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!