EMT-Intermediate Semester

As far as EMT-Intermediate classes went, I think that’s when I began to accept my peers as more than just a 9 to 5 schoolmates, but instead my friends and teammates. In a way I needed them for support and motivation throughout the lectures, skills, and an outlet outside of general school EMS – vise versa I would like to believe they needed me for the same reasons. There were about twelve students in our class overall, the four newer guys already had their Basic patch and didn’t have to do clinicals like the rest of us. Yet that didn’t prevent either one being alienated from our original group. Like I said, we each needed each other whether any of us liked it or not.

Obviously learning how to perform as an Intermediate required more advanced skills and in depth thinking of what happens to the body when one does this?…from Basic semester. Pretty much the lectures of Intermediate class involved a lot of medical terminology mispronounced, a lot of visual aides on the board, and a lot of questioning your acts of why and what happens when something is done to the patient. The three biggest sections during lecture were to understand the body pathophysiologically, advance airway, and trauma. Our instructor pushed us to grasp the importance of the information so we could all see why it was critical to realize quickly and perform crucial IV fluids and the need to intubate. Needless to say, we each depended on each other in hopes someone could translate in layman’s terms during study groups.

As far as skills I want to say that it was easy to learn, but to carry it out was a bit harder. Personally, my main issue with the skills was Trust. Do I really trust my fellow mate to stick me with that needle? Do I really know my landmarks? Do I trust my partner when he says “My veins never roll”? Even though I’m checked off this skill, do I trust myself? Am I even ready? But eventually all my doubts, probably like many before me, washed away after that first successful flash and the equal rise of the chest.

On top of being in class for lecture and lab during my Intermediate semester, I and a bunch of the other students were also doing clinicals. Because the TSTC EMS program requires students to pass the lecture class before doing any clinicals, I was executing my Basic clinicals during my Intermediate class semester. Clearly I enjoyed every bit of it, which fortunately in a way validated my career choice. My first clinical day was by riding out with the ambulance, I remember being so nervous and tense throughout the day going to calls that the next day my shoulder and neck muscles were tight all over. Even though I also enjoyed my hospital clinicals, it was nothing like the ride outs. On the whole completing my Basic clinicals did help confirm that I actually knew what I was doing and that I’m able to apply the knowledge I have acquired.