Why is the National Registy Testing on Information that is not in the program

I went to SWC in San diego, I thought the NREMT was a breeze. Must be the instructor.
 
Nremt test

I just took the NREMT-P exam 4 weeks ago. I did notice a few questions that were a little out there but when I went and looked them up they were covered in our lecture notes and book. I must have been napping. Our program required to complete 10 prep exams including pharmacology test and pass with an 80% (had to keep testing untilled you did). I passed the first time. Only one in our class failed the first time. There are alot of exam prep resources available.
 
bajamedic said:
There seems to be allot of questions on material other than what is being given to students. This is not comming from someone that is new to EMS. I discussed the subject with the lead EMS instructor in our system. Why is somone not doing something about it. Lots of Medics are failing the exam, questions are not relative to scope of pracitce.:wacko:
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Wouldn't, "Why is my EMS class not teaching us enough material to pass that National Registry?" be a more appropriate title. I'd be willing to bet that the NREMT doesn't care what any specific program is teaching.
 
bajamedic said:
So.....that is my opinion. Tijuana Mexico has some better street medics than we have in San Diego. Can any of this testing lead to better ways to admin 15 lpm of O2 by Non Rebreather Mask. If the scope of skills is not going to change then it is not valid. Remember...Start an IV Squad 51 and transport.
Yes we have 12 leads, etc etc. In the big city is still load and go allot of the time and that is what the ER Docs want.
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[Hops onto soapbox]
If EMS is only about the 'skills' like 15 L/M O2 via NRB or starting an IV, then EMS is comprised of technicians who are, quite honestly, over educated, overpaid, and drama queens who overestimate their worth every single day. EMS should be following the protocol like a cookbook and consult with healthcare professionals (RNs or physicians) for even the slightest variation.

If, however, EMS is supposed to be a profession (you know, that means meeting those pesky requirements like independent judgement, autonomy, and extensive theoretical education (you know, having a grasp of the knowledge needed to make independent judgements better than a coin flip)), then EMS providers are drastically undereducated for what they are supposed to be doing and too many EMS providers are all too happy to pass the buck because they are scared about acting like a professional.

[/steps off soapbox]
 
sir.shocksalot said:
With that said, NREMT is still a joke. I passed it while recovering from a MASSIVE hangover, I could barely look at the screen without my head throbbing. The questions aren't difficult, but if you have no knowledge beyond local protocol and no knowledge of A+P beyond the intro part of the paramedic cook book then you won't pass. I assume California doesn't use Mannitol, Lidocaine, or Procainamide? All of these drugs could appear on a national registry exam and are required knowledge. I also assume most paramedic schools don't require A+P at the university level? Then this question might be hard: "What is the pre-ganglionic neurotransmitter?" (from a test prep book).

If you step into the NREMT test site with the required knowledge of an entry level HEALTHCARE professional, then the test should be a breeze, step into the exam after attending Bob's Paramedic School for hosemonkeys, then yes, NREMT is very hard.
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Nice post. When I was in paramedic school, we had to learn a lot of drugs not used in my system and not used anywhere in the state. I asked why we had to learn about Procainamide and was told because the NREMT test was designed as a generic test and some parts of the country still use it. As a result I had to learn a lot of information that wasn't particularly pertinent to me, but on which I might still be tested.

Depending on your point of view, that's either a plus or negative of the NREMT process and a so called "national standard".
 
JPINFV said:
[Hops onto soapbox]
If EMS is only about the 'skills' like 15 L/M O2 via NRB or starting an IV, then EMS is comprised of technicians who are, quite honestly, over educated, overpaid, and drama queens who overestimate their worth every single day. EMS should be following the protocol like a cookbook and consult with healthcare professionals (RNs or physicians) for even the slightest variation.

If, however, EMS is supposed to be a profession (you know, that means meeting those pesky requirements like independent judgement, autonomy, and extensive theoretical education (you know, having a grasp of the knowledge needed to make independent judgements better than a coin flip)), then EMS providers are drastically undereducated for what they are supposed to be doing and too many EMS providers are all too happy to pass the buck because they are scared about acting like a professional.

[/steps off soapbox]
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Stop making sense.
 
Well I got some feed back anyway

This is what the new kids on the block are saying. So now I will think a little different. We have a lot of very young say between 19 and 22 year old's in medic school. They probably don't study. EMS practice is different in the city than in rural parts of america. The last word on scope of practice is the EMS director. I agree and disagree with the NR. They are a testing agency and have a educational motive which is good. They are not medical direction, so they do need to keep the states and local EMS directors in mind. Utah has it's own test. Hawaii requires retraining, Seattle has it own deal going on. I feel the NR has an agenda to take over, and I don't think that is what they should be doing. I am not sure what they should be doing but trying to create a para-governmental agency that rights protocol is not what we need. I truly don't care what a Medic does in Florida, when day in and day out I work in California. :cool:
 
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Keep in Mind

The NR has not been authorized or empowered by any law making body to certify anyone. Only States and Counties with medical direction can certify.
Nurses pass the NCLEX then apply to the state board of nursing for a license.

Students are being led to believe that they are Certified to practice for work on the national level. This is misleading. I know this for a fact because I have heard of new EMTs going into BLS providers with the NR card in hand thinking they were certified. I feel another testing agency needs to step up, much like in scuba diving. You can chose PADI or NAUI. If the state and or county is issuing the cert to work then they should be doing the testing. If congress wants to enact law that allows for a true national cert valid in all 50 states that allows for unrestricted usage across state lines then they need to pass that law.
The NREMT test at all levels are just like the NCLEX it is a measure of education. Not a license or cert to practice.
 
bajamedic said:
The NR has not been authorized or empowered by any law making body to certify anyone. Only States and Counties with medical direction can certify.
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You are confusing certification and license, which is a common mistake even among legislatures. Anyone can certify anyone or anything for anything they want. That does not mean that anyone else has to honor that certification.


Students are being led to believe that they are Certified to practice for work on the national level. This is misleading.
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Why aren't instructors including instruction on how EMS certification and licensing is currently set up?

I feel another testing agency needs to step up, much like in scuba diving. You can chose PADI or NAUI.
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Nothing is preventing someone else from setting up another testing agency for EMS. Good luck getting state EMS boards/authorities to accept it though.

If congress wants to enact law that allows for a true national cert valid in all 50 states that allows for unrestricted usage across state lines then they need to pass that law.
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That law would be unconsitutional since the power to license is not a power granted to the US Federal Government.
The NREMT test at all levels are just like the NCLEX it is a measure of education. Not a license or cert to practice.
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Correct. It is neither a license or a certification to practice. It is, however, a certification that the applicant has met the standards of the NREMT.

Oh, and quick question. What do you call the CPR card granted by AHA or ARC?
 
The same thing I call a CPR card I issue as an EFR Instructor

Paper. That is my point. I am a licensed pilot by the FAA. Not certified.
Your right getting recognition is another issue. The masses are confused. One employer of EMT-Bs for high school foot ball games was only asking for the NR card. Is it what the masses are being led to believe????????
 
well... the NR card shows the potential employee meets the minimal educational requirements-- and if the football game authorities want someone educated with no license or prescription to practice, that's what they get...

to quote the NR site, as others have paraphrased,

In sum, the National Registry is a private certifying organization. The various state offices of EMS or like agencies serve as the state licensing agencies. Certification by the National Registry is a distinct process from licensure; and it serves the important independent purpose of identifying for the public, state licensure agencies and employers, those individuals who have successfully completed the Registry’s educational requirements and demonstrated their skills and abilities in the mandated examinations. Furthermore, the National Registry’s tracking of adverse licensure actions and criminal convictions provides an important source of information which protects the public and aids in the mobility of EMT providers.
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https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/Legal_Opinion.asp
 
I once took the NREMT Intermediate exam and practicals. Passed the exam and 4 of the 5 practicals. Everyone in the class failed the same practical. Turns out the instructor taught us wrong and drilled us on the exam the wrong way. The school owned up to this, retained us, school paid for the re-exam and even the hotel room the night before. Gotta respect a school that owns up to their mistake and actually pay for it to be made better.

To the OP: I think your school is bad, not the NREMT.
 
Oh, and Baja, since you're also stuck on the medical director issue, ask your medical director about the difference between his board certification and his license to practice medicine, including the rights granted by each as well as who grants them.
 
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