It's Over!

As of yesterday, our EMT-Basic course is officially over. It was ten weeks of intensive course work--we had 12 hours of lecture and lab a week, as well as 25 hours in the clinic with patients over the 10-week period. Yesterday was the National Registry practical exam. It is the hands-on skills test for the National Registry, the place from which Shawn and I will get our licenses.

Because of the requirements of the National Registry, we took the practical exam yesterday, but will have to wait until we are back to the States to take the written exam. So until we complete that, we are not licensed/certified EMT-Bs. However, we completed the practical portion of the certification exam and will not have to do that again. Woohoo!

The certification exam made me extremely nervous. I'm not exactly sure why, but I was really stressed about it. I didn't think I would fail or anything, I was just worried about potentially having to re-test some of the stations.

It is divided into six sections, all testing different skills within the EMT-Bs scope of practice. The stations are:
1. Patient Assessment/Management--Trauma.
2. Patient Assessment/Management--Medical.
3. Cardiac Arrest Management/Automated External Defibrillator.
4. Bag Valve Mask--Apneic Patient.
5. Spinal Immobilization--Seated/Supine.
6. Random Skill Verification.

The test took us all morning and involved the medical director for the EMT program coming and giving us scenarios, answering any questions, telling us what was expected and then he watched us while we performed all the skills within the required time limits. With the trauma and medical patient assessment parts, we were given fake scenarios with a person there playing a fake patient and had to manage them as we would in the field. Each item we were supposed to complete in each scenario was on a long list and each one we got right, we got the point. For each station, there were things that were "critical fails." If we did any of the "critical fails," even if we got every other point, we still immediately failed that station.

It was especially nerve-wracking because after you completed a given station, they just said, "thank you" and sent you on your way. They did not tell you immediately if you passed or failed, so you had to take the entire exam, then they would tell you if you passed. If you failed four of the stations, you failed the test and had to wait until the next class was over (in about six months!) before you could take it again. If you failed 3, you could re-take them once. If you didn't pass them the second time, you failed the test.

I was very, very nervous, but I did well. Even though it was not very graceful at times (I felt quite bumbling), I did manage to pass all six stations on the first try. Shawn did, too! We were so excited!

So now I am EMT-B National Registry eligible and have completed the training! I am so glad we decided to take the course. The added bonus was taking it together. It is a good feeling to know that if some emergency happened, we would have the skills necessary to be able to take care of our family members, even if their lives were in danger. When we get back to the States, I am considering working part-time as an EMT. I think it would be a lot of fun and very interesting.

It's over!