Becoming an EMT-B

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Permalink Reply by Sandi Dunn on September 20, 2008 at 2:05am

Practice, practice, practice! Find someone to pretend to be a patient, and just keep going over different scenarios. Practicals sound nerve-wracking because it's a test, and like any test, you need to study for it. Problem is, its hard to study for practicals without a patient and scenario! If you're already riding along, try to imagine yourself on a scene, but put it in slow motion. You generally do all of the things on the practical test much faster at a real scene and don't even think about it. Good Luck...and stay safe!

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Permalink Reply by Andy Marsh on September 20, 2008 at 2:24am

If you can just remember the alphabet soup stuff that you were taught, or will be taught, that may help. It comes down to the ABC's. Then LOC, AVPU, SAMPLE, OPQRST, DCAPBTLS (if traumatic), MOI/NOI, and PMS. Treat the life threats first, then treat what you find, and continually re-assess your patient, listen to lung sounds and include 2 sets of vital signs, at a minimum. Don't forget the oxygen, and please don't forget the suction unit! Practice on your spouse, friends, kids, stuffed animals or whoever that will allow you. The more you practice, the better you'll become. Good luck! Keep asking questions.

Andy

(trying to keep my patients from becoming my victims)

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Permalink Reply by kimmieflirts on September 20, 2008 at 2:35am

sounds dumb but when i took mine the big thing was bsi and 02. if we didnt say it to the instructor we automaticaily failed. also i have to say practice on somebody anybody who will let u not be a pervert but ur sig. other may find it fun

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Permalink Reply by Captain Busy on September 20, 2008 at 2:45am

I am not sure what kind of learner you are. If you are a visual learner, and you truly are having difficulty memorizing the evolutions then talk to other students and ask them to demonstrate the skills for you and videotape the process using a Sony digital camera in the MPEG mode. This enables you to download it and watch it, over and over and over again. The trick here is repetition.

Once you have the video's, you need to slowly go through the frames and compare what is being done verses your course notes and textbook data. Take your time. When you get done, you will have ripped the process apart, come up with key headings for each step.

Finally, once you have gone through this process, at least viewing the videos. Then see if you can sit down and write down the process, from A to Z. Now go back and compare what you wrote to what you should have written. If you want to make this even easier, write down the order of what it is you have to do, organize and editorialize it to have as few words as possible and then simply copy the whole sheet in writing ten times. I don't think you will have a problem memorizing this information.

If you are a hands on learner then you are going to have to first make sure that you have fully digested everything about the subject. Prepare for something giving 150% and in reality you only needed 50% and you might not only find yourself able to perform the tasks but will be able to help others and someday maybe even teach the course yourself. Make us proud!

TCSS, Mike from Santa Barbara

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Permalink Reply by Chris Bouissey on September 20, 2008 at 12:56pm

Im also currently in the EMT-B class and it cant be stressed enough to actually practice on a "patient" and with enough practice you will do just fine

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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on September 21, 2008 at 12:23pm

What others have said, practice. The practical exam is a hands-on deal and is best prepared for by practicing hands-on skills.

If you have access to the practical exam sheet (here in NYS they are on-line) you can run through the various skill stations. Then, if there are others in your class (ideally three) you can get together and practice. One is the patient, one is the evaluator (with the sheet) and the third is the EMT under test (didn't want to say testee, LOL).

By practicing each station a few times you should gain enough confidence to walk into the practical test without TOO many butterflies.

A lot of course instructors don't pass out the test sheets until shortly before the exam, and with good reason: they don't want you to learn the exam, rather you should learn the concepts and fundamentals of basic life support, then apply these on the practical exam. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Mike Bruneio on September 26, 2008 at 1:04am

Hey, I just passed my EMTB test and it wasn't that bad at all. It was not so much memorization on the practical, pretend it is a real call. Thats what I did. Try not to think of it as a test but rather another day another call because it is stressful enough. Just remember your patient care skills, show confidence in what you do, and talk to the patient and not the proctor. If you have a good understanding of the knowledge stuff, everything will fall into place for your practical. Good luck and let us know how its going.


~Mike~

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Permalink Reply by Brian Sullivan on September 27, 2008 at 5:15pm

read read read .... paying attention in class is important to me as well. the main thing is to know how you learn best and stick to that

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Permalink Reply by Casey Taylor on September 27, 2008 at 6:06pm

For national registry, forget everything that you would do in the real world and know the way the book tells you. I have taken it twice now and failed both times. I know what I would do in the back of the ambulance, on the side of the road, or in a patients house, but most of those are different than the way you are taught in the book.

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Permalink Reply by debbie snacks on October 4, 2008 at 1:28am

OOOO me too me too. I currently have an A in my EMT-B class (yaaaaaaaay) and I've done pretty well on the practicals. I've been reading my book religiously and studying even more religiously. A lot of people in the field will give you tips, most are helpful - but some you need to just let go in one ear and out the other. Thankfully I have a plethura of instructors that are all very patient with my 8 gabillion questions! The most important part is that you find your own way to relate to and learn the information. I always remind myself of "Road Trip" where the smart guy relates some historical war to wrestling to help his friend study. For example : I had a problem remembering the difference between bag valve masks and nonrebreathers and nasal cannulas (don't ask me why now, I can't even fathum how I didn't get it before) but I always thought about it logically. BVM = the ones with the big balloon baggies, Nonrebreather = the one that has a rediculous name and the jock cup over the face (yes, seriously that's how I remembered it), and nasal cannula = the nostril prongie things. Laugh! but I swear having my own name for them really worked for me!!!

Good luck Bobbie Jo - oh - and www.emtb.com has some neat online flash cards that may help if they pertain to the chapters in your book.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on October 4, 2008 at 8:22am

The key here is PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE... You will eventually be able to do it all in your sleep without even thinking of it.....Hey, I did it and if I can do it then I see no reason why anybody else cannot.....I tend to be a little hard-headed...(LOL) And don't be nervouse about it...its not like they are going to take you out and shoot you if you don't get it right the first time.....I believe (at least here in New York) if you get a "No-Go" on a station that you can repeat it once on test night...if a 2nd No-Go on the same station then you can come back in a week and re-test......You will do fine if you study and PRACTICE....don't be afraid to go first in class when reviewing skills...the others won't laugh if you screw up...they are too busy tring to watch and learn.....Take care....Stay safe and always remember to keep the faith.....Paul

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Permalink Reply by John on October 4, 2008 at 9:15am

Not sure about how alot of people learned the steps, the way I got it down was to open a word document on my computer and to type in the test steps and then print it after I read over it. That and to just constantly continue to go over it in your mind or have someone help by pretending to be a victim and go over the steps.

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