EMT-B Exam

[jb23]

Does anyone know if endotracheal intubation is on the NREMT Exam? If so can you cite a page where you have seen such information or is it a personal experience? I have been told by a few ED-Techs who just took it that this is true.... I'm just curious and want to be prepared. Thanks!

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[Altruist]

Does anyone know if endotracheal intubation is on the NREMT Exam? If so can you cite a page where you have seen such information or is it a personal experience? I have been told by a few ED-Techs who just took it that this is true.... I'm just curious and want to be prepared. Thanks!

Personal experience: I took the NREMT-Basic exam back in 1998. I don't remember ET tubes on there. Like an idiot, I let my national registry lapse, and took the basic exam again in 2003. I don't remember it on there, either.

The most likely scenario I can see for having ET tubes on the test would be as a choice meant to distract you from the correct answer. Something like this:

An unresponsive patient has shallow respirations with a rate of 2 per minute and no signs of traumatic injury. What is the first thing you should do?
A. Prepare for endotracheal intubation
B. Place a nasopharyngeal airway
C. Open the airway and ventilate with a bag valve mask with 100% oxygen
D. Place a c-collar and transfer the patient to a long backboard

Intubation is not in the national scope-of-practice for EMT-Basics, so other than knowing what it is and that paramedics do it, I don't think you'll get many (if any) questions on it.

 

[deleted6669]

agree with above. all an emt-b might need to know about intubation is how to attach a bvm to a tube and ventilate after a medic has intubated and confirmed tube placement.

 

[Paseo Del Norte]

Does anyone know if endotracheal intubation is on the NREMT Exam? If so can you cite a page where you have seen such information or is it a personal experience? I have been told by a few ED-Techs who just took it that this is true.... I'm just curious and want to be prepared. Thanks!

You can always go to the DOT website and access the NSC. NREMT exams are based off of these national guidelines. I assume you are talking about basic EMT?

There is also a fair amount of change as the new national SOP is being implimented. It is a shame your programme did not cover these changes and the implications of these changes. Even more so that nobody told you where to go to find curricula information.

Good luck and rest well knowing that most of the emphasis will be on basic life support modalities and priorities of care.

 

[Dwindlin]

You can go to NREMT.org and it lists the break down for both the written and practical exam.

agree with above. all an emt-b might need to know about intubation is how to attach a bvm to a tube and ventilate after a medic has intubated and confirmed tube placement.

In Ohio EMT-B's can intubate a full arrest. So Ohio courses teach it, and if you're from out of state you have to take an advanced airway course before you can challenge the Ohio test.

 

[leviathan]

In Ohio EMT-B's can intubate a full arrest. So Ohio courses teach it, and if you're from out of state you have to take an advanced airway course before you can challenge the Ohio test.

Really? I'm not sure how great of an idea that is.

 

[KD1655]

I took the NREMT-B exam in 2003 and I do not remember there being any questions regarding ET tubes. Furthermore, at that time, the State of NJ (ET tube placement/confirmation is NOT in the EMT-B scope of practice so nothing regarding ET tubes was covered in NJ EMT-B courses) used the NREMT exam as their state certification exam.

 

[Dwindlin]

Really? I'm not sure how great of an idea that is.

Yup. Here's the scope for Ohio (its a PDF). Item 11 on pg 2 lists who can intubate.

 

[AegriSomnia]

Scary

 

[Altruist]

Yup. Here's the scope for Ohio (its a PDF). Item 11 on pg 2 lists who can intubate.

I know the state government is in charge of their EMS scope of practice, but given the NREMT is based in Ohio... well, I don't know, I would have thought they'd go by NREMT guidelines.

IIRC, South Carolina's SOP also includes intubation for EMT-Basics.

In general, I'm against training EMT-Basics to intubate. Given the wealth of data on how inconsistent EMT-Paramedics are at successfully intubating in the field, expanding the practice to providers with even less training seems like a bad idea--especially in cardiac arrest, where intubation is getting de-emphasized for all providers. I think it would be more productive to train Basics how to use an LMA or combitube device for "advanced airway," and teach something like IM injections or IV access if you want to do something more. This would put you at the "Advanced EMT" level under the new national SOP's.

 

[Dwindlin]

I know the state government is in charge of their EMS scope of practice, but given the NREMT is based in Ohio... well, I don't know, I would have thought they'd go by NREMT guidelines.

IIRC, South Carolina's SOP also includes intubation for EMT-Basics.

In general, I'm against training EMT-Basics to intubate. Given the wealth of data on how inconsistent EMT-Paramedics are at successfully intubating in the field, expanding the practice to providers with even less training seems like a bad idea--especially in cardiac arrest, where intubation is getting de-emphasized for all providers. I think it would be more productive to train Basics how to use an LMA or combitube device for "advanced airway," and teach something like IM injections or IV access if you want to do something more. This would put you at the "Advanced EMT" level under the new national SOP's.

As far as I know Ohio will be updating with the NREMT when the new standards are implemented, so that may very well be the future for EMT's in Ohio.