At approximately 2:30 PM on Saturday, October 24th, I was handed my EMT-B license. I walked out of the exam building, realized what just happened, and proceeded to do a little happy dance in the back streets of Charlestown. (Followed by going the wrong way on the Orange line but still making it to North Station in time for my train home.)
My summer is over now.
Thanks to Dan, Matt, Vince, Kassie and everyone else who helped me out during this process. There's nothing quite like getting quizzed on pediatric vitals via text message during work.
So, where from here? BEMCo, applying to places around my hometown. Next summer looks hectic as well, but I've got enough backup plans to ensure that I don't end up working as a property clerk again.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
FINALLY.
At approximately 11:30 AM on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, I received notification that I had passed my Massachusetts State Practical Exam.
HOORAY!
I'm going to take my written exam next week and then I will be finished!
HOORAY!
I'm going to take my written exam next week and then I will be finished!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
10 October, 2009. 5:39 PM.
My state exam was three weeks ago. Still waiting for results. Waiting, waiting... I'm still going over everything in my head to see if I messed something up. I'll post as soon as I know anything else. On that note, I did attend BEMCo orientation, so that when I do become certified, I can start taking shifts here. Apparently there are people who haven't met me who have read this. I'm worried that I don't convey myself properly on paper. But that is a worry for another time.
Matt's first shift of the year is coming to a close (or rather, came to a close a little while ago, for me at least). From the sound of things, he enjoyed himself. The first call came in while we were carrying a cake up to the Castle from where he lives--he ended up missing the party, but met up with me afterward. I'm learning to be on my own every now and then, which is a very interesting this to do. So I spent some time with friends while he went home.
I called before left to go to his place, but even so, he was nowhere to be found by the time I arrived. I checked his room and the common space for his shoes and the bag; neither were there, meaning that he was indeed out on a call. (The only reason to check is that on one occasion, he was in the room, but asleep in a pile of things on his bed and it only appeared that he was out on a call, if not for the bag on the floor.) I got some work done, and he ended up coming home around 2.
We went to bed at some point--I fell asleep in my day clothes and he woke me around 4 to get dressed for bed. He doesn't wear the radio to bed anymore, so things are significantly easier than when he did. The morning was uneventful.
Matt's first shift of the year is coming to a close (or rather, came to a close a little while ago, for me at least). From the sound of things, he enjoyed himself. The first call came in while we were carrying a cake up to the Castle from where he lives--he ended up missing the party, but met up with me afterward. I'm learning to be on my own every now and then, which is a very interesting this to do. So I spent some time with friends while he went home.
I called before left to go to his place, but even so, he was nowhere to be found by the time I arrived. I checked his room and the common space for his shoes and the bag; neither were there, meaning that he was indeed out on a call. (The only reason to check is that on one occasion, he was in the room, but asleep in a pile of things on his bed and it only appeared that he was out on a call, if not for the bag on the floor.) I got some work done, and he ended up coming home around 2.
We went to bed at some point--I fell asleep in my day clothes and he woke me around 4 to get dressed for bed. He doesn't wear the radio to bed anymore, so things are significantly easier than when he did. The morning was uneventful.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Filler Post
Just to let the people who still look at this know that I'm not dead. State exam on Sunday--nervous but feeling okay. On a bit of a posting hiatus for the time being for a few reasons, but will be back here shortly.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Special Blog Update
Hi everyone!
Work finishes in two days and I am so excited. Going out with a bang--meaning that I am going to spend as much time sitting in the office or the library, reading things. Today's entry serves as a poke for those of you who read here for the EMS parts and not the "what crazy shenanigans are Mariah up to today?" parts. I'm not really and EMS blogger. I'm an EMT-B-school-graduate who's waiting impatiently to take her exams so she can play with all the other EMTs and not feel like so much of a whacker. If you're looking for serious EMS blogs, take a look.
A Day In The Life Of An Ambulance Driver
Probably my favorite EMS blog. Written by Louisiana NREMT-P/CCEMT-P Kelly Grayson, it's personal and very real. Frequent updates, ranging from funny work stories to EMS news to heart-wrenching entries to stories about his family (namely, his adorable daughter). I read this every day, sometimes going into past years to find more to read. He's also a columnist at EMS1, which I link to in my link box. He's published at least one book, which I'm in the process of borrowing a copy of. Even if you're not an EMT, you'll be able to find something that you can appreciate and relate to.
Siren Voices
This is some heavy stuff. Written by London EMT Spence Kennedy, there are days where I can't read it for fear of being covered by a little raincloud for the rest of the day. It's powefully well-written, and is very much isolated incidents often posted months after they occur. It reads more like a book of short anecdotes than a blog. Also, frequently updates.
Street Watch: Notes of a Paramedic
Finally, a novel I can read. Due to a variety of issues, I've been having difficulty reading longer works for a few years--but I had no difficulty with this. Written by Peter Canning, it is a mix of EMS blog and Paramedic novel Mortal Men. The (most recent?) blog entries are easily accessible in the side bar, and I recommend reading those first, because once you start the novel, it's difficult to stop. Mortal Men is the fictional account of area EMT Lee Jones, the stunning medic Troy Johnson, and the rest of the people at Capitol Ambulance. He posts chapters daily, each interesting in it's own way.
There are others that I've been told to read, but can't access on office computers, so they'll have to wait for later. In the meantime--if you don't already--go read these!
Work finishes in two days and I am so excited. Going out with a bang--meaning that I am going to spend as much time sitting in the office or the library, reading things. Today's entry serves as a poke for those of you who read here for the EMS parts and not the "what crazy shenanigans are Mariah up to today?" parts. I'm not really and EMS blogger. I'm an EMT-B-school-graduate who's waiting impatiently to take her exams so she can play with all the other EMTs and not feel like so much of a whacker. If you're looking for serious EMS blogs, take a look.
A Day In The Life Of An Ambulance Driver
Probably my favorite EMS blog. Written by Louisiana NREMT-P/CCEMT-P Kelly Grayson, it's personal and very real. Frequent updates, ranging from funny work stories to EMS news to heart-wrenching entries to stories about his family (namely, his adorable daughter). I read this every day, sometimes going into past years to find more to read. He's also a columnist at EMS1, which I link to in my link box. He's published at least one book, which I'm in the process of borrowing a copy of. Even if you're not an EMT, you'll be able to find something that you can appreciate and relate to.
Siren Voices
This is some heavy stuff. Written by London EMT Spence Kennedy, there are days where I can't read it for fear of being covered by a little raincloud for the rest of the day. It's powefully well-written, and is very much isolated incidents often posted months after they occur. It reads more like a book of short anecdotes than a blog. Also, frequently updates.
Street Watch: Notes of a Paramedic
Finally, a novel I can read. Due to a variety of issues, I've been having difficulty reading longer works for a few years--but I had no difficulty with this. Written by Peter Canning, it is a mix of EMS blog and Paramedic novel Mortal Men. The (most recent?) blog entries are easily accessible in the side bar, and I recommend reading those first, because once you start the novel, it's difficult to stop. Mortal Men is the fictional account of area EMT Lee Jones, the stunning medic Troy Johnson, and the rest of the people at Capitol Ambulance. He posts chapters daily, each interesting in it's own way.
There are others that I've been told to read, but can't access on office computers, so they'll have to wait for later. In the meantime--if you don't already--go read these!
Monday, August 17, 2009
NREMT Apneic Pt Ventilation Simulator
So, calling it a "simulator" is a bit of a stretch, but I'm not sure what else to call it.
http://www.emt-national-training.com/bvm-practical/index.php
It's unclear as to what they want you to voice and what they don't (selecting mask size vs. assembling the BVM), but for a brief review, it's not bad. It can be done my clicking on the items or by typing instructions into the text box. I recommend trying both, just for kicks.
And it gives me something to do at work.
http://www.emt-national-training.com/bvm-practical/index.php
It's unclear as to what they want you to voice and what they don't (selecting mask size vs. assembling the BVM), but for a brief review, it's not bad. It can be done my clicking on the items or by typing instructions into the text box. I recommend trying both, just for kicks.
And it gives me something to do at work.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
12 August, 2009. 8:21 AM.
I finished class (two weeks ago). Ignore the huge time gap--in spite of being done with class, I've still been busy, among other things.
Firstly, the night before class ended was ambulance night. I knew that Dan was going to be there on one of the trucks, but when we went outside to go to our assigned vehicle, I didn't expect to be assigned to his! The battery died, so we were sitting in the back of the ambulance, with no lights and certainly no AC. Howwever, that didn't stop us from getting a flashlight tour of the back, and it certainly didn't stop Dan from making jokes about Matt and I in front of my group. Being the attention whore that I am, I got a kick out of it. In a few words, we joked about getting the 'DEAD' triage tag for me to put on the doorknob of my room for certain situations. I was amused.
Flash to the next day! Exam time! I got a 100. The instructors were "not surprised" and did a little excited dance after they graded my exam. My comments sheet was all good things--I was very happy. Christine said that if I want to be an instructor, I should talk to her about getting into training. I'm definitely thinking about it--especially if BU comes to teach at Brandeis, which they should.
Went across the street to Sunset after with my classmates. Jesse and Brittany and I decided to start an EMS-themed bar, with drink sizes being No Neck, Short, Regular, and Tall. That was basically as far as we got. I left before the instructors came--needed to drive home and didn't want to fall asleep doing so.
So, I thought that not having class would make my life easier--wrong. I miss class. When I had it to look forward to, a bad day at work could end quickly. A few tears in the little park down Commonwealth and I'd go to FitRec and it wouldn't matter anymore. I could, strangely enough, be alone during lecture. I didn't have to interact with people.
Now, I go home, see my family (but lots of them are travelling), walk the dog, talk to Matt online, go to sleep. I know I've said this a million times, but work is killing me. I never used to have bad days like this--last night, for instance, I went to bed at 9:30 just because I wanted the day to end. I consider it a good day if I don't break down into a puddle during the day. And my family either doesn't care or doesn't understand. Like I'm making this up. Yes, I know we've all had bad summer jobs, I'm not saying that I'm the only one who's had this happen. But it's still made my significantly less happy. I feel like that should count for something.
Enough whining--I go back to school in 13 (!!!) days. I see Matt this weekend. I am done with this summer. I quit.
Firstly, the night before class ended was ambulance night. I knew that Dan was going to be there on one of the trucks, but when we went outside to go to our assigned vehicle, I didn't expect to be assigned to his! The battery died, so we were sitting in the back of the ambulance, with no lights and certainly no AC. Howwever, that didn't stop us from getting a flashlight tour of the back, and it certainly didn't stop Dan from making jokes about Matt and I in front of my group. Being the attention whore that I am, I got a kick out of it. In a few words, we joked about getting the 'DEAD' triage tag for me to put on the doorknob of my room for certain situations. I was amused.
Flash to the next day! Exam time! I got a 100. The instructors were "not surprised" and did a little excited dance after they graded my exam. My comments sheet was all good things--I was very happy. Christine said that if I want to be an instructor, I should talk to her about getting into training. I'm definitely thinking about it--especially if BU comes to teach at Brandeis, which they should.
Went across the street to Sunset after with my classmates. Jesse and Brittany and I decided to start an EMS-themed bar, with drink sizes being No Neck, Short, Regular, and Tall. That was basically as far as we got. I left before the instructors came--needed to drive home and didn't want to fall asleep doing so.
So, I thought that not having class would make my life easier--wrong. I miss class. When I had it to look forward to, a bad day at work could end quickly. A few tears in the little park down Commonwealth and I'd go to FitRec and it wouldn't matter anymore. I could, strangely enough, be alone during lecture. I didn't have to interact with people.
Now, I go home, see my family (but lots of them are travelling), walk the dog, talk to Matt online, go to sleep. I know I've said this a million times, but work is killing me. I never used to have bad days like this--last night, for instance, I went to bed at 9:30 just because I wanted the day to end. I consider it a good day if I don't break down into a puddle during the day. And my family either doesn't care or doesn't understand. Like I'm making this up. Yes, I know we've all had bad summer jobs, I'm not saying that I'm the only one who's had this happen. But it's still made my significantly less happy. I feel like that should count for something.
Enough whining--I go back to school in 13 (!!!) days. I see Matt this weekend. I am done with this summer. I quit.
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