Struggling in my EMTB Practicals. Any Advice?

[MedicallyEnthused]

Ok, so i am going into my 3rd out of 5 years this fall, and i decided to take an EMT-B certification course this summer. I really wanted to get some real clinical experience and have the opportunity to make a difference while still an undergrad.

We are halfway through the course.
I have all the book smarts as my professor told me i am at the top of the class when it comes to all the facts, i just get extremely nervous and even a bit scared when we do labs and i am the lead emt, at which the spotlight is put on me for any particular scenario. I just freeze up and sometimes go blank.
I can get halfway through a scenario no problems at times, then i get stuck and freeze, or other times i might get through it the entire way through, but still feel very uneasy.

Our clinical rotations at hospitals, Ambulance services, and fire department i feel more comfortable then in the classroom where we just make up scenarios. I even was told to do vitals, secondary assessments and everything else in the real world with real patients and did just fine. I even gave some differential diagnosis which were pretty close.

Today was the worst day so far after class though.
I was pulled aside and spoke to about how i have all the facts, but i need to get it from my head to my fingertips. The only thing in my opinion to improve is to practice, but everyone else in the class seems to be better at it then i am in class. It might be that i am a naturally shy/socially anxious person, and i am terribly afraid of public speaking. I am not shy to the point i cant speak to real patients, like i said i do just fine in the real world, its just like i said, i get shy/freeze up when everyone else is watching me. In the real world it will be the patient, my partner, myself and maybe fire/pd if need be, and its not like theyre watching your every move. You work WITH them.

I can only imagine how i will do on the practical exam, as i need to drastically improve in the coming weeks. I just get so nervous everytime we have lab, and i can't see myself in another profession but the medical profession, although this is just a stepping stone until i get into medical school, but it will give me great life and clinical experiences.

Thank you for reading everything.
Any advice/suggestions are much appreciated.

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[cartman11]

Hey,

I've worked as an EMT-B for a 911 service for a few years. Sorry to hear you're having trouble with the classroom stuff- it's important but not very representative of what you encounter in the field. I would suggest memorizing the grading sheets they use (NREMT ones are here: https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/psychomotor_exam_emt.asp) Practice on your own or get a friend to help, and make sure you know them cold. The exams are very simple and just run through those sheets without much variation. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[frosted_flake]

It gets easier! Practice practice practice is what I did. Family members, friends, SOs, anyone who will be a patient for you. Learn to ask questions that are pertinent to the 'call' you are making.
For example a patient with difficulty breathing... What would you do? Listen to breath sounds? Provide a neb treatment? Ask about history of asthma/copd/bronchitis? Do they need assistance breathing with a bvm? I also found it helpful to check youtube and watch others go through the skill sheets.
You can do it!
And I agree with the above. Although long and tedious, memorize the NREMT skill sheets. They are exactly what is tested on skill day.

 

[clocks123]

The way to get comfortable with the EMT practical material is to just practice over and over at home. That way, you will feel confident with it enough to perform the tasks without getting nervous. It's actually pretty impressive that you don't get nervous in real life scenarios like most people would, so I'd say you have the more difficult part down pat.
Here's a website I used to help my study for my practical:
http://www.irvingtonems.com/p/nys-emt-b-practical-skill-exam-videos.html
You might not be in NYS, but I think these videos follow the NREMT practical sheets pretty closely and provide a helpful way to study at home.
Good Luck