedics out here than there are paramedics, and there is a good reason why.

 

[4mysins]

Practice Practice practice... I am in Paramedic school and I even do that with my daughter. The hands on porition of it. There are case studies on the internet that help you with the vital signs as far as the BP/ HR so on and so forth. I understand where you are coming from. Have you asked if you can ride an ambulance yet so that you can get a real life picture of what EMS is actually about? Sometimes putting the two together makes a world of difference. Good Luck!

Jenn

68 days to Paramedic school Graduation!

 

[mycrofft]

Nice skill set, but as they have said, not easy to get into it for the money.

Working with computer users/owners can drive you batty but working with drunks druggies back pains and etc is worse, you can get hurt, you will get sick. New guys tend to get PM, weekend and night shifts, can you disappear like that on those hours? With those people depending upon you, how much sick time can you afford with a bad back, frequent upper airway infections, maybe worse?

How's this...get with a vollie unit, or C.E.R.T., Red Cross or other sideline and be that as well as your "day job"? You are already being a hero by raising or supporting those kids and the senior citizen, don't lose that trying for "glamor".

 

[Lifeguards For Life]

You'll have to hit the books, to learn some things like pt. assesment, terminology, and operations. If I could give you one bit of advice though, AIRWAY AIRWAY AIRWAY. at the basic level of training the goal is not so much to treat or diagnose but to stabalize load and go. At this level of training if your pt. has a mi or mva the treatment is basically the same. If you put the time into it, by the end of your course you'll be amazed at how simple it was. Good luck