mandalox22

I will not back down, I believe in what I say. I have been in the fire service and EMS service for 5 years. Which yes is not a long time, however, I didn't claim that I was the best after my basic class. I simply stated that if you can't do a good job as a basic, which is not just bandaging, you will never be a good EMT-I and P. I listen to so many of you complain and moan about basics and how all they do is bandage. This in its self is a lie. Before I was allowed to even advance in my system I had 1.5 years as a basic, riding with a service that runs calls. I was not just the driver either, I was lucky enough to have a captain, that was not afraid to let me take the reins and handle the pt. care until it went passed my level. Meaning that there was a medication needing to be pushed or something along those lines. I will not back down from my prior statements! I am not afraid of what I have said and you cannot scare me away. I see that like many of the other forums on this site, it is okay if you want to complain and agree with someone, but not okay if you have a different opinion. How can you learn anything from anyone if you are not willing to look at or accept other peoples views?

I can't decide if 90% of the people on this forum are just afraid that they won't have a job in a year or just plain have a paragod attitude. Reading what some of you have posted, EMT - B's do more than bandage people up. Everything that is important comes from your EMT-B class. During that class, you are taught how to assess pt's and talk with pt's, have some of you lost sight of were you learned the foundation of your current careers? If so, I encourage you to go back to a basic level class and see what is being taught. If you are not a good EMT-B, you will never be a good EMT-I or EMT-P! I love how paramedics walk around thinking they are gods to the EMS world, but really if you hadn't have taken that EMT-B class and learned those basics, you wouldn't be were you are today. It takes someone who truly wants to help pt's and save lives to be a great EMT-B, any idiot can learn about the 52 drugs you have to memorize to be a paramedic. I am currently going to the paramedic program and I will test in 2 months, but everything that has made me the medic I am, was my basic pt. assessment skills and knowing the question's to ask to figure out what was going on. As for the military, I have to say that I agree with an earlier post, that I would rather work with an experienced military medic then a new (larger then life head and attitude) paramedic. I have seen some of the training that these guys go through and you want to discuss critical thinking and decision making? Try making a decision when bombs and mortars are going off all around you!! How many of you assist pt's and work on pt's in these conditions? None, when the scene is not safe, who do we call on, the police to come in and make it safe. So how much more critical thinking skills could you have (or have learned in a safe classroom) then someone serving as a medic during combat operations. So I think this forum is just more of paramedics worried about there pride and job pool.

Congrats on passing your skills tests, I will be testing for my paramedic lisence in about 2 months. I am scared to death to take the tests. I just passed my I 99 with no problems, and I am not scared of the paramedic skills tests, but the written is what scares me. All the medics that teach my class tell me it was the tuffest test they have ever had to take, so you will have to let me know how it goes. Anways, congrats, I know you must me excited.

I am horrible at taking written tests, when it comes to the hands on, I can do it successfully and am pretty good at it. I can handle patients in the back of the box just fine, but have always had a hard time with the written tests. One thing that I have done to help get myself through paramedic school, is to go online and google free tests and I have also bought test prep. books from barnes and noble. I find that the more of these tests I take and the more questions I answer, the higher scores I get on my tests in class. I don't know if this would work for you, but it might be worth a try.

I am currently going to school in Fairbanks AK in the paramedic academy, I will be down in Middlesex county and completing my internship with the middlesex county ambulance. I was looking to see if anyone from the area is on this site, if so I would love to chat with you and maybe get together to study. I am really looking forward to my internship, but know when it comes to the big test, I need to do some more studying. Or if you would just like to chat and study that would be cool too. Thanks