Make the Most of Your EMS Education

The opinions and commentary expressed in “Perspectives” are the sole property of the author and do not necessarily reflect those held by EMS World, its staff members or affiliated organizations.

The content in EMT school covers a large variety of subjects in a relatively short period. Personally, I took the class over several weeks in the summer. In only a few months’ time, there is not much room for trial and error in terms of preparing for your practical exam and written assessments. These recommendations were compiled by other providers and me after going through the class in hopes of relaying what are perhaps the most important elements needed to succeed.

Find a study group—Though not exclusively beneficial to this class, study group work should be at the top of your list when considering how to best tackle EMS school. Finding one or two others in the class to meet with on a regular basis affords you all the unique chance to connect and dive into the content as the class becomes more challenging and exams start to approach. For example, I used this setting to go over the material with two other students, and we quizzed one another before exams. It is striking how placing yourself in a study group can cause a positive impact on your retention and comprehension.^1,2

Review material by doing scenario practice questions—Translating the didactic content from the book to the field is perhaps the most intimidating and challenging skill to refine as you start the class. It took me a while—in fact, until our very last exam—to finally appreciate how incorporating practice scenarios can augment group study sessions. When putting your skills to the test, this environment provides a setting that more resembles a realistic call. We used scenarios ranging from approaching a motor vehicle accident to more specific skill sets such as splinting an arm. This process can let you see exactly where you and your peers have knowledge gaps and make the process livelier as you review for exams.

Don’t forget about your instructors—If your classmates, the textbook, and the Internet still leave you with questions, the best—and, ironically, possibly most underutilized—resource to take advantage of is your instructors. I encourage asking your instructors for help when you feel it is needed to work through questions or strategies for an upcoming assessment. Simply asking to meet before or after class can also let you connect a bit more with the instructor and may provide you insights into their unique experiences as first responders. 

Learn the larger concepts, not the smaller details—Though this one is easier said than done, the most successful students in your class will have a great mastery of the larger concepts and also be able to synthesize connections between different sections your book covers. Though I also have a tendency to get caught up in the details of content, at the end of the day it is less critical to be able to name the structural differences between the ramps on a Type I and Type II ambulance than to know the larger key points associated with the vehicles.

Enjoy the process—Lastly, it’s important to take advantage of the experiences and time in your EMT class. Many of us, including myself, have made enduring friendships from the training process. Though this may not be as easy when you’re preparing for your final certification exam, the journey through EMT school can be one of many fond memories, with the added benefit of learning many critical skill sets.

References

1. Montrezor LH. Performance in physiology evaluation: possible improvement by active learning strategies. Adv Physiol Educ, 2016; 40(4): 454–7.

2. Kibble JD, Bellew C, Asmar A, Barkley L. Team-based learning in large enrollment classes. Adv Physiol Educ, 2016; 40(4): 435–42.

Christopher Gaeta is a student at Swarthmore College.