fakingpatience

Im not brand brand new... I was a volunteer EMT for a little under a year, in a system where we ran ~4 calls a shift (we did 12 hour shifts where I volunteered), but yeah, I am still pretty new. The good thing is that it shouldn't be 48s with the big agency, they said for the most part they also run 12s.

I just got a job offer with a huge EMS company in my town! Thanks to all of your guys's help with the pressure points, I passed all the testing, and was offered a job on the spot at my interview Now i just need to decide, do I want to go with the huge EMS agency, or the tiny one which I think (hope) will also offer me a job. I am trying to make a list of pros/ cons, but almost everything I can think of falls into both categories, for example: Big agency has larger call volume: good for more experience, won't be bored, bad because could be to busy (I heard no rest in all 12 hours of shift) Small agency is a small agency: more personalize, not a corporation mindset, but could end up being over taken by big agency Big agency pays for paramedic education at local community college (which is not CAAHEP accredited), but I don't really need the money for education (I have a grant I earned that I can use for any further education within 5 years) Small agency does not run any general transport trucks, where as with big agency, I might be stuck doing general transport for a while Big agency runs a tierd system with BLS cars and a medic fly car, and Small agency runs all ALS cars (EMT and medic) Both pay is almost exactly the same Is there anything specific that you guys think I should look into when considering both agencies?

When I was in another country, in a small store they were selling "crap cakes"!

When they ask you about your experience, think beyond just the few calls you ran while on clinicals. Where did you used to work? Did you have to deal with people? That is a skill that is very useful in EMS, but can be learned in other fields. For example, I used to run a day care program for elementary school students, and because of that, I am much more comfortable dealing with pediatrics. I also had a job where I dealt with people who were drunk/ high, and again, that skill is a useful transfer to EMS. While its not great that you don't have EMS experience, you do have other experiences that you can draw from. Also, they may look at it as you have not developed any bad habits yet, since you are new. Have you asked them what to expect from the physical? For mine, I had to lift a backboard with a partner with 250lbs, and hold it for 1 min, and then step sideways and put in on the ground, then pick it up again, and walk ~10 feet backwards, and then forwards and put it back on the cot. In my opinion, the hardest part was holding it for a min straight, since the cot was in the way of my legs, and I couldn't readjust. And the part where I fell on my bottom when crouching to put the backboard down on the ground (but they said it was ok, since I didn't drop the patient )

Thanks for the help everyone Sorry if I came off as a little touch in my earlier posts, I had the skills and lifting test today (kinda a pre-interview testing... you need to pass it to get to the interview) for a new job, and was really really nervous. I passed all the sections though! Now I just need to wait and see if they call me for a real interview, and in the mean time, spend some time studying the protocols in this state... Again, thanks all for your help, it is amazing to be able to ask a question and have so many responses in just over a day. There sure is a wealth of knowledge on this site, glad I found it

OK, back up a second here... Why are you all assuming that I haven't taken first aid? I have taken both the red cross and other first aid classes numerous times, courtesy of my other jobs. I guess the classes are all taught a little differently, because again, I did not learn about which pressure points to use, or how to use them appropriately. But moving on... Richard, you could probably help me with this, since the test I am taking is coming directly from the NYS EMT-B skills test... For the bleeding/ shock control management, after I use a pressure point, the examiner says "the bleeding is now controlled", and then I am supposed to bandage the wound and treat for shock. How could I do all this if one of my hands is still holding the pressure point? Am I able to release the pressure point at this part of the testing? The current thinking that I was taught in my EMT-B class (1 year ago) about bleeding control, is that tourniquets are much easier than using a pressure point, and get the job done faster and more effectively (no fumbling around to make sure you are grabbing the right spot)... so I guess it could also be part of the NREMT making the curriculum simpler... I don't know, but that is what it is now, and how my class taught it. Here is a link to the NREMT skills testing for the bleeding control section http://www.nremt.org...g%20Control.pdf As you can see, pressure points are not mentioned in it at all. Regardless, I need and want to learn how to use pressure points correctly, and appreciate any advice

Thanks for the picture, that is really helpful! I am however a little insulted that you told me to take a basic first aid course... as I said, in my EMT class we used the current national recommendation that pressure points really arent' the best option when dealing with bleeding, and it is better to just use a tourniquet, and on the ambulance I worked on we had tourniquets and quick clot for bleeds (not that I ever had a call where any of the above techniques were necessary!) So, just making sure I understand this right, once the bleeding is under control with a pressure point, after 5 mins, you can release the pressure point (assuring the wound is bandaged)? Also, and though I don't need to know this for the test/ interview, in general, for those of you with pressure points in your protocol/ used to use them, how long do you attempt the use of a pressure point before going to a tourniquet?

When is your interview? I have a couple interviews coming up (skills and lifting test this week, face to face interview with a different company week after next), so I can let you know exactly what I will be doing in those, if that would be helpful to you (neither of the agencies are EMSA in OK)... As far as specific interview questions, I helped with a hiring session at the EMS agency I used to volunteer with for hiring new volunteers. Mostly what we were trying to gauge was the persons critical thinking skills, and their integrity. Best advice I can think of... think of stories from your past that you are likely to be asked. One I have been asked numerous times is "tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker or superior and how you handled it". Find a story that shows that you thought through the situation, and learned from it. Go over your resume, it will help you seem more confident when you are talking to be able to easily talk about your previous experiences and how they can relate to EMS (and believe me, you can make any experiences relate to something else, you just have to frame it right!) Good luck! (sorry if this is a little jumbled, it is past my bedtime )

Thanks so much for your quick replies! That has been one of my frustrations of living in this new state, is that they don't follow national registry, which means some of the SOP are behind the times... I also have to put my 'pt' in a correct position for them showing s and s of hypoperfusion... which I assume means they want me to put my patient in Trendelenburg! Its frustrating, having learned that these things are wrong, or just not effective, and having to use them to pass this skills test to get to an interview. Back to one of my earlier questions, when can you release the pressure point? If you let go as soon as the bleeding stops, won't it start up again? or is it like a tourniquet, where you can't let go until you get to the ER and let a doc do it Edited to add: The service skills test are the exact same skills test that people in this state have to take to get certified as an EMT-B...

Hello All I have a quick question for you about the use of pressure points to control bleeding. Which pressure points should you use for bleeds in various locations (so, if you have a bleed that isn't controlled with direct pressure on the arm or lower leg, where do you press?) Also, once the bleeding has stopped by using the pressure point, can you let go? If anyone knows of any links with the information out there that would be a great help! I have a skills test for a job I applied to on Tuesday, and apparently here they still use pressure points for bleeding control as it is one of the things I will be tested on (When I went through EMT school a year ago, we didn't learn about them other than "people used to use pressure points to control bleeding, now if it isn't controlled by direct pressure, go straight to a tourniquet") I can't find the information anywhere in my EMT text book either As always, any help is greatly appreciated!

Wow, this lab sounds like a really cool opportunity. For those of you BLS providers who went, was it worth it? I haven't learned that much about anatomy and physiology yet, or know how to do any of the advanced procedures, so I am wondering if it would be a wasted opportunity for me.

I am reviving this thread from the dead, since this sounds like a very cool opportunity! For those of you BLS providers who went, was it worth it, since almost all of it is above the SOP of a BLS provider?

I think that the decision to restrain a pt. either chemically or mechanically should be based off of both the pt's history, and their current presentation. If the pt. is calm now, but staff tell us 1 hour ago, they were calm, then exploded out of no where, and are calm again, I would consider that pt. a threat, even if they are presenting calmly. Now my experience is a little different, as I have never done an IFT of a psych pt., only from the scene to an ER. I have also worked with people with extensive psychiatric histories in my current job. I always find it a little amusing when, after transporting a pt who is high, or drunk and combative to the ER with 4 point restraints, and having them calm down as soon as we enter the ER, the staff will immediately remove all restraints from the pt, even if we tell them the pt has been going through cycles of calm to violent, and back again. At least half the time this has happened, when I am in the ER later that night, I walk past the pt's room and see the pt now in hard restraints... apparently they now became violent with the ER staff. I think that it is important to listen to the staff who are handing the pt off to you, and the pt's history of reactions. Someone mentioned that people with mental illness have a right to refuse medications. I agree with this to a point. In their own home, they have all the right to refuse to take their medication. However, this right ends when they are at risk of hurting others. To me it all comes down to the "scene safety" we all learned on our first day in EMT school. I would not transport a pt. in a manner that leaves me or my partner unsafe.

I am not looking for a short cut to a paramedic program- both the CT program and the IA one mentioned sounded interesting (after looking on the website about the Iowa program, it seems it is like 9 months long, not really 15 weeks...). One thing that sounded really appealing to me about the CT program that fiznat mentioned was that the lecture portion is combined with lab/ hospital clinical time (is that right fiznat?), and that the Anatomy and Physiology was specifically geared towards EMS. So thanks for getting me to look into that program! I really want a good education, but at the same time, don't want to go through a program that will require me to retake so many of the basic classes (non ems) that I had to take to get my BA... I am looking at taking A&P 1 at the local community college here, but it doesn't' come with a lab portion... for those of you who have taken A&P, is it worth it without the lab? And again, any more specific program suggestions? Thanks for all your help

So, I already posted a question in the general form, but figured I should introduce myself as well I am an EMT-B in the US. I just moved from one state to another and am trying to get back into EMS in my new state. My certifications just transfered, and I have interviews with the two agencies in my area coming up in the next two weeks, so hopefully they will go well! I was a volunteer in an ALS ambulance service back in my other state for just under a year, so hopefully the agencies here will see me as more qualified than someone who just got out of school. I am a little nervous, since the testing for one company seems to favor people who just finished EMT school, because all it is is the skills test they had to pass at the end of class... I am currently working in an unrelated job, and every time I hear the sirens go past my house (which for some reason is ridiculously often), I yearn to be back in EMS. I also want to further my education, eventually going back to school to become a paramedic.

Wow, I didn't know there was information available online about a programs national registry pass rates, this should be very helpful! But would you mind sending the link again? The one you attached to the post was broken. Does anyone know if there is data like this available ranking all the programs nationally? You mentioned that your program was consistently in the top 10... where did you find such a ranking? I know that this topic is so broad, that is why I am having such a hard time researching programs, there are so many out there. As I said before, I really have no idea where I want to live- so far I have liked everywhere I have tried, and I am not afraid to try new places. I do realize that it would be useful to go through a program somewhere I want to continue living, for the connections and such, but I can't see myself living in one place for the rest of my life (or even the next 15 or so years...) anyway. Again, any information on the different programs is much appreciated

Hello all This is my first post here, I hope I am posting it in the right place. I have looked for similar topics, but I can't find any, so if you know of one and could give me the link to it that would be great! I am looking at becoming a paramedic. I have been an EMT for almost a year and absolutely love it. I recently moved, and had to find a job not in EMS, and am yearning to get back to EMS. I love learning, just graduated college with a BA, and am ready to get back for more education. I am trying to find a paramedic program that would be good for me to attend, but I am having trouble narrowing them down! I have moved around a lot, and don't mind moving again for a paramedic program, so I am not limited by geographical concerns (the only place I am not that excited about living is the south... but even there I could be convinced to go to). I just want to find a good program! Here are some of the things that are important to me: Small class sizes Lots of hands on work (I learn better through hands on and discussions than through plain lectures and reading the book) National accreditation (I don't know where I will be living next!) As I mentioned, I already have a BA, so going to a program where the credits are transferable is not as important to me. Any ideas how I could start narrowing down the massive amounts of programs there are? If you had a really great experience in your paramedic program, or a really bad one, please share it with me! Are there programs that are known for being consistently amazing? Which programs should I stay far far away from? Any information I can get on the different programs will help Thanks in advance!