I get a bunch of E-mails from people just starting their EMT education who want advice on how to excel in their programs. “How should I prepare? What books do you recommend?” The questions vary but their is always the familiar flavor of enthusiasm and the same basic question, “How do I do this well?”
Success in this field is fairly predictable. Use the right recipe and you’ll get there. I think the hierarchy of EMS success looks like this:
1.) Attitude
2.) Motivation
3.) Tolerance for repetition
4.) Goal orientation
5.) Strategy and tactics
6.) Performance
Read This Entire Literary Masterpiece…
I was searching around on Twitter today for tweets using the acronym “EMT”. I was struck by how many EMT students were discussing their current trials and tribulations with EMT class on twitter. EMT students talk with each other about EMT class differently than they talk to me about it. Perhaps because I’m the instructor they downplay how difficult the curriculum can be.
Maybe they don’t want to be honest and show vulnerability to me since I also evaluate them on test days. Or perhaps they don’t want to seem like the class is to much for them. I talk with students about my views on the current EMT curriculum. If it were up to me the class would be longer and more in depth. This could make them reluctant to admit when they are overwhelmed.
I know EMT class is hard. I watch my students struggle through it. I remember. Most EMT students have never been asked to absorb that volume of information in such a short time frame. Since I do quite a bit of tutoring for the class, I also get a lot of one-on-one time with the students who need extra help. Some will eventually pass. Some will fail and I’ll have to have a hard conversation with them about the future.
I’ve come to some conclusions about which students are more likely to pass and which will likely fail. Failure is predictable. Sometimes I’m wrong, but not often. When a student sits across the table from me and hears the hard news that they will not meet the standard to pass the class, I can usually point to one of four key areas where they failed.
If you are contemplating EMT class or if you are already going through an EMT program, here are four questions to ask yourself to help you predict you probability of success.
Read This Entire Literary Masterpiece…
