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Hi everyone, good news. Sorry we haven't updated in a while, but here's the situation as it is right now. Raistlin and I will be getting retested on our EMT-B practicals next week, sans the BS. On Wednesday and Thursday, we were offered 5-hour practice sessions by the center which will be administrating the test for us. The instructors were very helpful! So all that's left is for us to pass that, and then the written exam. It's been nearly a year, but things are finally being straightened out. Again, thanks for the insight and motivation you've all provided us along the way. I'll let you all know how everything turns out, but things are looking good from here on, anyway.

Hey guys, another update on what's going on. Raistlin and I may get a retest, soon. Given that this may happen, him and I need to start preparing again for the practical exam. Any advice on the best place to look at to study off of for it?

I don't think it's really safe for us to reveal the location of the school just yet, but it's in New York City. I had another question, though. More like asking your opinions, actually. Obviously it's been a very long time since Raistlin and I took this course. Even if given the opportunity to retake the practical and written exams, we would have a lot of reviewing to do. Basically I'm asking, what do you guys think is the best way for him and I to do that? I remember seeing a pretty good video on how the practical exam is carried out and I really wanted access to it. I heard the Barron's review book for the EMT-B test isn't very helpful, though. I still have my notes from class. On a side note, I'm still glad I took this course. I created my own mini-EMT kit with dressings, stethoscope, etc. It comes in pretty handy at home or elsewhere when little accidents happen and I'm just happy I know how to properly wrap a dressing on an injury. So, I've still got my enthusiasm for this field.

Hi guys, I apologize for not updating on the situation. Raistlin and I are still trying to get our certifications. We called our city councilman to help us in our situation. About a week later, we were told to meet up with an administrator from the organization that runs the program in our school in order to give our side of the story for the investigation. At the very least, Raistlin and I were able to fill out forms for registration just in case the state saw that our instructor had indeed pulled things that were not legally sound and would allow us a chance at a retesting of some sort. I've been reflecting on other courses of action that Raistlin and I can take for this problem. I am planning on visiting my school some time in the near future to let them know of the situation. Unfortunately, due to my collge schedule, it's been difficult to find an open amount of time to do this. Also, perhaps a petition of some sort or having several other people complain about the same issue to the DOH may also help? And, if worse comes to worst, maybe at the very least (though it seems ridiculously unnecessary), we can take the course again in the form of a refresher. I cannot--and will--not shrug this off. You can't just hand someone the remote control to your life's path when all they're going to do is flip through channels and pick the one that they want. Even if this whole thing turns out to become a complete failure, I'm still going to do what I can to get my certification. This is a great community and I'm very happy to have come across it; you're good people! Thanks again for everything and I'll keep you guys updated.

The thing about the course is that it's a high school elective course, HOWEVER...given that you are old enough to be a candidate for certification, you can also get certified by taking the course. It was an official certification course that was a regular part of my high school schedule. So, I got high school credit for it, but at the same time I was supposed to be able to have gotten certified.

Wow. Thanks for all of the info, buddha! I was a bit concerned when he freelanced around for the exam. I definitely felt ready and prepared for it, but I seriously did not expect him to throw all of those questions about pulse at me. I'll let you guys know how it all goes.

Yes, I meet the age requirement. I contacted various places today. The Bureau of EMS Central Office, The NYS Department of Health, and the Regional EMS Council of NYC. Most of the faculty wasn't there or was on vacation. However, I spoke with someone at the DOH who told me to write a formal complaint and that they will do an investigation of the situation. Hopefully, things will work out. And yes! That thought did cross my mind--perhaps he does not want so many people taking this exam in order to keep his pass percentage high. All year long, he said, "I don't care if I even get only one person to the test, since if they pass, that's a 100% passage rate." I don't know... :? Thanks again for all of the advice!

I'm not sure about checking the carotid pulse. We were told not to if the patient has a collar. Yes, the course is listed on my high school transcript. However, that is only in the sense of it being a high school elective course--not an EMT-B certification course. I don't know to what extent I can take that piece of evidence, though.

Hi there! I just registered for this board a few minutes ago, so if I am breaking any rules with this post, I apologize in advance. I just graduated from high school a few days ago. This year, I was part of a double-period EMT-Basic course. It is an elective course where you can receive high school credit. However, if you meet the age requirement, you are also a candidate for EMT-B certification. My instructor is a paramedic who has been with New York State EMS for 30 years (more or less) and is supposed to be well known in this field. Being a candidate for certification, I did all that is required for the New York State EMT-B certification. -I took this course -I did the required number of on the job hours -I got the CPR certification -I got the AED certification -I got the WMD certification However, about two weeks ago, I had to take the skills exam, given by my instructor. I passed all of the stations up to trauma and medical left. During the trauma assessment, I had to check the patient’s circulation. My instructor asked me where are the three places to find a pulse (excluding anything on the neck since the patient has a collar on). I go for the radial, then brachial. I was a bit confused with the next place to find a pulse. He hinted to where it was. I then went to the femoral artery. Now, he asked me what the pulse rate on the trauma patient’s femoral artery would be. I honestly did not know what it was. He told me that if I don’t answer and get it correctly, that he’d fail me right there. I took a wild guess and didn’t get it right. I was hoping for some sort of retest. I contacted and met with someone in charge of the administration of this course and told him my situation. However, as it turns out, I cannot take a retest since my instructor never registered me with the state in the first place for ever even taking this course—the only people that were registered were the ones who had passed the skills exam! This makes it very hard to prove to anyone that I had taken an EMT course. Additionally, my instructor was –extremely- unwilling to give me a retest. I told him that I can make arrangements to take a retest in school, since I personally know the school’s principal. No such luck. I loved the EMT class—I don’t want my education to go to waste! I fear that I do not have many options left . My family is not in the sort of situation to pay for another EMT course. I don’t think it is necessary for me to go through all of that all over again for not knowing one small part of the trauma assessment. So…perhaps anyone here may have some advice or a solution to my situation? Thank you!