EMT-B training will kick my butt

[Overachiever12]

So, firstly--I'm not a ******. I promise. I entered this class solely to raise my GPA. I was pre-emergency medicine in high school (really intense magnet school) and even though I wasn't in an actual EMT-Basic course, I was able to score 85%+ on practice National Registry exams because during my three years of high school, we went over the scope of the Basic curriculum (even though we didnt actually follow an EMT curriculum...we just studied Emergency Medicine). So I'm 17 (18 on May 4, 2012), and since I'm an over-achiever I decided to register for Basic training this summer so that I can boost my GPA and start working towards my medic.

I find the class extremely easy. My EMT instructor is the best in the city I live in (which is one of the largest cities in the nation). For each chapter I would go to the accompanying website for my textbook (it's like www.emtb.com or something..) and take the quizzes for each chapter. For each chapter, I got a 100 on the quiz. Now...I log into the practice quizzes made by my instructor and I get C's and B's on ALL of them. An some of the questions I think he entered wrong. For example, in the lecture notes he stated that the average adult had 4 liters of blood. On the quiz he put 6. And also, wouldn't a fracture to the humerus be proximal to the elbow, since the humerus is above the elbow? Ughh. I'm just upset now. I thought this class was going to be a breeze. I didn't even bother getting a textbook...but I think I'll go buy one and read the chapters.

But anyways...firstly, can someone explain the reasoning behind those 2 questions? And does anyone have any extra resources I can use to study?

Thanks.

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[FiremedicMike]

Study the book, the quizzes and tests come from them and not lecture notes. Also note that test generators are terrible and can have bad questions with wrong answers in them. When I used to teach classes I would always hand pick the questions to ensure they were good questions.

 

[MedicFL]

What are you trying to raise your GPA for? Med school? If thats the case just skip Medic school and do good in undergrad. You haven't even started college yet, is that correct? Is your goal to be a medic or a DOC? To address each of your points, doing EMT to "BOOST" you GPA is a plain waste of time, it will not be counted into your science GPA, and just having a EMT cert will not pull any points on getting you into med school. Secone chill out with the "I'm so great" attitude, I knew several people including myself who did EMT and Medic while still in high school, so simply doing EMT in the summer isn't this huge accomplishment. The training is not that hard for either, you just have to put in the time. While I do applaude your efforts tone it down a bit, buy the book and study. To answer your blood volume question the actual formula is 75mL/kg for a man and for a women 65mL/kg. But if you read the book it would tell you that the average adult blood volume is 5-6 liters. As for your second question without seeing all the answer choices I couldn't help you with that.

 

[Dzerzhinsky]

I find the class extremely easy. My EMT instructor is the best in the city I live in (which is one of the largest cities in the nation).[...] For example, in the lecture notes he stated that the average adult had 4 liters of blood. On the quiz he put 6.

I fear for EMS training in your city.

How are you determining "best"? Most saves? Highest National Registry scores? Anecdotal evidence from other students at your school? Please don't say RateMyProfessor or its ilk.

I didn't even bother getting a textbook...but I think I'll go buy one and read the chapters. [...] And does anyone have any extra resources I can use to study?

Purchasing the textbook is exactly what you ought to do.

In my experience, the vast majority of EMT-B instructors pull their unit quiz questions from their required textbook's question pool, with perhaps a few others from local protocols. Why wouldn't you? They're there, all ready to go. So read the book. Rely on the book. Love the book. Read, know, and love your local protocols, too.

Reading and retaining the information in the book should resolve your issues.

P.S.: Free hint. For those in EMS, I present the following Annoying Scale of responses to the question "Why are you in EMS?" from one (mildly annoying) to ten (extremely annoying):

1. "Who wouldn't be interested?" / "It's really cool!"
2. "I want to help people!"
3. "I want to help people, and I'm in college as a pre-med."
4. "I'm in college as a pre-med."
5. said with accompanying eyeroll"I'm in college as a pre-med and those stupid adcoms think that me serving as a beast of burden in EMS is going to make me a better doctor or something."
6. "I'm in college as a pre-med (pre-Emergency Medicine.)"
7. "I'm in high school as a pre-med."
8. "I'm in high school as a pre-med (pre-Emergency Medicine.)"
9. "I'm in high school as a pre-med (pre-Emergency Medicine) and want to boost my GPA."
10. sings #9 to the tune of "It's a Small World."

I promise that you will have a much more rewarding experience working in EMS as a pre-med if you do not tell anyone who will stand still long enough to listen that you are a pre-med.

 

[deleted6669]

EMT is a great intro to medicine. I did it while in high school through an ROP(regional occupational program) which met after school 3 days/week for 3 hrs/day for 16 weeks + a few weekend for skills and a day in the ER and a day in the field.
having this allowed me to get jobs as an er tech in college and another job as an er tech closer to home in the summers.
if you are looking at pre-med (MD/DO) focusing on your grades is probably a better bet to boost your application.
if you are thinking about later becoming a medic(emt-p) as I did after college and/or PA school in the future, emt-b is definitely the way to go. good luck whatever you decide.