1500 pages of emt know-how

Like an early holiday gift, the EMT coursebook hit my doorstep with a thud.

At 1500+ pages, it certainly appears a bit daunting, and I'll admit to feeling some what-have-I-gotten-myself-into anxiety when I first flipped through it.

The good news is that many of the newer EMTs on the squad tell me that the online quizzes and training material make it much easier to learn the core materials that form the tests and practical exams.

Orientation class is scheduled in just a few weeks. I've been told that one of the keys to success is to keep up with the pre-reading, so I'll be cozying up with this book for the next couple of nights getting started.

It turns out that there's actually a number of great phone/tablet apps available to help EMTs and EMRs learn the course materials and prepare for national certification exams, and I've been taking some of the practice quizzes from 3 or 4 of these apps to see what sort of baseline knowledge I've picked up over the years, as well as from the last year as a squad volunteer.

This has given me a bit more confidence, as a good portion of the materials seems to focus on what I can only describe as 'common sense' - not jumping to conclusions too quickly, making sure that above all else you're keeping safety in mind, and so forth. And as the written tests are multiple-choice, it's sometimes as important to be able to weed out the obviously incorrect answers as it is to know the best choice.

Interestingly enough, the course materials don't follow the strict book chapter order, so most of my reading with actually focus on EMS operations and safe moving and lifting -- all things I've got a bit of first hand experience with due to my current experience as a driver for the squad.

And even better, one of our newest Cadet members will be taking the class as well, so I'll have someone to keep me motivated and focused (if not challenged to keep up with).

OK... time to go crack a book....