EMT Basic

EMT Basic Practice Scenarios

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EMT Basic practice scenarios can be a great help in preparing for the EMT-B certification. You are likely to be nervous when your EMT Basic certification is just next week or sooner. Having an idea of what might the exam be reduces your nervousness and anxiety and makes you more relaxed and confident. Practice scenarios will also help you improve and be much better prepared, have more control and familiarity by giving you a glimpse of what to expect in the actual examination.

What are EMT Basic Practice Scenarios

In simple terms, EMT Basic practice scenarios are hypothetical situations used in practical training designed for EMT Basic level. These practice scenarios will let you experiment and apply your EMT-B skills so will be prepared when you encounter the same or similar situation in the field. The most immediate use of EMT-B practice scenarios is in helping you pass the EMT Basic practical examination. The scenarios are also used in a way to increase your practical experience of the throughout the EMT training course. Some scenarios can be completed by one person like patient assessment, while in other scenarios the student will give instructions as team leader to coordinate other team members. The scenarios should become more challenging as you progress.

Important Things to Remember

There some important things to remember when you doing EMT-B practice scenarios. You should verbalize your actions to let those watching understand your assessment and treatment. Some of the things you should verbalize are safety of the scene, you have taken proper body substance isolation (BSI) precautions, decision to wait for ALS backup or transport, and those which cannot or unlikely to be seen like many assessment steps and looking for specific signs. By verbalizing you’ll be given proper credit and they also help organize your thoughts. You must do the scenarios as you would in the field including talking to the patient.

You will be given a time limit which may vary and instructors may change or make the scenarios as realistic as possible to better meet the student’s need and make it more challenging. You should assess and treat the patient according to instructions and vital signs should be taken. Scenarios roles may be assigned for bystanders/family, patient, lead provider, assistant provider, and others .

EMT Basic Skills to Practice

State certification requires you to be competent on a certain number of skills during certification and more during re-certification every two years. The practical evaluation focuses on the core skills required by EMT Basic. The practice scenarios for EMT Basic may include anything from:

Patient Assessment: Perform a thorough physical assessment for both Trauma and Medical patients in an organized and comprehensive way. It is also important to develop patient rapport and obtain a comprehensive history. Also remember your SAMPLE and OPQRST mnemonics.

Cardiac Arrest Managment / EAD: Rapidly do an initial assessment, apply CPR, quickly, safely, and effectively administer a defibrillator shock, prepare patient transport, consider ALS intercept.

Spinal Immobilization: Apply proper technique in using extrication collar for Supine Patient and Seated Patient, and securing the patient to a long board.

Breathing Emergencies: Adequately ventilate using a bag-valve-mask device for Bag-Valve-Mask Apneic Patient and adequately ventilate a patient using a pocket mask with an oxygen port and one-way valve for Mouth-to-Mask with Supplemental Oxygen.

Upper Airway Adjuncts and Suction: Measure the appropriate size and insert the nasopharyngeal airway and correctly suction an oropharynx.

Bleeding Control/Shock Management: Control of minor bleeding using direct pressure, elevation and pressure point and treat a patient exhibiting signs and symptoms of hypoperfusion

Musculoskeletal Injuries: Properly immobilize a closed, non-angulated long bone fracture of a Long Bone Injury, properly immobilize an isolated shoulder injury by applying a sling and swathe of a Joint Injury, and proper method of applying a Traction Splint.

Supplemental Oxygen Administration: Set up a free flow oxygen delivery system and deliver oxygen at a specified rate.

Soft Tissue Injury: Properly care for a patient with an amputated or avulsed body part.

Emergency Childbirth: Safely and effectively deliver a full term infant.

Where to Find Practice Scenarios

EMT Practice ScenariosYour textbook should have some EMT-B scenarios. There are also EMT books like EMS Scenarios and Street Scenarios for EMT and Paramedic. You can also visit the scenarios section of EMTLife Forum and the EMTB.com site. You can also check your local health facility that offer EMT training courses and meet up with friends or other students to share scenarios and ideas.

Although real life emergencies may differ from EMT Basic practice scenarios, it is necessary for EMTs to practice and be prepared when emergency comes. So practice more as it definitely helps when evaluation comes.

Basic Life Support

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Basic life support or BLS are performed on patients in a life threatening situation until proper medical care can be given. BLS is usually done on the scene outside of the hospital by any BLS strained medical personnel like EMTs and Paramedics. Basic life support can be performed without using any medical equipment. Anyone can acquire BLS skills after taking a BLS training course or EMT Training. It is required for firefighters and police officers to have BLS certification which is also useful to other professions life teachers and security officers. BLS is often associated with EMT Basic although it can also be used by higher levels.

Basic life support skills are focused on maintaining airway, supporting breathing and circulation to provide enough blood to organs and deliver oxygen to cells. Airways skills like head tilt/chin lift and jaw thrust aid in keeping the airway open. Artificial respiration and giving emergency oxygen are breathing skills while bleeding control and CPR techniques are circulation skills.

Basic Life Support Sequence

Basic life support consists of the following, continuing to the next sequence when needed:

  1. Making sure the victim and everyone else are safe.
  2. Checking the victim for consciousness and asking loudly if he’s all right.
  3. Trying to find out what is wrong and shouting for help if needed.
  4. Keeping the airway open and checking for normal breathing.
  5. Starting CPR, chest compression, and rescue breaths.
  6. Continuing resuscitation until qualified help takes over.

Some situations like choking, drowning, and hypothermia, some points should be considered. Drowning victims that are unresponsive should be given CPR as soon as possible, finding the severity of choking, and checking the pulse and breathing for half a minute or more when the victim has hypothermia.

Paediatric Basic Life Support

There are some differences to adult and children basic life support, cardiorespiratory arrest is not common to children and origins of arrests requiring separate algorithm for health care professionals. Giving adult BLS to children should be given rather than doing nothing. It is also important to know the differences between infants and children.

The basic life support guidelines can be found here for UK and here for US.

How to Become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

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Being an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or a Paramedic can be very rewarding, after all what can be more great than saving people’s lives. Becoming an EMT can lead to a very fulfilling career in the emergency medical services field. You can also try or test the waters in the medical field by starting as an EMT, you can then become a nurse or doctor.

The work of an EMT can also be very challenging. Emergency medical care needs to be available 24 hours everyday which requires emergency medical technicians to be working at odd and irregular hours. They would be on call for long periods of time. EMT’s are required to be physically and emotionally capable to deal with extreme situations.

You Need EMT Training

To become an EMT, you need training and certification in your state. Requirements vary from state to state to enter training. Most require the applicant to be at least 18 years of age with a high school diploma or a GED. There are levels of EMT training starting with EMT Basic, EMT Intermediate, the EMT Paramedic. You can’t become an EMT Intermediate or EMT Paramedic until you are a certified EMT Basic. The training for EMT Basic takes more than a hundred hours of training focusing on emergency skills and patient assessment. You will also spend time in hospital emergency department and ambulance. You’ll get to learn how to use common medical equipments life stretchers and backboards.

You Need to Get Certified

After you have completed the state approved EMT Training you will be eligible to take the certification examination. The NREMT provides certification for 46 states and other states provide their own certification. You need to pass both a practical and a written examination to get certified as an EMT. You also need to be re-certified every two years and take continuing education and refresher courses.

After you’ve become a certified/licensed EMT Basic, you can then get advanced training as an EMT Intermediate then an EMT Paramedic.

What is an Emergency Medical Technician or EMT?

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Emergency medical technician or EMT are health care providers in a pre-hospital setting. They are also called ambulance technicians, which basically means the provide emergency medical care to patients being transported to the hospital for higher medical treatment. They also provide emergency medical care on the scene when an accident or when there’s an emergency call. In essence, an EMT responds to emergency calls, give emergency medical care, and bring the patient to the hospital for more advanced and specialized medical care.

Emergency medical technicians (EMT) assess the patients condition, get their medical history, perform emergency medical procedures like keeping the patient properly breathing, preventing shock, splinting bone fracture, and controlling external bleeding until they arrive to their destination where advanced medical care can be given. EMT’s can also perform other medical procedures under instruction from a physician while transporting the patient.

Where EMTs Work

They can work in ambulance services of hospitals, rescue teams, or in the fire and police department. They can either be paid or volunteered to the service.

Several years before there were EMTs, emergency medical care and transportation were performed by fire and police departments, or funeral homes with little training and equipment. As technology improve and new knowledge became available, highly trained and specialized EMT’s provide the emergency care when we need it.

Can I Become an EMT?

Yes, if you are at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED, although requirements vary depending on where you are, most of them require you to have these at least. It is also required that you are capable physically and emotionally stable since working in emergencies is very stressful. You will also be subject to a background check to see if you have any criminal records. There can be other requirements like a CPR certificate and more.

EMT’s needs training to give proper emergency medical care. Depending on the level of EMT training they receive, higher level EMT’s can do more advanced procedures and responsibilities. EMT’s start on the basic level called EMT Basic, the name can vary from place to place, they work with other EMT’s and other medical personnel in assessing and managing emergencies. The other level include EMT Intermediate and EMT Paramedic.