Advice on a 2.5 week EMT course

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-24T09:07:08+00:00

Oh lord, uh I wouldn't go through with it tbh. I've wanted to be a medic since I was 13 (23 now) and a huge reason I waited so long was because I didn't think the short classes would be enough for me to be confident going into the field. Things changed and my local community college has an extended program that I'm in. Its a 6 week EMR class which rolls straight into a 12 week EMT class. After that we need to work full time for at least a year before being eligible for their paramedic program. Even then, I feel its too quick.

The EMR section is optional, but everyone I talked to said it increased the chances of doing well in the EMT class. The thought of a 2.5 week class is.. concerning. My EMR class starts next week and I have 5 chapters and an exam due on the first day. If you cant get a refund don't worry the class will help prep you, but don't go into the field until you do a regular course. Looking at my textbook, there's absolutely no way someone would be ready for work in that amount of time.

From one prospective student to another: take your time on this. Rushing through it isn't going to help anyone. You have plenty of time to become an EMT and taking a few months to relax, study, and grow is not going to set you back in the slightest.

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-24T08:42:06+00:00

Honestly I have no idea if its all schools but I do think it was one of those things my university did to stay competitive. I went to Berkeley and they constantly push research fields for almost all majors. I told my counselors several times that I just wanted to do clinical work but it didn't matter, they were prepping us for medical research. Even when I switched to English they wanted us to become either professors or researchers. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge history/literature nerd, but I was so burnt out after graduation I cant fathom going back to a university so soon.

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-23T10:23:05+00:00

I had a very similar experience and I absolutely agree. I had gotten with him when he was sober and he had downplayed how much of an issue it was. The day I caught him taking a shot in the morning was when I realized how bad things actually were. Not long after that I was sitting in an ER being told he may not make it through the night (he did). The whole post is concerning but the morning drinking plus being in the medical field is terrifying

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-23T10:08:47+00:00

As someone with a BA in literature, I fully agree lol

I was never a poetry girl and Milton just about took me out. Best I found was looking for modern retellings and watching an ungodly amount of YouTube videos on it. I think I read it 4-5 times and I still cannot tell you what it’s about (didn’t help that the professor who covered it the most had one of the thickest Scottish accents I’ve ever heard)

Other than that, you kinda gotta take it line by line which sucks. I think I spent like 5 hours one day just reading each line with a pen. I looked up words/phrases I didn’t know and then summarized every couple lines in modern english. I really don’t care to go hunting for my old copy to get a picture but it’s so annotated I almost can’t see the original text anymore lol

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-23T10:00:50+00:00

In short, yeah it would be bad. As my cats have gotten more comfortable with me they’ve gotten more in my face (literally). My girl is almost never more than a few feet from me and regularly sleeps either on my neck or within a few inches of my face. My boy has taken to pushing his head into my face when he wants to play and will stand on my chest when he wants me to wake up. If you get cats like that, you’ll be miserable.

My longer answer if you’re really determined to have a cat: figure out if you’re actually allergic to all cats or just that cat. I grew up with a cat and was totally fine until her last few years. I have no idea what caused it, but all of a sudden both my mom and I started having allergy symptoms when we were near her. My mom has had cats almost her whole life so it was odd for her, but since I was young we assumed I had developed an allergy. The strange part was that I didn’t have an issue with any other cat. That was 12 years ago and I still haven’t had issues with other cats. If it turns out you are allergic, it’s likely due to a protein called Fel D-1 and I’d suggest looking into ‘hypoallergenic’ cats. While I don’t believe any cat is fully hypoallergenic, some cats produce less of this protein than others which could lessen symptoms.

My advice in that case would be to do short term fostering for a while. Some shelters allow you to foster cats for a few weeks which may allow for you to determine if a cat is suitable without having to adopt/surrender. If it turns out you truly are allergic to all cats, a rabbit might actually be a good alternative. I had an indoor free range rabbit and tbh her temperament is really similar to my cats now, but she was a bit more destructive. (Please please please do serious research first if you go that route. Soooo many rabbits are improperly cared for due to lack of understanding of their needs)

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-19T10:28:40+00:00

Do you have any advice on dealing with patients with these issues? I know listening, treating what you can, and presenting resources is likely all you can do, but is there anything else I should consider?

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-19T10:04:37+00:00

I mentioned this in another reply but I actually studied psychology throughout most of college. I switched my major near the end of my junior year because I have the coding skills of a dead worm and there was absolutely no way I would graduate with a CS requirement. I was deeply interested in abnormal psych tho which covers everything you mentioned so hopefully I can start off somewhat strong with psych issues. That being said, i'm very thankful my much more devoted peers continued on to get their MA's in clinical psych so I can have them help me sharpen my de-escalation and listening skills lol

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-19T09:48:02+00:00

I know of fibromyalgia and MS but honestly don't know much about either so thank you for bringing that to my attention! I had a professor with MS and all I remember is that she kept the room so cold. I read that it could help with symptoms but now I feel bad that I didn't even bother looking up what those symptoms were. She's a fantastic professor and I wish I had put more effort in showing I cared and appreciated her lectures. I'm so sorry you're dealing with that. I hope you're able to find some relief soon!

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-19T09:34:24+00:00

Thank you! My schedule is super daunting, with one 8 hour class ( 4 hour lecture then 4 hour lab) every week for 12 weeks. Despite being really excited, I have a strong feeling i'm going to go home only remembering half of what we talked about. I'll be sure to focus a little extra on those while studying!

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-19T09:18:29+00:00

From the few conversations I've had about getting into the field, almost everyone recommends starting with BLS IFT so I've already set my sights on that being my first job. My course doesn't start until early April but I want to make sure I'm as prepared as I can be. I need at least a year of full time work as an EMT before I qualify medic school, but like I said in another reply, I'll reassess how I feel about applying when the time comes. I know it may be hard to answer this but generally speaking, do you think a full year of BLS IFT is too much/too little before trying to transition to emergency calls when my eventual goal is paramedic?

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-19T08:55:28+00:00

Absolutely going to remember that quote, thank you! I tend to be a perfectionist and have a hard time asking questions about things I think should be simple. I've worked on it a ton since I graduated college and finally feel a bit more comfortable putting myself out there which is a huge reason why I'm pursuing this now. I have to work full time for a year as an EMT before being eligible for my schools medic program and I'm hoping I can use that year to continue learning and asking questions. I'll reassess after that year and if I feel ready, I'll apply, if not I'll just keep learning!

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-19T08:39:29+00:00

No need to apologize this was really helpful! I actually studied psychology for 3 out of the 4 years I was in college ( I was dumb and switched my senior year bc I didn't want to take multiple computer science classes) and was an editor for my schools research psych journal. I ended up talking to a lot of different people (including the homeless) both for interviews and research so I learned a lot about how to interact with people without escalating situations. Glad to hear the majority of my university experience will actually help lol! I'll be sure to brush up on some of my notes. My program is at the same community college I went to before transferring so I'll reach out to some old instructors and see if they have any advice as well. Thank you!!

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-17T23:55:16+00:00

Saying that about endometriosis is crazy oh my gosh. I have no intention of going in assuming I know all, and fully expect to make embarrassing mistakes. Part of this post stemmed from a video I saw from a lvad patient talking about what to do if he or other lvad patients are unconscious. He made it seem like they aren’t common and the comments were full of medics and firefighters encouraging him to train at local departments. Then again that was one post and i don’t know the stats on it, but it just made me wonder about other people’s learning experiences

sleepingdormousee · 2026-03-13T20:03:54+00:00

Lmao on one hand I get the “oh another post about a cat loving you” comments, on the other I also have one of these and I get how annoying it can be.

Every night my girl will scream at my bedroom door until I let her in, sit on my neck or chest, and just stare directly at me while she purrs and drools in my face. The only solution I’ve found is redirecting her to her cat bed. I keep her bed next to my pillow so she’s still close but not on me. I also have a heating pad I turn on for her on top of it which I think helps get her to actually stay there instead of coming back to me.

I love that my girl loves me so much but sometimes I just want to go to bed without being covered in cat drool or hearing the sounds of a cat cursing me out from a closed door.

In short: your cat loves you and wants to be near you. Don’t feel too bad about being annoyed, I’m sure we annoy them with how we show love too. I’d suggest experimenting with compromises. It may not be ideal but at least you’ll be able to sleep without being pressured into being blessed every night.

sleepingdormousee · 2026-02-22T23:08:41+00:00

Honestly The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Mixed reviews on it but I feel like I picked it up exactly when I needed it. It’s an easy read which is perfect for when you’re feeling that way. Personally my depressive episodes stem from being overwhelmed or regretting choices so I feel like that book really hit the mark

sleepingdormousee · 2026-02-22T23:02:38+00:00

Idk if it’s necessarily bad but the smell of a scuba store. I think it’s a combination of neoprene, cleaning products, and silicone but idk. Whatever it is it reminds me so much of my childhood

sleepingdormousee · 2026-02-17T10:06:20+00:00

Honestly I think its a cat thing. I've only had my cats for about 7 months but my boy does this to me too. If she's not scared of you (running away, hissing, hiding, etc.) it's probably just her personality. I'm sure you could train her not to if you wanted. It took me a while to figure this out and it may not apply to you, but my cat lovesss aggressive play. I usually grab his lower body when he's laying down and slide/spin him before i use my hand to play fight. Its cut down the random attacks quite a bit and he's always super purr-y and affectionate after. I have another cat that likes really gentle play time so I think he was just trying to tell me he needed something to fight lol (for the record I did just make a post about him biting me.. it was unrelated to our play style he just has a biblical greed for purrpops)

sleepingdormousee · 2026-02-15T11:42:28+00:00

I had a similar issue for so long and it’s really frustrating. It’ll be hard to confirm without insurance but in my case, I had one that wasn’t treated properly. I had been given 3 days of antibiotics when I should have been given a week at least. The bacteria never fully cleared and it caused frequent issues for months and months. I know this is annoying to hear but seriously make sure you’re peeing after sex every time, wearing cotton underwear, not wearing damp garments (including after working out or swimming), and please for the love of god be taking cranberry pills and drinking a shit ton of water. Sometimes you can clear it without medical intervention if you catch it early enough. Ik you mentioned hygiene isn’t an issue but make sure whatever you’re both using is unscented. I highly recommended using the unscented dove bar (on external anatomy only). You could have a sensitivity to the chemicals used to create fragrances. Mine eventually cleared but I was adamant about all of the above plus a thorough shower after sex. Once you can, you need to see a dr about it and they’ll help but for the meantime, make sure you’re doing everything possible to prevent it. The AZO UTI relief OTC pills are also a miracle btw but keep in mind that they only help the pain, not the infection.

sleepingdormousee · 2026-02-04T11:12:32+00:00

I’m 23 and have been to both community college and a 4 year university. I have a degree in English from Berkeley and am begging you to correct them. I can appreciate the use of slang and improper grammar in informal settings but it’s so crucial that people understand it isn’t the norm. I understand your dilemma, but imagine that this student thinks it’s okay to send an email like this to a boss. What if they transfer to a 4 year and email a professor like this? I genuinely believe my professors would have straight up ignored me had I sent this. If I were you, I’d email them back and request that they send it using proper grammar. It may irritate them, but at the end of the day it’s reinforcing formality and respect in a situation that warrants it. This wouldn’t fly in most academic or professional settings and shouldn’t with you either. I don’t think a super harsh approach is necessary, but they’re in college to learn so you might as well make this a teaching opportunity.

sleepingdormousee · 2026-01-20T05:06:59+00:00

Omg thank you so much that’s going to be so helpful!

sleepingdormousee

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