MedicAsh

That is awesome!! LMAO

Wow. That is about all I can say!!! After many laughs, and tears; ups and downs; I am FINALLY a Paramedic! It was a long road but fully worth it. I know that I am not on the forum too much anymore but I am hoping to change that now that I am done with Paramedic. Now I get to focus on training as a Medic. I have a job as a medic with my current service. I actually will be working on 2 different services but they have the same boss. I also have a wonderful group of people that I work with. NOW only problem is I don't know what to do with myself......Hmmm.......I need to find a hobby.......wow, I am pathetic! LOL Just wanted to let you all know that I am officially a Medic. WATCH OUT WORLD!!

It doesn't matter if you are taking NREMT-B or NREMT-P, always remember that Airway, Breathing, and Circulation ALWAYS come first. Study, study, study! I bought study books and I passed and did well. Like loner said BREATHE!!! I was the same way when I took NREMT-P and I did fine. You need to be confident (not cocky).

Take an actual A&P course. Then look into an advanced A&P (or in some places called Psysiology). I also took Microbiology and Chemistry. It helps.

If you have an iPad, iPhone, or iPdo Touch, there are some great scenario apps on there.ACLS isnt as bad as they make it out to be. Just memorize the algorithms.

Annie, I work for a hospital based ambulance. When we are not on the ambulance, we are in the ER, and if the ER is not busy, and the floor is, we go down there. It has its ups and downs. When working on the floor you are the (pardon my language) "floor nurses bitch". So you are doing everything they dont want to do. We get treated like CNAs that dont know crap. Granted there are some nurses who truly need help with things, but others sit and do nothing. If they have a patient that is one on one and they cant find a CNA guess who gets to sit with the patient, YEP EMS. Then they get pissy when we have a call and there is no one to sit with the patient. Dont get me wrong, I dont mind helping if they really need it, but when I am used to do their skut work because they want to sit on the internet and play on Ebay, I get a little pissed off. I also hate that I am getting in trouble for doing my REAL job on the ambulance when I have to leave a one on one patient. I have to agree that I did not get into EMS to work as a CNA or nurse. If I wanted to do that I would be going into nursing. (Hence why I am going into Psychology). I am not even using skills down there. I get to do vitals...oooo big skills use there!!!! At least when we are in the ER, we are using skills. We can give meds and start IVs etc. On the floor we are skut monkeys and house keepers. I guess it has its ups and downs working in the hospital like that. Some days I want to tell them where to go but other days it isnt bad because there is NOTHING going on. Ok Ill stop babbling. Let me know if you have any questions (you are more likely to get me on facebook.)

Hahahahahahahaha OMG Annie I love it!!!

I am with annie. I have gone through a lot of index cards. BUT, writing them over and over really helped me. I also created a "test" if you will that is a sheet of paper with a drug name on top and I have to fill in all the rest of the info like dose, indications, contraindications, side effects etc. When I was struggling with my Dopamine vs. Dobutamine, I really used those and it helped me out TONS good luck

I get federal loans and state grants for my medic. I am also taking the associates program too.

For me, writing out my own drug profiles helped greatly! I also had them color coded by what system the drug worked on (eg. red-cardiac blue-respiratory) It really helped me to write them and be able to study them that way.

Be prepared to not have a life until you are done. Clinical hours get to where they drag somedays. Just make sure that you study. It isnt a course that is "oh yea I can do this without studying." It takes effort and hard work. Sleep? Yea, I dont know what that is either. LOL. But I am working, on call hours, clinicals, and other classes in addition to paramedic. I am not trying to scare you away, but it is hard work. It takes time away from having a life. If you have questions ASK! There is no such thing as a dumb question. If you still have questions ask here. There is always SOMEONE who can help you understand. Sometimes that extra help and looking at things a different way can help you make things click. This also goes for clinicals. I have had wonderful doctors help me understand things. I am in my last semester and a half of school and it has been fully worth it! I am glad I am doing this, but it is a lot of hard work. I wish you the best of luck. Ash

Wow! I cant believe I am into my last semester and a half of Medic. It sure has been a journey. Ok here is my question though. Dopamine vs Dobutamine. Correct me if I am wrong, but Dobutamine is used more so in CHF patients, and Dopamine is more so used in hypotensive or bradycardic patients correct? Can you use Dobutamine for the patients who are bradycardic and hypotensive too or no?

Isn't it the Paramedic's responisbility to know what the correct protocols are? That is part of the job. In class they teach you how to safely do the skills and treat your patient but it is your responsibility to know when to use those skills and treatments (protocols). We cant be spoon fed everything. There isnt going to be someone out there in the field telling you what to do and how to do it. We have the responsibility to also learn and expand on what is taught in class. This is not a field where you can be babysat. If you did something wrong and failed a skills station, then learn from what you did wrong. Go and research in your book what the "right" thing is. Paramedic instructors can't teach you everything there is to know. There is a lot to learn on your own. That is why we have text books. READ THEM!!!

I agree with Loner. Its all really confusing. If they did have this device, wouldn't it show some sort of something? I mean look at pacemakers, most times you see them, so first wouldnt you see the pumping device? If the patient was asystolic, that means there is no electrical impulses, so thus there is nothing making the heart contract. I also have to agree that they were treating the monitor. From day one of my medic classes they have drilled into us not to treat the monitor. Are they sure that it was a true asystole? Was it confirmed in 3 leads? It all sounds strange to me. If some one is asystolic and cyanotic from the nipple line up, then somethign is obviously wrong. Are they sure they felt a pulse. I know sometimes there have been times i get shaky or accidently bump the patient and it may feel like a pulse but it is not. Could it maybe have been something like that?

Thanks everyone. That really does help. I was just confused at what they exactly wanted to hear. It all makes sense now. Thanks again!