You are important first EMT

A person walking by would not think that I have PTSD. I do though. In my past there were thing that happened to me that cause me extreme anxiety today. For example, I will not let anyone stand behind me and I always sit with my back to a wall. One would think it is because I have worked in security for so long. No, I had a boyfriend that would love to come up and choke hold me from behind. 

No my husband, actually I should say soon to be ex-husband is causing serious mental stress. He has made several comments about committing suicide. He has always had depression but would never get help for it. I called our local ambulance and police department. He would not go with them to get help. I was never afraid of him before. Now I'm afraid that he's going to commit suicide with me in the building or he's going to try to take me with him. 

Then the issue of abandonment is kicking in. This is tough to deal with when you only know two people in the big city of Fort Worth, Texas. His threats of suicide kick up the anxiety of my mom trying to commit suicide when I was 16/17. It's sad that it still affects me nearly 20+ years later. I feel like if I leave, I'm the one that will be the cause of his death. I felt the same way when my Mom tried it. If I had been a better daughter. If I had been more successful. If I had been more supportive of my Mom.

Then I become angry. This man knows my past with my mom. He knows how I feel when it comes to suicide. To suggest that he's going to commit suicide and then treat the relationship like everything is o.k. This just shows me how much he's into the relationship. To commit suicide instead of trying to work it out. To commit suicide instead of getting help. Then to ignore the elephant in the room.

Where does that leave me? Probably to the next possible homeless shelter opening. A place where I will have to humble myself because I was there before. I then was able to work there and had to take on an authoritative role. I know that there will be teasing, rudeness, and maybe some hate heading my way. 

I can't go on living like this though. I made my partner and the relationship drastically more important in my mind than I cared for myself as an individual. We can't do that as human beings. We have to make sure that we are surviving in our lives before we can take care of someone else.

How to build a good rapport with a patient

A person will judge you within the first 15 seconds of coming into contact with you. The same goes when dealing with a patient. So how does an EMT build a good rapport with a patient?

• Make a good first impression is always important. This includes dental, hygiene, weight, cleanliness of clothes and more. How would you feel if the EMT or Firefighter that was helping you was obese, clothing didn’t fit right, breath smelled bad, and hair was not combed?
• Introduce yourself and your partner
• Assure the patient that your there to help
• Get permission from the patient before touching the patient or taking vitals
• Ask open ended question if patient rejects assistance
• Speak clearly, calmly, and slowly
• Use a professional tone of voice
• Respect privacy
• Limit interruptions
• Use good body language
• Be courteous 
• Actively listen to the patient

How an EMT can make communication adjustments

The saying goes different strokes for different folks. Communication between an EMT and patient may not always work. This is why it is important to be able to think on your toes and try different ways of communication.

Problems may arise if the patient is a child, deaf, blind, violent, under the influence of alcohol, under the influence of narcotics, has family involved, or there are mental health challenges involved. What if the patient is deaf and blind?

EMT Refresher – What can influence communication between an EMT and a patient

There are many things that can influence the communication between and EMT and a patient. A patient may not speak English. Body language can be perceived differently depending on what culture you are dealing with. A patient may not be able to hear at all. A patient may be mute.

This is why it is important to be flexible with your communication style. It’s always best to let the patient communicate in a way they are comfortable. Be sure to adapt to their way of communicating. An EMT would not talk to a child the same way they would talk to an adult.

There may be times when an EMT has to deal with a hostile patient. This may be due to alcohol, drugs, psychological issues and behavioral issues. The EMT will have to take a more cautious yet professional demeanor with the patient.

EMT Training: Communicating with patients

Communication actually happens in three parts. There is Encoding, decoding, and feedback. A message is sent or spoken from the EMT to the patient. The patient will decipher or decode the message and then give feedback.

Body language from an EMT to a patient can say many things. How would you feel if someone folded their arms when they were talking to you? Do you think that a child would feel unsure if you were standing above them while talking to them? Should you ever touch a patient in a comforting way?

One of the most caring scenes that has happened in Fort Worth, Texas was when a Firefighter kissed the temple of an older African American woman. I would assume that this station has had quite a history with this patient for him to be able to do this. It just shows that patients are looking for compassion when an EMT comes to their aid. A soft touch on the shoulder or arm can do wonders. If you are unsure be sure to ask.

It’s also important to either sit, squat, or kneel at the patients level. As always eye contact is important. By doing these things an EMT will not look aggressive to the adult or child patient.

Above all remember how you would feel if the places were switched.

An Emergency Medical Technician comes to a scene and finds out that the patient is deaf. How is the EMT going to communicate with the patient? There are actually several ways that an EMT can communicate with the patient.

An EMT can find someone that knows sign language. Honestly I believe that all EMT’s that go to scenes should know sign language and at least the second largest language spoken in the city that they work in. If the Paramedic works nationally then maybe a fourth language should be learn.

If an EMT is dealing with a deaf patient they can ask the patient if they can read lips, find someone that knows sign language, or use a tablet to communicate with.

EMT Training: Eye Contact

A bit ago the discussion was about the different ways that an EMT can communicate with a patient. This includes touch, sign language, open ended question, closed ended question, and much more. So why is it important to keep eye contact when talking to a patient?

Eye contact relays interest and concern to the patient. Think how you would feel if you were the patient and someone else was the Emergency Medical Technician. Would you think that they cared about what you were saying if they were looking at their patient report tablet the whole time?

Not all patients are the same though? Some patients will shy away from direct eye contact. As I have spoken with several EMT’s, Paramedics, and Firefighters the census is that many mental health patients do not like to keep eye contact with other people. Men and women from Asian cultures usually shy away from direct eye contact. It’s believed that for women to hold eye contact with an Asian male it’s disrespectful to the male. While females will shy away from male and female eye contact.

EMT Training: Get to a corner stat!

Firefighter Chris Tobin recently posted a tweet that discussed strategy for fires. Anyone knows me, knows that I like to take information and figure out how it can help others. If any kind of Police information, Fire Information, or EMS information can not be put to good use then it is worthless to me. In the years that I have worked as an Emergency Medical Respondant, I have only been in one fire. Thankfully it was only a kitchen fire that I had to help someone put out. 

Chris Tobin caused me to think about a scene though. I know that not many EMT or Paramedics will be inside a building while it is burning. Most of the time Firefighters who are trained in search and rescue bring them out of the blaze. What if it were to happen? What if the safety of the patient, team partner, and yourself was to take action and head to the roof. Should EMS stand in the middle the roof for air rescue? Or should people take stand at the corners of the roof.

The lesson learned is that any roof corner where someone can see you is the best place to be. The corners of a roof are structurally stronger in the event of a fire. Corners are also easier to get equipment up to those who are trapped on a roof because there are now two sides of escape.

It's not likely that an EMT, Paramedic, or EMS team would get trapped on a roof. Now we all have a little bit of EMS information to store away just in case.

Are you certified and vaccinated for EMT Training?

A person can't just jump into EMT Training or Paramedic Training. There are a couple of things that a future student has to do before they start their programs. It is mandatory that the future student is certified and vaccinated before they are even considered for a program. Most program directors and colleges will have a list of objectives if someone in interested in EMT training or Paramedic Training.

Preparing to become a Paramedic or EMT takes about 7 months. This is due to the fact that people can not take their vaccinations all at once. Some vaccinations for students take several doses. The vaccinations that are needed will be:

• Hepatitis B
• Tetanus
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis
• Rubella
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• German Measles
• Varicella
• Influenza 

Since Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics are health advocates for our community, a future student might want to discuss other vaccinations with your local health department. Always keep abreast of what is going on with the Department of Disease (DOD)

A person who is going into EMT training certification will also have to be CPR certified by the state that they are in. Many schools and hospitals teach CPR as a class. Why not obtain your certification through The American Red Cross. A future student will be able to learn CPR and help others who are in need. Most fees for CPR certification is around $70.

How much does vaccination and CPR cost?

Check with your local tax accountant or the IRS. I believe that these type of classes are tax deductible under the Federal Education Refund. Just be sure to keep your receipts of vaccinations and classes.

CPR and First Aid $70 - 90

All vaccinations $30 - 50

Titers $300

Titers are test that EMT students and Paramedic students can take before they start training certification. The test will tell if your body has already created an antibody for any of the above diseases. For example my mom had Hepatitis B when I was born. So I had to go through a series of shots and probably have the antibody for it. To play it safe, it is always best to just obtain the shots that a new student needs for school.

Don't forget that most colleges also require other vaccinations just for an EMT or Paramedic student to attend courses. If you are signing up for a certification program then be sure that preparation is made for all of the education requirements.

EMT Job Interview Questions

Today on Becoming a Paramedic, I want to continue the concept of turning a job interview "No" into a positive thing. While on a job interview a person can be asked ten questions about their skills or they could be asked 30. The amount of questions about a job all depends on each organizations.

There are many sites that offer a top ten list for job interview questions. I wanted to offer some experience of my own. Personally, I would love to create a list of the top 100 questions that are asked to EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement applicants. 

1. Tell about yourself
Hiring managers don't want you to tell your life story on a job interview. Include personality traits and life experiences that relate to the career that you are seeking to be hired for. 

2. Tell us about a time that you have taken the initiative to do something that was not classified in your job description?
Did you prepare something so that it could help others on the job site? Did you take someone under your wing without being asked to? Did you create a training manual when one was never available. These are the types of things that Hiring Managers are looking for when they ask this question in an interview.

3. Have you ever made a mistake on the job and how did you turn it into a positive.
We have all made mistakes on the job and in our career. Did you do something that eventually helped people not make the same mistake? 

4. Careers in EMS are stressful and sometimes there is going to be a citizen that is hysterical. How would you deal with this person?
Try to place yourself at a scene with a person like this. What would be the best option that would benefit the citizen, yourself, and those around you.

5. What is the difference between great Customer Service and exceptional Customer Service. 
They keyword here is the word difference. Remember to discuss both when answering this job interview question. 

6. What training and educational certifications have you obtained for this job?
What other training have you obtained other than an Emergency Medical Technician Certification from the state? Do you know another language? Have courses in public speaking been taken. What about leadership courses?

7. What makes you better than our other job applicants?
Personally I would like a person more if they said that they were not better than another person. Instead this is a great time to offer more reasons why they should hire you for the job. Don't be afraid to discuss volunteer work or projects that may be related to the job that you are applying for.

8. Tell us when you have had to deal with an irate person and what was the outcome of this conflict?
Were you able to calm the person down? Did you need to ask for help and be part of a team? Did the problem get solved? If no, then why?

9. When in your career have you had to step in and take control of a situation?
Was there a time when a team member froze in a situation and you had to take up step forward?

10.Was there ever a time when you were not prepared for a situation? What was the outcome. 
Employers want to know if the applicant can make decisions in stressful situations. If a person was not prepared where they willing to ask for supervision and admit that they just were not ready to handle the responsibility?

An interview is all about selling yourself. Your skills, experience, and education is the product that you are trying to sell to the company. It is my hope that these job interview question help you obtain the career that you want. I will be adding more job advice as time goes on. So be sure to check the career advice section often.

This EMR has lost 160 lbs

This post is to inspire future Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics who have the goal of losing weight. Rushing towards danger and taking care of other people is a stressful career. It is important that a persons body be in top shape physically and mentally. For some people that means changing their size, muscle ratio, and just eating better.

It has taken this Emergency Medical Respondent roughly a year and half to lose this amount of weight. It's not about the weight loss either. There is a goal of having 80% muscle ratio to a 20% fat ratio. Strong core, legs, and arms are important in a career as an EMT or Paramedic. So it is important to not just focus on how much weight has been loss.

What should a person has a future in public service should be eating. Two Firefighters have a great book out that will assist anyone with their goals. Firefighter Functional Fitness has helped me a lot. There will also be more weight loss, diet, and healthy eating tips arriving on Becoming A Paramedic. It is a hope that this future EMS instructor will post what she has eaten every day. 

As mentioned before, hints on what EMT, Firefighters, and Paramedics should be eating at restaurants will be also offered up on the menu. This blog is about supporting each other. A healthy lifestyle and way to lose weight will always be one of the topics that is supported. So good luck on your diet! If there is help needed then feel free to ask questions on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and all of the other social media sites.

What is it like to be an EMT or Paramedic

So your thinking about becoming a Paramedic or EMT but you don't know what the job is like. It's advisable that a person who is interested in this career find an Ambulance company that does tours. Many times EMS companies will provide career ride along opportunities just like the Police Department does. Don't have time to do a ride along with one of the local companies? 

Wildwood Fire Department was polite enough to offer one of their reports for followers to look at. It's a great example of what those who are going through EMT training or a Paramedic program will have to learn how to deal with. Just like my favorite artistic Firefighter illustrated "It gets real. It gets real fast. Some are just not ready for this career."

Last month the Wildwood Fire Department had to arrive on scene to deal with:
Moving vehicle accidents
Elevator Entrapment
Hazardous Conditions
Animal calls
Police Department assists
Alcohol, drug, overdose, toxin incidents
Bleeding, lacerations, abrasion incidents
Weakness, malaise, feeling sick, and dizziness incidents
Seizures, strokes, and neurological incidents
Behavioral, Suicidal, and Depression
Cardiac, chest Pains, hypo-tension, hypertension incidents
Respiratory, shortness of breath, dyspepsia incidents
Unconsciousness or patient with syncopal episodes
Diabetic, Hypoglycemic, Hyperglycemia episodes
OB/GYN, Labor, and Delivery of infant
General

That is a lot of incidents to train for. While some may not seem to be actual emergencies they can turn into emergencies. One type of incident can always turn into another type of incident. Several of these incidents will be discussed further because they can turn into something deadlier to the patient.

If a person really wants to know what it is like to be an Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic then it would be wise to connect with EMS instructors, volunteer at a local Red Cross, and take that tour of an EMS company or ER hospital

Let's talk about diet EMT/Paramedic

Any EMT or Paramedic training program will require a physical before a student can start courses. Somehow after training Emergency Medical Technicians, Firefighters, and Paramedics forget about their diet. Or they may fall into using food as a coping mechanism to stress. This is not beneficial to the public servant or the patient.

I was thinking about starting another blog on the topic of restaurants and being a foodie. Perhaps it was not a topic that would be good for someone who is trying to lose weight, become an EMT, and move up the career ladder in the Emergency Medical System. Then the realization that there are first respondents that would enjoy restaurant reviews, food reviews, recipes, and just the topic of food.

I know a Firefighter who is a foodie and a grill Master. I know a Police Officer who has a fascination with Crispy Cream donuts. I personally have been cooking and baking since I was six. I did my first dinner party at the age of 10. I helped family at catering events at the age of 14.

The subject of reataurants and food is going to be different. It is important for a EMT, Firefighter, and Paramedic to be healthy. What if healthy alternatives were discussed along with the food and restaurant reviews. What if food near you was good for you? This would be places to find good food with a healthy diet twist.

Try to look for the silver lining job applicants

Job interviews can be tough. Panel interviews can be especially tough when the job applicant has not interviewed in a couple of years. A person sitting in front of an interview board may think of the job under a different industry and is not what the panel is looking for. One could get upset. The same job applicant could lose their drive to look for new employment.

Sometimes job applicants have to sit back from an interview that went bad and consider the positives that had happened. I personally had to do this a couple of days ago when a City of Fort Worth interview went south. I left the office feeling a little bit defeated but not crushed. The ride home from the job interview caused me to think about what just happened.

So what were the positives that came out of this bad job interview?

• 911 Dispatch job interview questions that I am able to share with you
• Support from a Fort Worth Police Officer that told me to not give up on my goals
• Some great photographs of local Police vehicles and Fire Equipment
• I learned how to handle the rejection well
• I was able to donate towards kids getting school supplies
• I got to joke around with a Firefighter that I know
• I connected with a new Police Officer
• I gained support from people that I didn't expect it from

So even though the day started out with a negative, the day ended well and peaceful. I will continue to work on my charity and put my career applications with other companies that I would be excited to have a job with.

Gifts that give X2

This is my latest design  for charity and my future education. I have several gift options to choose from. There are also several other designs to choose from. 50 percent of the funds will be going to help burn victims in the United States. 50 percent will got towards my education and ability to spend the rest of my time volunteer in my community.

You can purchase this design and others at the Cafepress site.

Caregiver wants to keep on giving
For 25 years I have wanted to be a Paramedic. I believe that some of us are born to help others. Some of us are born to be advocates for the children in our cities, the elderly in our neighborhoods, and the community around us. Unfortunately, my career and community goals were put on hold to take care of other people.

I don't see this part of my life as a negative situation. The years of helping and taking care of others have given hands on training that no school could provide. I have had lessons in life that caused great personal growth.

In the past three years, I have had to deal with over 200 medical emergencies, behavioral emergencies, and security incidents at one of Fort Worth's local homeless shelters. I have professionally grown from being head of a cleaning team to campus supervisor.

Three years of working along side local Emergency Medical Technicians, Firefighters, Paramedics, and Police Officers has only strengthened my drive to become one of the family.

It is time to chase after my goals and help the community at the same time. While training to become an Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic, and then Field Training Officer I would like to spend the rest of my time volunteering at the local homeless shelters. I would also like to join the Frt Worth Emergency Response team, and Citizens on Patrol.

I'm gocused on raising $20,000 during 2017/2018 so that I can focus on school and giving back to the community. The financial support will allow me to:

• Attend school full-time
• Tutor others who are seeking certification as a EMT and Paramedic
• Tutor others who are seeking to learn Spanish, Vietnamese, and Sign Language
• Volunteer at my church
• Volunteer at the local homeless shelter
• Attend discussions with international EMS organizations and then share that information with other students
• Attend industry conferences and share that information with other students.

Along with posting updates here I plan on keeping an online journal about my progress. I will also keep a expenditure report about each expense so that donors will know exactly what the donations will be spent on.

Expenses will be as minimal as they can possibly be

• Rent: $6000
• Phone: $720
• Public Transportation: $800
• Food: $1200
• School Tuition: $6000
• Local and National EMS Conferences: $2000
• Used Laptop $300

I really appreciate any help that can be given towards my goal. I'm really excited about getting out into the city and helping people/students while I learn.

Becoming A Paramedic Topics

Hi! Welcome to Becoming a Paramedic! This is a site about my life and how I am becoming a Paramedic. It is my goal to share the dark and the light of EMS. I want to share the funny stories between EMS, Firefighters, and Police. I hope to share topics that will make future Paramedics think and share insight on the topic.

The life of a Paramedic can be rough. We have seen this on Youtube and the other reality television shows on the major networks. The life of EMS is what you make it. It is my hope that my readers learn to enjoy what they do and become a productive member of the Emergency Medical System.

Some of the topics that I will be covering is:
Health
EMT Training
Paramedic Training
Avoiding LODD Line Of Duty Deaths
Career Advice for all public servants 
That horrible demon PTSD

So I hope that you enjoy reading Becoming A Paramedic