Kschuppan

I will be testing my EMT-Basic level.

Hey Guys, I am going to be taking the National Registry in December. I am confident, but was curious if there were any good resources to help me study on the internet. Especially with assessments since those i feel ill be the trickiest things to do. Thanks, Kyle

Hello all, So about a week ago i had my first 12 hour clinical in a hospital (i'am a EMT-B student). It was fairly slow then it all hit at once... Had a massive head trauma come in due to a moped accident, i held direct pressure, felt pretty cool. Then had druggie come in all tweaked and i watched the nurses work on him, pretty cool. Helped with vitals on most patients. But then it came, a siren went off and a code blue up in the hospital happened, they wanted the students to run up there and do chest compressions for CPR. Immediately i was excited, but mostly scared $hit-Le$$ and kind of wanted to run away. We got up there and they had stabilized him with drugs and his vitals were normal, he was a vegetable, but still "alive" none the less. I was kinda of re leaved because, i am admitting this too you all so don't give me too much crap, i was scared to be around and touch a dead person. I know this job includes this a lot, im not naive, i was just scared, my adrenaline was going but i was scared, we sat in the room for a while, while the nurses worked on him (they were all joking with each other, laughing, talking about their plans for the weekend) which i felt was odd, THERE WAS A DEAD MAN IN FRONT OF THEM?!?!. So what i am asking is, has any one else had these feelings before? Another EMT-B student was pissed because "he wanted to break ribs and get dirty". I was more stand off ish, interested, but also very nervous. Just curious, and i am kind of worried that i should not be in this field now, but i will never quit i will keep pressing on. Thank you Kyle

hey guys, I am currently enrolled in EMT classes and am loving it. The pay is not that big of a deal because this seems to be my calling. I am just curious tho what the average salary for EMTs and Paramedics for the St Louis area are. Thank you Kyle

Really great advice and thoughts guys, I thought of another thing to ask, and i hope i do not sound juvenile for this. But another thing i was thinking of is the gruesome side of the job. I now know that death and gruesome incidents are not to be thought of as every second of every day type stuff for a EMT. But when seeing the anatomy and such in that way is it basically just have a "strong" stomach? How do you guys look/deal with that aspect. Thanks again, Kyle

thanks pcp, jake, and ugly emt That helps alot. its crazy but just posting stuff on here and talking with people in the field who have had similar experiences helps a lot. I worried thinking i was not suited for the job by having emotions about this stuff. But like stated we are all human and its going to happen, emotions are in everyone. Yeah im just gonna take it one step at a time and learn from everything, good bad or indifferent. And in the end just know that you are there to help people. Again thanks, this site is unbelievably helpful.

Again thanks to all that have posted on here. It really does help. Another question would be in any of the EMT-B classes you guys have had do they go over talking about coping with death and/or gruesome scenes? Just curious. And i have seen dead bodies before, i've seen relatives in hospital beds pass away and at their funerals, they made me feel a little uneasy but for the most part it didn't bother me to much. But then again i wasn't interacting with them a whole lot either. Thanks again Kyle

Thank you guys, All this talk has really opened my eyes and I really had no clue where to turn with these questions. its so awesome how this website can help answer questions and be a haven for people like me all the way to veterans in the field. I guess i assumed also that i would be dealing with death every shift every hour, but after "OZ" 's response it really puts the job into a new light. It still really sounds like i want to do it, and i do believe after a few calls i will be able to adjust to it more, like Dwayne said. Again thank you guys, it really helped Kyle

Thanks guys, I apologize if my comments offended anyone. For all i know i may love being an EMT and stick with it. I just worry about how ill react when faced with death. Also coming from a religious background and education i assume it can be hard to "de-humanize" or separate the patient with someone you know. What i assume tho with this job the pros, i.e. saving someones life, can counteract seeing someone slip away or not being able to help a person. Also i assume as my class starts and i go through with it i will learn if i am cut out for the job more and more. Thanks again for all you who responded, helps a lot Kyle

Hi Guys, I am about to start EMT class at the local community college. My overall goal is to get into the fire department as a fire fighter. This has been a dream of my because i enjoy helping people and making people smile, i like the hours it offers, and i like the physical, not sitting behind a desk, side of it. However i do have a concern. I do not know how i would act around a dead body. So my questions are.... 1.) How have you reacted to seeing a dead body, and working on someone then having them die in your hands? 2.) Have you ever been "haunted" or bothered after a shift while your at home, after dealing with a dead person? 3.) Have you ever second guessed or not wanted to go to work because of all the death you've seen and you don't want to see anymore? These are questions i have had on my mind for sometime and any feed back will be greatly appreciated. Thank you Kyle