Still technically around. I got soooo swept up in my EMT class that I completely forgot to keep posting! I was constantly exhausted.
I finished the class with an A. I haven't taken my NREMT because... frankly I keep forgetting to get my fingerprints. Cough. I need it soon, however, because I have to get started on the next clinicals. Why's that? Because I chose to start my EMT-I!
I finished my IV class last night which was very painful. See, in an IV class, you have to GIVE two successful IVs and take them.
I was the only one in the class who managed to stick two IVs without any redos, so my partner only got two sticks. Me, I got three. The first one went through the vein out the other side and WOW does that hurt! The second went in and she got it going and all was well, and then she accidentally turned it back on (he had turned it off and she didn't realize it) while DCing and bumped it and the damn thing infiltrated. Which sort of felt like a rush of cold water being thrown on my arm. It was weeeird. Also, hurt hurt hurt. The third one was someone else who had just stuck his partner for the fourth time and didn't get it in, and I felt bad for her so I let him stick me and he dug around for five minutes before giving up. Ow. Ow ow ow.
I have no bruising. Joy. Just three huge holes because I'm a tiny person and an 18g needle is freaking gigantic.
I took pictures of my two successful IVs, I will post them for my own amusement at some point.
I really love EMT.
During my clinicals I got to deal with a broken pelvis, which was fascinating. I got a broken wrist which was moreso "shattered" and woooow was it broken visibly. A Schitzophrenic off her meds who kept talking about someone who we're pretty sure didn't exist. A guy with a BAC of .412 who had to be arrested 'cause he had a restraining order and he isn't allowed to drink (it's a clause in restraining orders now, weird huh?). We had a cluster migraine who was basically incapacitated; we thought she had a stroke at first but it turns out she was just having a really bad migraine. After some meds she was able to sit up and talk which was good.
I only actually RODE the ambulance twice. Woe. =( Once for a little boy who'd taken a fall from a cart at Walmart (he was fine), and once for an older woman with AMS who I still don't know what was wrong with (who BIT ME).
And...that's it.
Off to take my first EMT-I test.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Night Nine
We got to cram airways into throats! It was awesome! I like it. I'd be terrified of trying that on a real person, but on a mannequin it's super fun. Technically you aren't supposed to be gentle with a real patient either seeing as you're trying to give them air, not be delicate. So as long as you don't cause real damage...go for it, apparently. I like this edict. Hehehe.
So we got to insert Combi-tube and King airways, which was a bit easier than I expected. So much so that I accidentally intubated my dummy the first time. -cough- But the second and third times I did it right.
ALSO. Guess what this is?
That's right.
That's my grade on the first test.
90% ^^
And we got two extra "gimme" questions because his explanations in class didn't coincide with the questions on the test (Cap refill, most of us chose 3sec and it's supposed to be 2sec - Pupil Reactivity, we were told we could use a light, have them open and close their eyes, or look up at the lights above if we didn't have a light so we chose all of the above which was wrong in the book), so "technically" I only missed 9. So I got 101/110 which divides to a 92%
SWEET.
I have another test tonight, on respiratory stuff and airways. I'm really confident about that.
Today's Lesson
Respiratory System
So what's in a respiratory system? Well, a few things. Let's take a look. All aboard the magic school bus.
We have the Nasopharynx - the nose
The Oralpharynx - the mouth
The Epiglottis - The flap of skin that covers the larynx to keep food from entering
The Larynx, which I misspelled on the picture and don't care enough to fix, which you breathe through.
The Trachea - Those hard Cs in the front of your throat. They keep your throat from being crushed by a bit of pressure. This is good. They also move if you swallow, also good.
Esophagus - The thing you swallow food through
Bronchi - The tubes that diverge and split into the lungs.
Lungs - Two of these, too.
Alveoli - The teeny tiny things at the end of the bronchioles. What do they do? Hell if I know. I'll look in a moment, I'm busy.
Diaphragm - the muscle under the lungs. It's used mostly for singing, it moves down as you breathe in and up as you breathe out. It's also known as your solar plexus. While checking to see where it is, don't smack yourself. It hurts.
OH RIGHT. The Alveoli are teensy tinsy sacs that do the air transfer - oxygen for carbon dioxide.
So now you know. I've also listed them in the order that air technically moves. The air goes down to the Alveolis and then is transferred and goes about oxygenating blood and all while the carbon dioxide heads back out.
Also, all oxygen tanks have between 2000 and 2200 PSI. And if they get down to 500 you're supposed to switch to a new tank. You can get about 23min out of a fully active 15Liter-flow tank. Or something like that.
Adequate breathing means your chest is rising evenly and you aren't blue. Inadequate is usually fairly obvious.
Only perform a jaw-thrust on a patient you believe has a compromised cervical spine (the first 7 vertebrae in the neck).
Room air is 21% oxygen.
No air = You die. Probably because your heart stops. We don't like that.
Side note, a kid in a football camp today totally broke his leg. I really wanted to go over but seeing as I ... well, don't know how to splint and don't have a cert I couldn't do anything. But I still totally wanted in on the action. I sat sadly at the window at work and gazed at the ambulance.
I cannot wait for clinicals.
So we got to insert Combi-tube and King airways, which was a bit easier than I expected. So much so that I accidentally intubated my dummy the first time. -cough- But the second and third times I did it right.
ALSO. Guess what this is?
That's right.
That's my grade on the first test.
90% ^^
And we got two extra "gimme" questions because his explanations in class didn't coincide with the questions on the test (Cap refill, most of us chose 3sec and it's supposed to be 2sec - Pupil Reactivity, we were told we could use a light, have them open and close their eyes, or look up at the lights above if we didn't have a light so we chose all of the above which was wrong in the book), so "technically" I only missed 9. So I got 101/110 which divides to a 92%
SWEET.
I have another test tonight, on respiratory stuff and airways. I'm really confident about that.
Today's Lesson
Respiratory System
So what's in a respiratory system? Well, a few things. Let's take a look. All aboard the magic school bus.
We have the Nasopharynx - the nose
The Oralpharynx - the mouth
The Epiglottis - The flap of skin that covers the larynx to keep food from entering
The Larynx, which I misspelled on the picture and don't care enough to fix, which you breathe through.
The Trachea - Those hard Cs in the front of your throat. They keep your throat from being crushed by a bit of pressure. This is good. They also move if you swallow, also good.
Esophagus - The thing you swallow food through
Bronchi - The tubes that diverge and split into the lungs.
Lungs - Two of these, too.
Alveoli - The teeny tiny things at the end of the bronchioles. What do they do? Hell if I know. I'll look in a moment, I'm busy.
Diaphragm - the muscle under the lungs. It's used mostly for singing, it moves down as you breathe in and up as you breathe out. It's also known as your solar plexus. While checking to see where it is, don't smack yourself. It hurts.
OH RIGHT. The Alveoli are teensy tinsy sacs that do the air transfer - oxygen for carbon dioxide.
So now you know. I've also listed them in the order that air technically moves. The air goes down to the Alveolis and then is transferred and goes about oxygenating blood and all while the carbon dioxide heads back out.
Also, all oxygen tanks have between 2000 and 2200 PSI. And if they get down to 500 you're supposed to switch to a new tank. You can get about 23min out of a fully active 15Liter-flow tank. Or something like that.
Adequate breathing means your chest is rising evenly and you aren't blue. Inadequate is usually fairly obvious.
Only perform a jaw-thrust on a patient you believe has a compromised cervical spine (the first 7 vertebrae in the neck).
Room air is 21% oxygen.
No air = You die. Probably because your heart stops. We don't like that.
Side note, a kid in a football camp today totally broke his leg. I really wanted to go over but seeing as I ... well, don't know how to splint and don't have a cert I couldn't do anything. But I still totally wanted in on the action. I sat sadly at the window at work and gazed at the ambulance.
I cannot wait for clinicals.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Night Eight
Oh dude last night was so sweet.
I had my first test, which I felt really good about - so either I kicked some test arse, or I failed. I'll let you know.
I KNOW I rocked out on the bones and the body positions but I may have gotten Coccyx mixed up with Sacrum so I guess we'll see. And I know I did well on the blood pressure questions because I went with "Sys/Di" and...well, that's right so yay lol.
I had a few where I went "HUH!?" but mostly it was "Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. REALLY? BamBambambam." I even had time to go get dinner and eat it before everyone else finished. O-o;
And then we did airways and it was thoroughly awesome.
Seriously.
Okay.
There are several awesome ways we can do this.
You do airways with the nose and/or mouth.
There are several different types.
Conscious
Nasal-Pharyngeal airway, a super comfy rubber tube that one shoves down the nose of the patient. This
is not pleasant but can be used for a patient that may be having trouble with maintaining the airway. See that right there? Yeah that's the thing they shove in your nose. The beveled edge goes in against the septum (the thingy in the middle) and they just go "swoop!" down the nose.
I suspect it's highly uncomfortable.
I'm not going to test it and try it. It can also be used on unconscious patients.
The Nasal Cannula is something you've probably seen your gramma or some ot
her random person in at some point. It's relatively non-invasive and low-flow which means you only give it about 1-6liters per minute (by comparison high flow is 15LPM). It's sort of... supplemental.
Generally the Cannula isn't used too much, especially not by an EMT-B. We're supposed to use "Non-Rebreather Masks" but sometimes they can give patients a very nasty feeling of claustrophobia so the Cannula gives oxygen without them feeling the need to panic.
This is applied by inserting the ends into the nostrils and hooking the edges of it over the ears before tightening the bottom piece somewhat like wearing earphones. Not too bad.
Non-Rebreather masks are sweet. They're for high-flow, 8-15LPM. Usually you sho
uld just go to 15. This is because it has a bag on it, which will fill with oxygen and the patient gets their air from that bag. Therefore no matter how fast the air is going, the patient is getting a nice regulated flow. This is applied by slipping the cord around the head and positioning the mask over the mouth and nose. It's only applied after you have put your thumb over the bag flap and held it for the bag to fill. Be sure to remove it before it pops. Because it will, if there's no way for the air to escape.
Unconscious
Oral-Pharyngeal Airway... please don't ever try to stick one of these in the mouth of a conscious patient. It will freak them the hell out. Also it looks lik
e it hurts like hell. You put it in with the curve pressing down on the tongue until you meet pressure, and then you twist and push down, which then makes the curve follow your tongue and push it forward, keeping it from relaxing into the airway. Also? It keeps your panicked patient from biting your damn fingers off and choking to death on them. This happens more than I care to realize.
There are sizes for everyone. The Oral and Nasal Pharyngeal airways need to be checked before being crammed in or guess what? You find out what Patient X had for dinner. So, for the oral you measure from the corner of the mouth to the ear and for nasal from the corner of the nostril to the ear. These can be used in children and the iiiiiitty bitty ones are just too cute for words.
Combi-Tube airways are really cool. They involve taking a tube, cramming it down your throat, and then giving you oxygen through them. You don't want this, because I doubt it feels good. You do want this, because by the time the situation calls for this, you're likely to be quite hungry for some air. It isolates the Trachea, pushes air into the lungs and if you vomit has a neat little tube just for that, so you don't aspirate it. Aspirating that means you will choke on it. And guess what? Hydrochloric acid in your lungs means you may suddenly be down a lobe or two.
King Airway is basically the same as Combi-tube but has a lot mor give to it. It's also shorter, sitting above the Epiglottis. It's sized for people 4-5ft, 5-6ft, and 6+ft tall.
Neither of these airways can be used on children under 4ft tall, by the way.
That picture is of the King airway. The comments are mine.
I could picture the combitube but it's pretty much the same damn thing so I'm not going to bother.
Official favourite quote from the night:
"The more things I can stick in you, the more fun I have."
Guess how long you'll live without oxygen? As an adult, 6min. Yes. That's it. After 6min you start to go into respiratory failure.
So what did we learn?
We don't want to stop breathing, because not breathing means our heart stops. Also it means some crazy EMT is going to grab me by the jaw, yank my mouth open, and jam a long plastic tube down my throat before attaching a Bag-Valve and forcing oxygen into my lungs.
However, if this sounds like a fun night for you, I can see about renting some equipment and practicing on you. That'd be great! ^^
Fun Fact: Blowing oxygen into a baby's eyes will blind them. Stevie Wonder? Yeah, a nurse did that.
Also. Petroleum Jelly + Oxygen = Boom. No, they didn't let us test that. Dammit.
I had my first test, which I felt really good about - so either I kicked some test arse, or I failed. I'll let you know.
I KNOW I rocked out on the bones and the body positions but I may have gotten Coccyx mixed up with Sacrum so I guess we'll see. And I know I did well on the blood pressure questions because I went with "Sys/Di" and...well, that's right so yay lol.
I had a few where I went "HUH!?" but mostly it was "Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. REALLY? BamBambambam." I even had time to go get dinner and eat it before everyone else finished. O-o;
And then we did airways and it was thoroughly awesome.
Seriously.
Okay.
There are several awesome ways we can do this.
You do airways with the nose and/or mouth.
There are several different types.
Conscious
Nasal-Pharyngeal airway, a super comfy rubber tube that one shoves down the nose of the patient. This
is not pleasant but can be used for a patient that may be having trouble with maintaining the airway. See that right there? Yeah that's the thing they shove in your nose. The beveled edge goes in against the septum (the thingy in the middle) and they just go "swoop!" down the nose.I suspect it's highly uncomfortable.
I'm not going to test it and try it. It can also be used on unconscious patients.
The Nasal Cannula is something you've probably seen your gramma or some ot
her random person in at some point. It's relatively non-invasive and low-flow which means you only give it about 1-6liters per minute (by comparison high flow is 15LPM). It's sort of... supplemental.Generally the Cannula isn't used too much, especially not by an EMT-B. We're supposed to use "Non-Rebreather Masks" but sometimes they can give patients a very nasty feeling of claustrophobia so the Cannula gives oxygen without them feeling the need to panic.
This is applied by inserting the ends into the nostrils and hooking the edges of it over the ears before tightening the bottom piece somewhat like wearing earphones. Not too bad.
Non-Rebreather masks are sweet. They're for high-flow, 8-15LPM. Usually you sho
uld just go to 15. This is because it has a bag on it, which will fill with oxygen and the patient gets their air from that bag. Therefore no matter how fast the air is going, the patient is getting a nice regulated flow. This is applied by slipping the cord around the head and positioning the mask over the mouth and nose. It's only applied after you have put your thumb over the bag flap and held it for the bag to fill. Be sure to remove it before it pops. Because it will, if there's no way for the air to escape.Unconscious
Oral-Pharyngeal Airway... please don't ever try to stick one of these in the mouth of a conscious patient. It will freak them the hell out. Also it looks lik
e it hurts like hell. You put it in with the curve pressing down on the tongue until you meet pressure, and then you twist and push down, which then makes the curve follow your tongue and push it forward, keeping it from relaxing into the airway. Also? It keeps your panicked patient from biting your damn fingers off and choking to death on them. This happens more than I care to realize.There are sizes for everyone. The Oral and Nasal Pharyngeal airways need to be checked before being crammed in or guess what? You find out what Patient X had for dinner. So, for the oral you measure from the corner of the mouth to the ear and for nasal from the corner of the nostril to the ear. These can be used in children and the iiiiiitty bitty ones are just too cute for words.
Combi-Tube airways are really cool. They involve taking a tube, cramming it down your throat, and then giving you oxygen through them. You don't want this, because I doubt it feels good. You do want this, because by the time the situation calls for this, you're likely to be quite hungry for some air. It isolates the Trachea, pushes air into the lungs and if you vomit has a neat little tube just for that, so you don't aspirate it. Aspirating that means you will choke on it. And guess what? Hydrochloric acid in your lungs means you may suddenly be down a lobe or two.
King Airway is basically the same as Combi-tube but has a lot mor give to it. It's also shorter, sitting above the Epiglottis. It's sized for people 4-5ft, 5-6ft, and 6+ft tall.
Neither of these airways can be used on children under 4ft tall, by the way.
That picture is of the King airway. The comments are mine.
I could picture the combitube but it's pretty much the same damn thing so I'm not going to bother.
Official favourite quote from the night:
"The more things I can stick in you, the more fun I have."
Guess how long you'll live without oxygen? As an adult, 6min. Yes. That's it. After 6min you start to go into respiratory failure.
So what did we learn?
We don't want to stop breathing, because not breathing means our heart stops. Also it means some crazy EMT is going to grab me by the jaw, yank my mouth open, and jam a long plastic tube down my throat before attaching a Bag-Valve and forcing oxygen into my lungs.
However, if this sounds like a fun night for you, I can see about renting some equipment and practicing on you. That'd be great! ^^
Fun Fact: Blowing oxygen into a baby's eyes will blind them. Stevie Wonder? Yeah, a nurse did that.
Also. Petroleum Jelly + Oxygen = Boom. No, they didn't let us test that. Dammit.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Night Seven
Yes, two posts in one day. It's true. I know.
Last night we learned some really fun stuff. Really. Yes.
Did you know: If you're walking down the street and an ambulance needs a driver, as long as you're over 18 with a valid license you can be COMMANDEERED and essentially kidnapped to drive the ambulance? LEGALLY?
So cool.
Also, between 5 and 7am is "heart attack and chest pain" time.
If you have someone on drugs and push Narcan, never ever push it all at once. They'll wake up super pissed.
We also got to...well, eye the backboards, but we didn't get to play with them yet. However, we will soon get to strap each other into the backboards... and come in and be informed "you and you are hurt, you and you are team leads go" lol. THAT will be super fun. Getting to do all the assessments and stuff. I'm excited to start doing scenarios!
Also there's a spiffy thing called The Black Bag, which contains all sorts of IVs and drugs and other goodies. Only an Intermediate or above can replace stuff in the Black Bag since it contains drugs which Basic cannot touch.
Doctors suck in the field. Just so you know. You don't want a doctor in the field if you can avoid it. They tend to get all flustered and pushy and generally just...suck. So if you're a doctor and you see an accident scene that has EMTs on scene, JUST KEEP DRIVING.
If you have a big accident scene and a small service, you should perform triage (meaning assess patients and start laying out equipment) while waiting for backup to arrive. This is because once you start the care of a patient, you cannot give it up unless it's to someone with the same or higher level as you (B to B, I, P, RN, Dr and I to I, P, RN, Dr and P to P, RN, Dr) and that can just cause problems. So if the care can wait, wait.
And there's what I learned.
Sorry it's actually informative instead of snarky, I'm exhausted.
Last night we learned some really fun stuff. Really. Yes.
Did you know: If you're walking down the street and an ambulance needs a driver, as long as you're over 18 with a valid license you can be COMMANDEERED and essentially kidnapped to drive the ambulance? LEGALLY?
So cool.
Also, between 5 and 7am is "heart attack and chest pain" time.
If you have someone on drugs and push Narcan, never ever push it all at once. They'll wake up super pissed.
We also got to...well, eye the backboards, but we didn't get to play with them yet. However, we will soon get to strap each other into the backboards... and come in and be informed "you and you are hurt, you and you are team leads go" lol. THAT will be super fun. Getting to do all the assessments and stuff. I'm excited to start doing scenarios!
Also there's a spiffy thing called The Black Bag, which contains all sorts of IVs and drugs and other goodies. Only an Intermediate or above can replace stuff in the Black Bag since it contains drugs which Basic cannot touch.
Doctors suck in the field. Just so you know. You don't want a doctor in the field if you can avoid it. They tend to get all flustered and pushy and generally just...suck. So if you're a doctor and you see an accident scene that has EMTs on scene, JUST KEEP DRIVING.
If you have a big accident scene and a small service, you should perform triage (meaning assess patients and start laying out equipment) while waiting for backup to arrive. This is because once you start the care of a patient, you cannot give it up unless it's to someone with the same or higher level as you (B to B, I, P, RN, Dr and I to I, P, RN, Dr and P to P, RN, Dr) and that can just cause problems. So if the care can wait, wait.
And there's what I learned.
Sorry it's actually informative instead of snarky, I'm exhausted.
Night Six
I am officially CPR certified. So if I see you choking and I blink and walk away, technically I can be held liable. Fun, huh?
I got to class and we immediately began to cover what rhythms an AED will shock (V-tac and V-fib which are ...well only way I can remember is "top line and bottom line" which may or may not make sense to anyone else. But I remember this because a flatline or acystole. Which I just spelled completely phonetically, by the way). Then we discussed the stuff we already knew (30 compressions, 2 breaths, rate of 100pm) and then we got to stare at creepy child dolls.
They were all...gaping mouths and striped onesies and it was generally freaky. However, using a BVM on an infant sized mannequin was way easier than using one on an adult so I rocked that. Actually it was funny - after just one night of working on the adults when it came to the infants I was a lot more confident as to where to compress and how.
Generally the chest won't LET you compress any deeper than you need to so that's good.
With an infant you can use two fingers to press down on the chest, or you can wrap your hands around the sides and use your thumbs. I found that way easier for the throat not closing again but it shouldn't be used without help for breaths because then you have to put them down for breaths and that defeats the purpose since the airway closes. So it's a good idea to put a facecloth or similar between the shoulder blades to help keep the throat open.
And then came testing time.
I was all geared up, asking to hit some dummies before we actually got tested on it - and was informed "oh, you all passed the practical part of it Thursday." And then they handed up a twenty-question test.
Yes.
Really.
The American Heart Association CPR certification test is TWENTY QUESTIONS LONG.
Multiple choice, too.
I missed one, and that's because I didn't read all of the possible answers.
Busy and Holes both failed it the first time - if you miss more than three you don't pass. Notice how I said first? Apparently you can re-take the test just as many times as you feel you need to.
Yes, really.
No, I'm not kidding.
They both passed it the second time but if they hadn't, they could have just...kept taking it.
These are the people who might stumble upon you after your heart stops. Yes. Really.
So there we go. I'm now a Certified CPR provider.
I got to class and we immediately began to cover what rhythms an AED will shock (V-tac and V-fib which are ...well only way I can remember is "top line and bottom line" which may or may not make sense to anyone else. But I remember this because a flatline or acystole. Which I just spelled completely phonetically, by the way). Then we discussed the stuff we already knew (30 compressions, 2 breaths, rate of 100pm) and then we got to stare at creepy child dolls.
They were all...gaping mouths and striped onesies and it was generally freaky. However, using a BVM on an infant sized mannequin was way easier than using one on an adult so I rocked that. Actually it was funny - after just one night of working on the adults when it came to the infants I was a lot more confident as to where to compress and how.
Generally the chest won't LET you compress any deeper than you need to so that's good.
With an infant you can use two fingers to press down on the chest, or you can wrap your hands around the sides and use your thumbs. I found that way easier for the throat not closing again but it shouldn't be used without help for breaths because then you have to put them down for breaths and that defeats the purpose since the airway closes. So it's a good idea to put a facecloth or similar between the shoulder blades to help keep the throat open.
And then came testing time.
I was all geared up, asking to hit some dummies before we actually got tested on it - and was informed "oh, you all passed the practical part of it Thursday." And then they handed up a twenty-question test.
Yes.
Really.
The American Heart Association CPR certification test is TWENTY QUESTIONS LONG.
Multiple choice, too.
I missed one, and that's because I didn't read all of the possible answers.
Busy and Holes both failed it the first time - if you miss more than three you don't pass. Notice how I said first? Apparently you can re-take the test just as many times as you feel you need to.
Yes, really.
No, I'm not kidding.
They both passed it the second time but if they hadn't, they could have just...kept taking it.
These are the people who might stumble upon you after your heart stops. Yes. Really.
So there we go. I'm now a Certified CPR provider.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Night Five
I am officially done with one night of CPR training... and it was not hard lol. I thought it would suck WAY more! I ended up sharing my dummy with Nurse most of the time. We started out with vitals, which I took of Busy - hers went down and mine went up, go figure? And then we all sat silently to wait for Nurse since Crispy and Kiddo both already had CPR cards and Nurse was late. So she finally got there and after some bantering (I love this class now that they've all calmed down and stopped being dead silent, they're funny! And quick, too) we started up.
For an adult it's 30 compressions, 2 breaths, at a rate of roughly 100 compressions a minute - which means you should be compression 90 times and breathing six times in a minute if you're going fast enough. After two minutes, or five compressions, you stop and reassess (IE look for a pulse). If there's a heartbeat but they aren't breathing you just breathe for them until help arrives. Pretty much the exact same for a kid but shallower compressions.
I also learned to use an AED and holy crap, is that EASY. It looks like a child's toy. You press a button to turn it on. It TALKS TO YOU and tells you what to do. You stick the pads (which have diagrams for placement) on the chest and then you plug 'em in. It checks for a heartrate, then tells you to clear the body and press the orange button to deliver a shock. That's all there is to it.
Fun Fact: Disneyland has an AED and Emergency Phone every 100 feet!
We were threatened with a "miracle of life" video but maybe we'll get away without that lol. I think we have to watch that later during EMT stuff but fortunately I don't think a CPR certification requires knowing how to deliver a baby. Haha.
We also learned how to perform the Heim -- oops. Did you know if you use the "H" word now you have to pay a $2 royalty? They're called "abdominal thrusts" now. So we learned how to perform "abdominal thrusts" on someone who's choking and how to handle someone who passes out while choking. AND how to do thrusts on someone overweight (whack 'em in the abdomen with your elbow. No, I'm not kidding) and how to do 'em on someone who's pregnant (chest thrusts, in the same place as you do CPR thrusts).
Fun Fact: The accepted place for CPR is "xyphoid process and two fingers up." The real place is between the nipple-line.
That was about all we did. I am really bad with BVMs (Bag-Valve Masks) but I got a bit better. I'm AWFUL at making sure the frickin' head is back to clear the airway lol... but I'm great at compressions, once I figure out where to do them.
Also if you are compressing and start hearing "knuckle-cracking" sounds... that's because the rib cartilidge is tearing away from the sternum. Yes, really. Apparently you will know when you break ribs. And CPR leaves huge massive nasty bruises on people.
Also two minutes is a really long time. It's one hell of a work-out. I was shaky after class.
"Somebody Call 9-1-1!!!"
For an adult it's 30 compressions, 2 breaths, at a rate of roughly 100 compressions a minute - which means you should be compression 90 times and breathing six times in a minute if you're going fast enough. After two minutes, or five compressions, you stop and reassess (IE look for a pulse). If there's a heartbeat but they aren't breathing you just breathe for them until help arrives. Pretty much the exact same for a kid but shallower compressions.
I also learned to use an AED and holy crap, is that EASY. It looks like a child's toy. You press a button to turn it on. It TALKS TO YOU and tells you what to do. You stick the pads (which have diagrams for placement) on the chest and then you plug 'em in. It checks for a heartrate, then tells you to clear the body and press the orange button to deliver a shock. That's all there is to it.
Fun Fact: Disneyland has an AED and Emergency Phone every 100 feet!
We were threatened with a "miracle of life" video but maybe we'll get away without that lol. I think we have to watch that later during EMT stuff but fortunately I don't think a CPR certification requires knowing how to deliver a baby. Haha.
We also learned how to perform the Heim -- oops. Did you know if you use the "H" word now you have to pay a $2 royalty? They're called "abdominal thrusts" now. So we learned how to perform "abdominal thrusts" on someone who's choking and how to handle someone who passes out while choking. AND how to do thrusts on someone overweight (whack 'em in the abdomen with your elbow. No, I'm not kidding) and how to do 'em on someone who's pregnant (chest thrusts, in the same place as you do CPR thrusts).
Fun Fact: The accepted place for CPR is "xyphoid process and two fingers up." The real place is between the nipple-line.
That was about all we did. I am really bad with BVMs (Bag-Valve Masks) but I got a bit better. I'm AWFUL at making sure the frickin' head is back to clear the airway lol... but I'm great at compressions, once I figure out where to do them.
Also if you are compressing and start hearing "knuckle-cracking" sounds... that's because the rib cartilidge is tearing away from the sternum. Yes, really. Apparently you will know when you break ribs. And CPR leaves huge massive nasty bruises on people.
Also two minutes is a really long time. It's one hell of a work-out. I was shaky after class.
"Somebody Call 9-1-1!!!"
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Night Four
Sorry I was le'tired the other night so I didn't post this one.
After a ridiculous amount of difficulty during the day, I showed up to class. We went over stuff like how the heart works (er...something about... well I know the left side pumps blood to the whole body and the right pumps blood to the lungs... that's all I remember - this is bad, we're being tested on that) and the respiratory system. And covered some stuff about nerves and the endocrine system (we spent a grand total of ONE PARAGRAPH on that. Thankfully we'll be covering that again in later chapters).
Then we got to play with blood pressure cuffs!
Er. I mean. We got to...very seriously be instructed on how to use them.
What'cha do is find the pulse-point above the elbow and apply the cuff, keeping it level with the heart. There's even a neat little label on the cuff that says "ARTERY" with an arrow. It makes me laugh.
Then, you tighten the little dial on the top of the black...er...perfume-squirter thing. And then you pump that sucker up to 160 (higher with older patients since they tend to have higher blood pressures). Then you turn the dial sliiiiiiightly to the left and let the air slowly ninja out. And listen closely on the stethoscope. Suddenly you'll hear the heartbeat SUPER LOUD. That's when you check to see where it started. Then you listen intently and let the air keep whispering out. Suddenly the beat will stop being so loud and you check again. My BP is around 90/60, which isn't worrisome because I'm so tiny. It WAS worrisome a few months ago when it was like 140/90 or something insane like that. Methinks I was having a panic attack when they checked that. O_O;
Then they let us out two hours early. It was righteous. We're going to be doing our CPR certification tonight (Night Five) and Monday (Night Six). That will be very exciting. Whoo-hoo. -waves hands-
Also. Here's the Skeleton stuff I learned. Let's see how many I can get, yes?
1. Cranium
2. Mandible (the top jaw is the Maxilla by the way)
3. Clavical
4. Sternum (which ends in the Xyphoid process)
5. Humorous
6. Ribs
7. Spine
8. I believe this is either the pelvis or the pubis. Not sure there.
9. Radius
10. Ulna
11. Carpals
12. Metacarpals
13. Uh...fingertips? WTF is this doing here?
14. Femur
15. Er. Knee? Crap I can't remember.
16. Fibula
17. Tibia or Tibula or whatever
18. Tarsals
19. Metatarsals
20. ...toe...tip...bones? WTF?
Okay so the things I need to know for the test that I don't - 8 and 15. The other two, 13 and 20, won't be on the test so I don't give a darn lol.
So there you have it. Things I know! I can't believe I remember this. But I tend to sit there and poke my bones when I get bored muttering the names. ...ohmigod, am I studying!? LIES. I must stop this immediately! Someone call for help!
Alriiiight. Four days of class and I can take a mean pulse, watch people breathe, and check blood-pressure. I also know where your bones are, unless you need help with your knees in which case you're screwed 'cause I don't know the fancy name for that. (-looks it up- Patella! That's it. Oh and 13 and 20 are "Phalanges." Whatever. -huff- And they say it's Pelvis...cool, then I'm rockin' - I think the pubis is the thing underneath the coccyx (tailbone) perhaps).
Bam. Recognize (yes I am such a boring person that I will LOOK this stuff UP for accuracy) -->
I'm excited for the CPR certification tonight and Monday. Pleasepleasepleaseplease be hands-on. I love hands-on. I am a very hands-on learner. In fact I tend to fail lecture classes and ace the labs, go figure.
...please?
(Thanks for the comments by the way, it's fun to know one or two people are actually reading this and I'm not just lecturing on medical nonsense to myself! ... although this may be good for studying for the State test...hmm...)
After a ridiculous amount of difficulty during the day, I showed up to class. We went over stuff like how the heart works (er...something about... well I know the left side pumps blood to the whole body and the right pumps blood to the lungs... that's all I remember - this is bad, we're being tested on that) and the respiratory system. And covered some stuff about nerves and the endocrine system (we spent a grand total of ONE PARAGRAPH on that. Thankfully we'll be covering that again in later chapters).
Then we got to play with blood pressure cuffs!
Er. I mean. We got to...very seriously be instructed on how to use them.
What'cha do is find the pulse-point above the elbow and apply the cuff, keeping it level with the heart. There's even a neat little label on the cuff that says "ARTERY" with an arrow. It makes me laugh.
Then, you tighten the little dial on the top of the black...er...perfume-squirter thing. And then you pump that sucker up to 160 (higher with older patients since they tend to have higher blood pressures). Then you turn the dial sliiiiiiightly to the left and let the air slowly ninja out. And listen closely on the stethoscope. Suddenly you'll hear the heartbeat SUPER LOUD. That's when you check to see where it started. Then you listen intently and let the air keep whispering out. Suddenly the beat will stop being so loud and you check again. My BP is around 90/60, which isn't worrisome because I'm so tiny. It WAS worrisome a few months ago when it was like 140/90 or something insane like that. Methinks I was having a panic attack when they checked that. O_O;
Then they let us out two hours early. It was righteous. We're going to be doing our CPR certification tonight (Night Five) and Monday (Night Six). That will be very exciting. Whoo-hoo. -waves hands-
Also. Here's the Skeleton stuff I learned. Let's see how many I can get, yes?
1. Cranium
2. Mandible (the top jaw is the Maxilla by the way)
3. Clavical
4. Sternum (which ends in the Xyphoid process)
5. Humorous
6. Ribs
7. Spine
8. I believe this is either the pelvis or the pubis. Not sure there.
9. Radius
10. Ulna
11. Carpals
12. Metacarpals
13. Uh...fingertips? WTF is this doing here?
14. Femur
15. Er. Knee? Crap I can't remember.
16. Fibula
17. Tibia or Tibula or whatever
18. Tarsals
19. Metatarsals
20. ...toe...tip...bones? WTF?
Okay so the things I need to know for the test that I don't - 8 and 15. The other two, 13 and 20, won't be on the test so I don't give a darn lol.
So there you have it. Things I know! I can't believe I remember this. But I tend to sit there and poke my bones when I get bored muttering the names. ...ohmigod, am I studying!? LIES. I must stop this immediately! Someone call for help!
Alriiiight. Four days of class and I can take a mean pulse, watch people breathe, and check blood-pressure. I also know where your bones are, unless you need help with your knees in which case you're screwed 'cause I don't know the fancy name for that. (-looks it up- Patella! That's it. Oh and 13 and 20 are "Phalanges." Whatever. -huff- And they say it's Pelvis...cool, then I'm rockin' - I think the pubis is the thing underneath the coccyx (tailbone) perhaps).
Bam. Recognize (yes I am such a boring person that I will LOOK this stuff UP for accuracy) -->
I'm excited for the CPR certification tonight and Monday. Pleasepleasepleaseplease be hands-on. I love hands-on. I am a very hands-on learner. In fact I tend to fail lecture classes and ace the labs, go figure.
...please?
(Thanks for the comments by the way, it's fun to know one or two people are actually reading this and I'm not just lecturing on medical nonsense to myself! ... although this may be good for studying for the State test...hmm...)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Night Three
Tonight we actually got to do hands-on stuff! HOORAY! We had a different instructor for the night and she let us play with stethoscopes.
Granted, that was after an hour and a half of crap I didn't care about but will be cramming for later... but still. I was more excited about actually doing stuff. I am already tired of lectures lol. But they promise by the end it will be hands on>lecture instead of lecture>hands on. Hope so. Soon.
Anyhoo.
We learned stuff like the "epiglottis" - which is the muscle that stops things you eat/drink from getting into your larnyx...which was funny since I immediately choked on my drink and we all got to laugh about "How's your epiglottis working?" which immediately came from the girl who sits to my left. So we all giggled at my expense. Thanks, Sonic.
We also learned about how if you break the C1 or C2 vertebra, you're effed. And dead. Below that, you're paralyzed. We ALSO discussed how most people who hang themselves who it wrong and break the wrong vertebra so they usually end up paralyzed. Then later she mentioned how people who cut side to side on their wrists are looking for attention, and those who cut up and down truly want to kill themselves. Then I began to wonder if she was trying to give us all advice on how to best kill ourselves, seeing as that seemed to be the theme for the night.
Then after all that we worked on pulse-taking (You have a pulse in your throat, on your arm a few inches down from your armpit, your wrist, inside your groin area, just above your ankle, and on top of your foot, by the way) and respiration-counting. That was a blasty-blast. I discovered I have a pretty solid 88bpm pulse but my respirations changed by like...ten in a minute. Geesh.
Then we got to play with them thar promised stethoscopes. She sent two smokers out to... smoke... and we all played about and waited for them. When they returned we listened to their lungs and the lungs of a non-smoker and holy crap is there a difference. The lungs on a smoker CRACKLE! Yes. Crackle. Like "Hi there, you're killing yourself." The non-smoker has smooth, even breaths all healthy-like. I was disturbed. When asked if this made them want to quit smoking both of the smokers went "...uh...no?" I'd sure be freaked out about the difference in MY lung sounds versus a normal person but I guess I'm not an idiot...
And then she let us go. 9pm. We are getting so spoiled. We're supposed to be there to 10pm.
I did, however, managed to shut-the-hell-up most of the night which I was excited by. I asked a few, pertinent, questions without chatting the whole time. Score.
So there we go.
Also, for your ease...Cast of Characters
-The woman on my left who's also a nursing major will be Nurse
-The woman to my right who's all healthy and crap will be Busy
-The teenager who's just about to go into her senior year of high school will be Kiddo
-The attractive guy to her left will be Cutie
-The firefighter to his left will be Crispy
-The girl with a nasty look on her face ALL the time shall be Meanie
-The boy with about fourteen facial piercings will be Holes
So there we go. Nurse, Busy, Kiddo, Cutie, Crispy, Meanie, and Holes.
Flaavaaa flaaaaav...
(please tell me you got that. please?)
Granted, that was after an hour and a half of crap I didn't care about but will be cramming for later... but still. I was more excited about actually doing stuff. I am already tired of lectures lol. But they promise by the end it will be hands on>lecture instead of lecture>hands on. Hope so. Soon.
Anyhoo.
We learned stuff like the "epiglottis" - which is the muscle that stops things you eat/drink from getting into your larnyx...which was funny since I immediately choked on my drink and we all got to laugh about "How's your epiglottis working?" which immediately came from the girl who sits to my left. So we all giggled at my expense. Thanks, Sonic.
We also learned about how if you break the C1 or C2 vertebra, you're effed. And dead. Below that, you're paralyzed. We ALSO discussed how most people who hang themselves who it wrong and break the wrong vertebra so they usually end up paralyzed. Then later she mentioned how people who cut side to side on their wrists are looking for attention, and those who cut up and down truly want to kill themselves. Then I began to wonder if she was trying to give us all advice on how to best kill ourselves, seeing as that seemed to be the theme for the night.
Then after all that we worked on pulse-taking (You have a pulse in your throat, on your arm a few inches down from your armpit, your wrist, inside your groin area, just above your ankle, and on top of your foot, by the way) and respiration-counting. That was a blasty-blast. I discovered I have a pretty solid 88bpm pulse but my respirations changed by like...ten in a minute. Geesh.
Then we got to play with them thar promised stethoscopes. She sent two smokers out to... smoke... and we all played about and waited for them. When they returned we listened to their lungs and the lungs of a non-smoker and holy crap is there a difference. The lungs on a smoker CRACKLE! Yes. Crackle. Like "Hi there, you're killing yourself." The non-smoker has smooth, even breaths all healthy-like. I was disturbed. When asked if this made them want to quit smoking both of the smokers went "...uh...no?" I'd sure be freaked out about the difference in MY lung sounds versus a normal person but I guess I'm not an idiot...
And then she let us go. 9pm. We are getting so spoiled. We're supposed to be there to 10pm.
I did, however, managed to shut-the-hell-up most of the night which I was excited by. I asked a few, pertinent, questions without chatting the whole time. Score.
So there we go.
Also, for your ease...Cast of Characters
-The woman on my left who's also a nursing major will be Nurse
-The woman to my right who's all healthy and crap will be Busy
-The teenager who's just about to go into her senior year of high school will be Kiddo
-The attractive guy to her left will be Cutie
-The firefighter to his left will be Crispy
-The girl with a nasty look on her face ALL the time shall be Meanie
-The boy with about fourteen facial piercings will be Holes
So there we go. Nurse, Busy, Kiddo, Cutie, Crispy, Meanie, and Holes.
Flaavaaa flaaaaav...
(please tell me you got that. please?)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Hey There
If you're here from Ultimatebettas or Karen Marie Moning I <3 you either way. Leave a message after the tone!
...beep. >.>;
...beep. >.>;
Night Two
Pretty easy night again - got out at 9:20. Score.
I've discovered I cannot shut the hell up in class. I tried, I really did. I bit my tongue, I kept my hand pressed to my mouth, I counted backwards from eighty. But to no avail. Every time a thought, fleeting as it may be, crossed my mind in the form of a statement or a question...it burst from my mouth like an Alien from a damn chest. Yeah, top that metaphor. I dare you.
So I know I'm excited about the course material because I had constant questions. I could tell I was annoying the instructor because he started just talking over me when I tried to ask questions. So I managed to coerce myself to shut the hell up in the second half moreso than the first.
We covered EMT wellbeing - what happens if you get contaminated by a coughing patient with TB, or the fluids of someone with AIDS, etcetera. And some stuff about stress and mental stability which amuses me. I'm surprised my multiple "she's a crazy person!" diagnoses don't automatically DQ me from this job. But hey. The panic disorder is the only thing I'd forsee as a real issue. Also they're opening a station near where I live which would rock since then I can do nightshift on call. Which means I get paid $4 an hour to sit on my ass and do nothing unless there's a call. I think being "on call" sounds genius and awesome lol.
Then in the second half we touched on the medical legality stuff - DNRs, refusal of treatment/transit, etcetera. As amusing as it would be, an EMT cannot attack a random stander-by and drag them into the ambulance and practice their IV insertion. But if you do refuse an EMT's help, you have to read and sign a fancy waiver that probably says something like this:
"I've chosen to forgo medical treatment. This is because I'm a dumbass, and either I called 911 in a fit of idiocy, or I'm too stubborn to realize that the person who called it for me called for a reason. If I die of a heart attack sometime soon it's not your fault.
Love,
Patient"
Of course that's just a guess, I haven't actually read the waiver yet.
We finally get to work on vital signs in Thursday. I'm a bit excited. That and some anatomy. Also cool. I haven't done vitals since I worked for a summer at a Podiatrist's office. I had a little machine that I put on their wrist and I held their arm up, and whammo - pulse and BP. So now I get to learn how to do it for real which is something I've wanted to do for a while. The BP, not the pulse. I'm fairly sure I'm not too underqualified to count some damn heartbeats. But we all know the first time I do it I'll lose my mind and make an idiot of myself in front of everyone trying to take a pulse with my thumb on the pulse point.
This class is making me a bit healthier too... I'm going to TRY to head out at 6:30 tomorrow morning to give some swimming a try. Gotta make my new $20 suit worth it. I suspect I will be waking up at 7:40 swearing because I have to be at work at 8:00 and it takes me :30 to drive there. This is just a sneaking suspicion I have. Possibly because I've been attatched to my own lazy ass for twenty years now.
Speaking of...whatever I was just speaking of, it's bedtime for me. There's the update. I'm amazed I actually did it. Hooray! Now inundate me with adoring and appreciative comments.
Go on.
I'm shameless.
I've discovered I cannot shut the hell up in class. I tried, I really did. I bit my tongue, I kept my hand pressed to my mouth, I counted backwards from eighty. But to no avail. Every time a thought, fleeting as it may be, crossed my mind in the form of a statement or a question...it burst from my mouth like an Alien from a damn chest. Yeah, top that metaphor. I dare you.
So I know I'm excited about the course material because I had constant questions. I could tell I was annoying the instructor because he started just talking over me when I tried to ask questions. So I managed to coerce myself to shut the hell up in the second half moreso than the first.
We covered EMT wellbeing - what happens if you get contaminated by a coughing patient with TB, or the fluids of someone with AIDS, etcetera. And some stuff about stress and mental stability which amuses me. I'm surprised my multiple "she's a crazy person!" diagnoses don't automatically DQ me from this job. But hey. The panic disorder is the only thing I'd forsee as a real issue. Also they're opening a station near where I live which would rock since then I can do nightshift on call. Which means I get paid $4 an hour to sit on my ass and do nothing unless there's a call. I think being "on call" sounds genius and awesome lol.
Then in the second half we touched on the medical legality stuff - DNRs, refusal of treatment/transit, etcetera. As amusing as it would be, an EMT cannot attack a random stander-by and drag them into the ambulance and practice their IV insertion. But if you do refuse an EMT's help, you have to read and sign a fancy waiver that probably says something like this:
"I've chosen to forgo medical treatment. This is because I'm a dumbass, and either I called 911 in a fit of idiocy, or I'm too stubborn to realize that the person who called it for me called for a reason. If I die of a heart attack sometime soon it's not your fault.
Love,
Patient"
Of course that's just a guess, I haven't actually read the waiver yet.
We finally get to work on vital signs in Thursday. I'm a bit excited. That and some anatomy. Also cool. I haven't done vitals since I worked for a summer at a Podiatrist's office. I had a little machine that I put on their wrist and I held their arm up, and whammo - pulse and BP. So now I get to learn how to do it for real which is something I've wanted to do for a while. The BP, not the pulse. I'm fairly sure I'm not too underqualified to count some damn heartbeats. But we all know the first time I do it I'll lose my mind and make an idiot of myself in front of everyone trying to take a pulse with my thumb on the pulse point.
This class is making me a bit healthier too... I'm going to TRY to head out at 6:30 tomorrow morning to give some swimming a try. Gotta make my new $20 suit worth it. I suspect I will be waking up at 7:40 swearing because I have to be at work at 8:00 and it takes me :30 to drive there. This is just a sneaking suspicion I have. Possibly because I've been attatched to my own lazy ass for twenty years now.
Speaking of...whatever I was just speaking of, it's bedtime for me. There's the update. I'm amazed I actually did it. Hooray! Now inundate me with adoring and appreciative comments.
Go on.
I'm shameless.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Also
Yes, I do work from 8am to 3pm, why do you ask? >.>
I have officially had...five hours to read my next chapter in my EMT book.
Wanna know what I did instead?
See that cute, adorable, SQUEERIFIC banner up there?
...yeah. That's what I did instead.
I am gonna kick this class' ass.
I have officially had...five hours to read my next chapter in my EMT book.
Wanna know what I did instead?
See that cute, adorable, SQUEERIFIC banner up there?
...yeah. That's what I did instead.
I am gonna kick this class' ass.
Today's Rule
Lugging a twenty pound, twelve hundred page book in your backpack does not a cool kid make.
It does, however, a badass weapon make. New rule tomorrow.
<3
It does, however, a badass weapon make. New rule tomorrow.
<3
Night One
May 18, 2009.
Arrived thirty minutes early, looking like a total moron, having expected to get lost as I've never actually been to this college before. Fortunately, the instructors were both really nice and pleasant, and we had a decent conversation all about how totally not-on-the-ball I am as far as books (didn't have 'em), stethoscope (didn't expect to need one), shirt (didn't get one), pants (didn't know I needed a new pair), and actual money to pay for the class (nope).
After the other seven students arrived and three got sent to get their books I decided I didn't need to go grocery shopping and followed them, blowing $80 on a frickin' 1200 page book. Good thing? I will be able to do the reading, and it is looking like a book that will be one of those rare books you can use more than once. Bad thing? It cost me way too much friggin' money. Harrumph. I only bought it with my own cash because we need to have chapter one and two read by tomorrow and I am not that psychic so I actually need a book to read.
We then discussed two hours of boring, broken with intermittent weak jokes (that I still thought were funny, but my class appears to be populated by cadavers) and neat personal anecdotes (eeee paramedic stories). Tomorrow is apparently going to be four hours of boring. Then I get Wednesday off before four more hours of boring.
Also, I can't lift 125lbs. I have to be able to. I can lift 50lbs, and 60lbs, but after that I start to have a problem. Know what? 50lbs is half my body weight. I think that's pretty darn good. So I am thinking of going to the gym for an hour after work on Wendesday and Friday.
Note: That will never happen. I hate working out. But it's nice to pretend I'm going to be proactive.
Also if I miss three classes, I'm booted from the program - this will be hard for me, I'm truly horrible about not attending class. But at the moment I'm still excited for it, so let's hope that doesn't wear off. If get below a 75 on any test, I'm unable to be certified. This is a horrible thing to say to a girl with test anxiety so bad that I tend to get to the room and have an instant panic attack.
I think that's all we learned. I sleep soon...holy crap it's almost 1am... so I can get up tomorrow and do this all over again. Whoo...routine...
Arrived thirty minutes early, looking like a total moron, having expected to get lost as I've never actually been to this college before. Fortunately, the instructors were both really nice and pleasant, and we had a decent conversation all about how totally not-on-the-ball I am as far as books (didn't have 'em), stethoscope (didn't expect to need one), shirt (didn't get one), pants (didn't know I needed a new pair), and actual money to pay for the class (nope).
After the other seven students arrived and three got sent to get their books I decided I didn't need to go grocery shopping and followed them, blowing $80 on a frickin' 1200 page book. Good thing? I will be able to do the reading, and it is looking like a book that will be one of those rare books you can use more than once. Bad thing? It cost me way too much friggin' money. Harrumph. I only bought it with my own cash because we need to have chapter one and two read by tomorrow and I am not that psychic so I actually need a book to read.
We then discussed two hours of boring, broken with intermittent weak jokes (that I still thought were funny, but my class appears to be populated by cadavers) and neat personal anecdotes (eeee paramedic stories). Tomorrow is apparently going to be four hours of boring. Then I get Wednesday off before four more hours of boring.
Also, I can't lift 125lbs. I have to be able to. I can lift 50lbs, and 60lbs, but after that I start to have a problem. Know what? 50lbs is half my body weight. I think that's pretty darn good. So I am thinking of going to the gym for an hour after work on Wendesday and Friday.
Note: That will never happen. I hate working out. But it's nice to pretend I'm going to be proactive.
Also if I miss three classes, I'm booted from the program - this will be hard for me, I'm truly horrible about not attending class. But at the moment I'm still excited for it, so let's hope that doesn't wear off. If get below a 75 on any test, I'm unable to be certified. This is a horrible thing to say to a girl with test anxiety so bad that I tend to get to the room and have an instant panic attack.
I think that's all we learned. I sleep soon...holy crap it's almost 1am... so I can get up tomorrow and do this all over again. Whoo...routine...
Obligatory Greeting Post
From the depths of the internet, comes yet another blog - like we need a few more. This one from the speedy fingers of a girl who has just embarked on her quest to become an EMT-B. What is an EMT-B, you wonder? This is an emergency personnel sort of...person... who is responsible for arriving on the scene when you've just been in a nasty car wreck, or fell out of a tree like the idiot you are (you know you've done it), and need someone to keep you alive in between the scene and the hospital. The EMT-B is the one who can perform the CPR to keep you alive, push some light drugs into you (and start an IV after a special certification course), and splint you should that fall from the tree have broken your arm.
So who is this incredible lass who has decided to join the ranks of The Awesome (hereafter known as EMTs)? Well, she's a 5'0", 90lb, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, twenty-year-old girl who apparently finds it amusing to employ the third person. She's been reading other blogs and wishes for the same catharsis, hence...this. She will be sharing observations and cool knowledge tidbits, and perhaps some funny stories (minus any identifying information. Love ya HIPAA).
Her course is a summer course, three days a week for an ungodly four hours a night. She wants to have a running commentary from day one, for something amusing to look back on upon the day of the final practical and National certification. Don't despair - after the EMT-B certification she wholly intends to get an EMT-I (intermediate) certification. Then if she really likes it, EMT-P (paramedic).
Stay tuned.
So who is this incredible lass who has decided to join the ranks of The Awesome (hereafter known as EMTs)? Well, she's a 5'0", 90lb, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, twenty-year-old girl who apparently finds it amusing to employ the third person. She's been reading other blogs and wishes for the same catharsis, hence...this. She will be sharing observations and cool knowledge tidbits, and perhaps some funny stories (minus any identifying information. Love ya HIPAA).
Her course is a summer course, three days a week for an ungodly four hours a night. She wants to have a running commentary from day one, for something amusing to look back on upon the day of the final practical and National certification. Don't despair - after the EMT-B certification she wholly intends to get an EMT-I (intermediate) certification. Then if she really likes it, EMT-P (paramedic).
Stay tuned.
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