For anyone who passed their National Registry paramedic on their first try

[Gatewayhoward]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm not a phsychology student or anything but I'm doing a some research of performance just for myself, I was thinking how in my paramedic class, only two of us (not me) out of thirteen passed the registry test on the first try. For any medics or EMT-I's out there who passed the written and practical your on your first try: What was going on in your head at the time?

 

[ShyRem]

Passed it first try about 10 years ago. Going on in my head? Nothing special - just doing the job I knew how to do. Check what is appropriate - do immediate intervention for life threats. I didn't even finish the secondary on my multi-systems trauma patient: there was an airway to deal with, a chest decompression, several other things as I recall, and I remember asking what the legs looked like for a cursory-glance-over while getting my airway stuff managed. The proctor said there was an obvious deformity of the leg; I said something like 'that's nice, but that's not gonna kill him right away - the airway thing will'. I also recall I didn't get extra hands on my MST patient until like 8 minutes into the scenario so I was kinda stuck with the pt's head between my knees handling what I could reach. MST was the most failed station for the practical when I took it. The written we found out about 4 weeks later. I heard that several folks that passed the practical failed the written.

BTW: only 3 out of 32 people passed first try when I took it. What part(s) did you fail?

 

[southerndoc]

BTW: only 3 out of 32 people passed first try when I took it. What part(s) did you fail?

Really? My class was the first to break a five-year record of 100% pass on first attempt. We had one guy to fail out of a class of 15.

 

[ShyRem]

Perhaps because when I took it national registry was not required in the State of Colorado (still isn't for paramedics). Colorado has their own exams. However, there were 3 or 5 people from Nebraska that drove out to take the exam. I don't think any of them passed. National Registry was known to be rather brutal when I took it. Perhaps it's become "friendlier"?

 

[12R34Y]

That's bizarre! I"ve never met anyone who failed the national registry (EVER!). My class also passed. This was 9 years ago or so, but never heard anyone fail. wierd, must be harder now.

later

 

[viostorm]

I'm not a phsychology student or anything but I'm doing a some research of performance just for myself, I was thinking how in my paramedic class, only two of us (not me) out of thirteen passed the registry test on the first try. For any medics or EMT-I's out there who passed the written and practical your on your first try: What was going on in your head at the time?

It honestly depends on your program.

I took mine in Virginia, and we had a 75% pass rate.

Out here in Lubbock where I am now ... I think it is almost 0%, I think I know of 2 people in the past year that have passed NREMT-P from the local program.

I liked the question/answer type books, and reading the text helps.

As far as going on in your head, I think not overanalyzing the problem. I passed it first time and I think one of the reasons is applied the heuristic "BLS before ALS"

National registry has notoriously tricky (cr*ppy) exam questions.

For example:

You have a trauma patient who is having difficulty breathign, what is your first treatment:
a) needle thoracostmy
b) auscultate lungs
c) spinally immobilize patient
d) oxygen

There were many of those type questions and I always chose "oxygen" .... so hope that helps.

But I'm serious about not overanalyzing the question, I know one guy who had a question like this:

Gasoline spill and patient is trapped in the vehicle, what do you do?

a) apply thick layer of foam
b) call fire department
c) apply water to the fire
d) move away to a safe distance

Now, obviously, NREMT is looking for the "scene safe" thing ... so answer D. But the guy thought ... "well, we should apply foam for the gasoline spill." So, they can trick you and make you think too much.

Practical is just memorizing their sheets.

 

[Gatewayhoward]

My class had only two of 13 of us pass both parts on the first try. I messed up a few parts of the practical. I thought it was because of nerves but now, being in the field after eight months I know it was from overanalyzing. I'm just amazed at the people who pass it the first time because in my area, there is a HIGH failure rate. `

 

[spo0kman]

I'm not a phsychology student or anything but I'm doing a some research of performance just for myself, I was thinking how in my paramedic class, only two of us (not me) out of thirteen passed the registry test on the first try. For any medics or EMT-I's out there who passed the written and practical your on your first try: What was going on in your head at the time?

My medic registry was 6 years ago, passed it the first time. I went in numb, my fiance (now wife) had broken up with me and given the ring back a week prior, and I didn't do crap all week, not one minute of studying.

However I studied like crazy throughout my class, so I was pretty well prepared.. I don't personaly believe much in cramming anyhow..

 

[ChuckaZulu]

I passed the NREMT-P exam on my first try. It was 10 years ago and I don't remember to much about what my mind set was at the time 😱

I'm not a phsychology student or anything but I'm doing a some research of performance just for myself, I was thinking how in my paramedic class, only two of us (not me) out of thirteen passed the registry test on the first try. For any medics or EMT-I's out there who passed the written and practical your on your first try: What was going on in your head at the time?

 

[amy2003uva]

I'm not a phsychology student or anything but I'm doing a some research of performance just for myself, I was thinking how in my paramedic class, only two of us (not me) out of thirteen passed the registry test on the first try. For any medics or EMT-I's out there who passed the written and practical your on your first try: What was going on in your head at the time?

For the written exam:
1. BSI
2. Scene safety
3. ABCs
4. BLS before ALS!

For the practical exam:
1. BSI
2. Scene safety
3. ABCs (stabilization and O2 are key)
4. BLS before ALS!

...see a pattern? Scenario questions require the same approach.

(learn your scripts off the standardized sheets and you'll accrue all the points you need while avoiding failure criteria.)

-amy

 

[igcgnerd]

?

 

[igcgnerd]

I am told by people who have been familiar with national registry that is has gotten friendlier over the years even at the basic level. When I took the basic registry, I passed the practical no problem because when we did lab we worked right off the script. Most of my class had an understanding beyond the script meaning we know why we did what we did. I failed the written the first time by one point! I retook it and now im considering medic school.

 

[Empress]

I passed on the first try when I took it 6 years ago, as did my husband. What I remember from a paramedic instructor I worked with around that time, that if a program didn't have a consistent high pass rate they would lose accreditation. I don't know if that is true, it could be a state thing. All I know is I hope I pass when I take it again this year. DON'T LET IT LAPSE. It's a pain in the rear to get it back.

 

[24IdaFire]

My class only had 1 person pass the first time, and only 6 of 21 who passed it after the 3 attempts you have. I failed the first time by one question in the airway section, but had an overall of 82%. Second time around I nailed it. However I am from Michigan, where the state made National Registry make a special Michigan only version of the exam, which as a first time pass rate of 21%, and an overall pass rate around 33%.

 

[MedicRN]

It's been almost 13 years since I've taken the NREMT-P. The only think I remember about it was it was SO MUCH simplier than my state test. 😕

 

[QuikClot]

For the written exam:
1. BSI
2. Scene safety
3. ABCs
4. BLS before ALS!

For the practical exam:
1. BSI
2. Scene safety
3. ABCs (stabilization and O2 are key)
4. BLS before ALS!

...see a pattern? Scenario questions require the same approach.

(learn your scripts off the standardized sheets and you'll accrue all the points you need while avoiding failure criteria.)

-amy

I just proctored an EMT-I exam, and I saw the results of this strategy firsthand. In the morning I did Trauma, a traditional station, and every single person passed -- some easily, some with difficulty, but all hit the critical points and avoided critical fails. They had their scripts down. I was pretty impressed.

In the afternoon I did the Oral station, and ended up failing (much to my discomfort) four out of six students. Only two of the six recognised a glaring CHF and were able to treat it appropriately. The rest went wrong in a variety of ways, from repeating and repeating neb.s that weren't helping, to doing the right thing (NTG) for the wrong reason (Cx. and lung pn., worse w/ inspiration, treated as cardiac.)

I would have passed that person, but the thing that put them over the edge was this; they said the NTG was for chest pain, but they didn't give any aspirin.

The advice above was perfect five years ago (when there were no oral stations) and will still get you through most stations, but watch out for the Oral Station, if there's one on the exam you're taking (is it part of the national exam? I'm not sure.) Memorization will not get you through it, and it requires (as no other station really does) a basic ability to identify and treat specific disease processes.

 

[msmertka]

My second post today 🙂

I have some insight on registry which I passed first time.

Registry is an outdated good idea with poor implementation. The idea: A national standard curriculum.

The problems:

1. getting the conservative states to agree with the same knowledge and skills as the cutting edge states.

2. a for profit company that looks to streamline operations not keep changing them to reflect the current practices.

This creates the problem for instructors who are now responsible for the duality of teaching how to be a good medic in the real world and passing the outdated national registry exam.

So I concur with the other posts. Memorize your sheets for pract. and go with:
"gloves on/scene safe"
ABCs
BLS before ALS.

Now if you have to pass say a state test, you are truly screwed with this approach because you will need to actually know something about medicine. I can pick out in a second somebody who went to a class that teaches to the test vs. somebody who I would trust to work on a member of my family.

There is an old joke that the person who finishes last in med school is still called DR. The same holds true for medics.

Mike

 

[nytrauma911]

All I know the state of Georgia has a very poor passing rate. Some of the EMT's pass before or on the 3rd try. And the majority pass on or before the 6th try. Not that they are dumb, the majority get a an overall passing grade, but miss a section by a few points. I personnaly think it's a money racked. I wish GA went back to the state test, which tested on your skills and knowledge.

 

[southerndoc]

All I know the state of Georgia has a very poor passing rate. Some of the EMT's pass before or on the 3rd try. And the majority pass on or before the 6th try. Not that they are dumb, the majority get a an overall passing grade, but miss a section by a few points. I personnaly think it's a money racked. I wish GA went back to the state test, which tested on your skills and knowledge.

The last I looked at the statistics, Georgia was above the national average for paramedic pass rates (first time takers). I haven't looked at the data for EMT-I's, which are certified to the 1985 standards and not the current EMT-I standards. (Georgia refuses to allow NREMT-I's to intubate or administer medications other than a select few; EMT-B's are not allowed to staff ambulances in nearly all regions of the state.)

 

[nytrauma911]

The last I looked at the statistics, Georgia was above the national average for paramedic pass rates (first time takers). I haven't looked at the data for EMT-I's, which are certified to the 1985 standards and not the current EMT-I standards. (Georgia refuses to allow NREMT-I's to intubate or administer medications other than a select few; EMT-B's are not allowed to staff ambulances in nearly all regions of the state.)

Well I'm not sure about GA being above the national average for paramedic pass rates. I have seen from observation, but you may think it's all in my mind. I work for a large private ambulance company. I've noticed that those who finish school in the fall months and test, the majority pass on the 1st try, the rest pass on the 2nd try. Those testing in the summer month. Re-test, after re-test, some up to the 6th time finally passing. Majority with an overall passing grade, just keep missing a section by a few points. Why is that??? In the fall massive number of new medics arrive in the summer it slows way down.

 

[emtcsmith]

Could someone give this medic student a jist of what oral stations are like. We do alot of work obviously in class but my impression of an 'oral' station is talking through a run and not actually doing a mega code or whatever.