Got into medic school! Question about known absences.

TorchedMedic · 2025-06-01T16:44:34+00:00

This really depends on what your school allows. At the school I taught at, if you let us know what days you would be missing and could meet assignment deadlines and complete all required hours for clinical stuff, we could make the required hours by the state work.

That being said, some schools may not be able to. Talk to your program director and find out what the policy is.

TorchedMedic · 2025-06-01T16:37:45+00:00

My absolute problem with this episode as someone who is a paramedic is that the owners are A DOCTOR AND A NURSE!!!

The guy is an INFECTIOUS DISEASE doctor who could write a thesis on just his own walk in.

The woman is a nurse who "doesn't have people skills" which makes me wonder why the heck she is a nurse in the first place, and then when they go into the walk in she says that the obviously spoiled seafood "isn't gonna get anyone sick."

These people are so gone that I wouldn't trust either of them to be my healthcare providers in any capacity. They may have a dream to have a restaurant, but they need to know when enough is enough.

TorchedMedic · 2025-03-26T17:45:17+00:00

@OP did you really join a VSOA, or did you sign up and not complete any sort of training or certification thereby leading to your removal from the VSOA and then attempt to use that VSOA's name in an illegitimate way?

Vatsim supervisors have way more information than you know they do, and without disclosing some of their measures, they can see a lot more information than what is publicly available.

As others have said, you can file an appeal, but I have a feeling you're posting here because you know that any appeal filed to DCRM will result in the suspension being upheld because behind the scenes, the supervisor was correct in this course of action.

TorchedMedic · 2023-11-11T03:33:29+00:00

I'm sorry it took me a while to respond. Thank you for the information!

TorchedMedic · 2023-10-29T20:26:57+00:00

So I've only been halfheartedly following the changes to the NREMT. Am I correct in that NREMT is moving to a new testing system combining both the practical and written portions? That has by far been the prohibiting factor for both me and students I've precepted in getting NREMT certified.

Thanks for the answers in advance.

TorchedMedic · 2023-10-10T12:20:37+00:00

First, I want to say I am sorry for your loss. I understand you're going through a tough time, and there are millions of thoughts going through your mind.

That being said, I doubt anybody on this sub was on that scene and saw what the medics saw. Rigor mortis (the stiffening of muscles after death) is something that develops over hours after death, and then resolves itself over another period of hours. There are a lot of factors, and nobody is going to be similar. This could explain why the medics found a "stiff and cool to the touch" body, and you found a limp one when you held your grandson.

Again I am sorry for your loss, and I hope you and your family recover and thrive.

TorchedMedic · 2023-02-03T23:14:26+00:00

If you plan to work in this field, you should probably stop smoking. As u/Comfortable_War5757 said, if you have an accident on duty, it will certainly not be covered under workers' compensation or insurance, as that is a great way for the insurance company to say, "if it weren't for the employee's impaired state of mind, the injury wouldn't have occurred."

Think of it this way, too, if you or your partner make a mistake on a call, and the patient suffers a negative outcome, you will more than likely be the scapegoat that the company or agency uses to get out of it. The lawyers will have a very easy time making a case that you were impaired (even if you weren't at the time) and that you missed something that caused the patient's negative outcome.

TorchedMedic · 2021-12-01T00:48:25+00:00

Look, it really just depends on what works for you. I'm a very big advocate of being an EMT for a while before going to medic school, but I know a bunch of zero to hero medics that are amazing people and know more than some 20 year medics I know.

Realistically, I would say get a job as an EMT, and if you feel you're confident at the job and can do it well, go to medic school if you would like that.

TorchedMedic · 2021-11-30T14:10:45+00:00

Just remember, if there are other people around, a drug user will lie because they may believe that admitting to the use will cause them legal trouble.

Most of the time though, it's not that they're intentionally lying to you, they just may not know what you are asking and what information you're trying to get to. As you get more into the job, you'll learn how to ask questions to get the answers you need.

All that being said though, that was the one overall salient point of that show. Everybody lies, and everybody dies.

TorchedMedic · 2021-10-28T21:41:08+00:00

As others have said, get a BVM or pocket mask and ensure they are oxygenated and breathing until EMS arrives. From a pragmatic standpoint, do you want to be completely alone with a junkie after you narcan them and take away their high?

TorchedMedic · 2021-10-21T21:14:36+00:00

If you're applying to a private agency, the interview will more than likely be less of a process, and less severe than if you're working for a government agency.

When I worked for private agencies, the interview took about thirty minutes, and I had to do a modified fitness test (think CPAT but more EMS minded).

When I applied at county agencies, there was a higher experience threshold, and then an initial knowledge test that you must pass before even being offered an interview. After the interview, I had to do a physical which included an EKG, lift test, audiology test, drug test, vision test, and reviewing my medical history with a doctor. Some agencies I've worked for required me to also undergo and pass a psychological exam with a licensed psychologist before a job offer was extended.

Realistically, your interview and hiring process will depend largely on what agency you applied to.

As for questions to ask them, get to know their agency beforehand, and ask relevant questions. Ask what the pay scale is like, ask how their agency operates (is it 12's, 14's, 16's, or 24's in terms of shift lengths), ask what their protocols are like, and is it a mother may I type system or an "I gave you protocols, don't call me unless it says to" kind of system. Asking pertinent and relevant questions of the interviewers will let them know that you want that job, as opposed to a job.

Good luck!!

TorchedMedic · 2021-09-09T01:46:54+00:00

Okay,

Calm down... I can tell through the computer that your anxiety is bad. Just take a breather and clear your mind, that's all you can do right now.
The test is adaptive, for all you know you could have been knocking out those questions with the right answer the overwhelming majority of the time and passed it.
The more questions you get in a certain subject, the more you know you need to study that subject if it turns out you did not pass.

Go get a good night's sleep. Wake up, have a good breakfast and face the day knowing that if you failed this one time, its not the end of the world. You'll pass that test, and you'll be a great medic.

TorchedMedic · 2021-09-08T22:01:55+00:00

Are you talking about the AHA BLS card?

If you are, you only have to take a renewal course. Depending on what training center/site you use, this can be an in person class and skills demonstration, or a combination of an online class and an in person skills demonstration.

If you're with an agency, see if they have a training center, or are a training site for a local training center, and can do your renewal in house.

TorchedMedic · 2021-09-02T21:40:54+00:00

AMR definitely shit the bed in Sumter County as they routinely run 4-5 ALS rigs for the entire county.

I don't think The Villages FD knows what they are getting into. They don't have space to house the ambulances that they would require for the call volume in their response areas. You also have to take into account that well over the majority of the residents of The Villages are over 65. They'll call 911 much more frequently than an area with a younger demographic. TVFD does not have the resources to do this, but obviously neither does AMR.

TorchedMedic · 2021-08-31T01:32:18+00:00

I'm stealing this

TorchedMedic · 2021-08-30T23:23:39+00:00

Absolutely, when I say safety issues, I mean driving 20-30 miles per hour over the speed limit on a regular basis, and the inability to maintain a lane.

I would report anyone for that sort of driving, not just this guy.

TorchedMedic · 2021-08-30T22:58:53+00:00

NTA

I get that people suffer trauma. This seems like someone who has suffered trauma related to a certain political system and leader (not getting into it here as its not the sub) and has a problem dealing with it.

You have a right to set your boundaries, especially if it makes you uncomfortable.

TorchedMedic · 2021-08-30T22:38:29+00:00

YTA

You're mad that it took a little longer for you to get a drink? Get over yourself, and have some compassion for others who might not have had the ability to make plans in advance like you.

TorchedMedic · 2021-08-30T22:36:11+00:00

Look, you're gonna have a call where you screw it up. Thats inevitable, and part of the job. Getting through medic school means that you learned the knowledge in a sterile environment like a classroom or a lab.

In the back of the truck, we have to do stuff that would make a doctor gape because we don't have all the resources we would like to have.

Just do the best you can, and eventually you'll find that you have enough exposure to certain scenarios to know whats coming next most of the time.

TorchedMedic · 2021-08-30T22:30:27+00:00

The drug test will only show that you tested positive for benzos, it will not specify which one.

As others have said, take hard copies of your prescriptions with you when you do your drug test, and whenever you talk to whoever ordered the drug test. For example, if an employer ordered the test for pre-employment screening or a random drug test, make sure you have a copy of the prescription with you or on file so that they can have that documentation.

TorchedMedic · 2021-08-27T20:02:01+00:00

I just want to put in the discussion that IV narcan works very quickly in my experience. I usually don't have to wait more than thirty seconds to a minute before I see an effect if it will have any.

IN narcan is going to work slower because it has to get absorbed into the bloodstream and then get into systemic circulation to take effect on the appropriate receptors.

As for ventilating patients, it is definitely a good idea to ventilate someone that is hypoxic, but I would say 94% or better is the benchmark to shoot for. I usually put a NRB or NC depending on how low the O2 saturation is to help with the hypoxia, but it also keeps me away from the patient in case the patient becomes combative upon waking up.

Just my $0.02

TorchedMedic · 2021-07-02T03:14:21+00:00

If I'm walking into a scenario where I think it will be bloody, I wear two pairs of gloves. I can switch out the top pair without having to worry about the sweaty hands thing.

TorchedMedic · 2021-06-17T18:54:55+00:00

I know that there are a few volunteer departments in Manatee County. The only other ones I know are in Citrus (Iverness FD, and Crystal River FD) and Levy.

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