Saturday, September 17, 2005

The Test To Come

Next month, on October 17 and 18, I go to Creighton University in Omaha to take the National Registry exam to certify for the EMT-I99. There is a giant written test as well as a bunch of skill stations that we must complete.

On Sunday of this week, I completed all my clinical hours and procedures that I needed to have done before I could even apply to take the test.

I loved working in the hospital setting, for the most part. I spent time in the OR, ER, ICU, and on the OB floor.

In the OR, I helped prep the patients for surgery, mostly by starting IV's and reassuring the patients who were nervous about getting surgery done.

In the ER, I did all sorts of stuff; started IV's, gave medication, held patients while other parts of their bodies were being relocated (after they had been dislocated, not lost). I saw lots of blood and puke, but was totally okay with it.

In the ICU, I spent 40 hours watching the telemetry monitors. The telemetry units are cardiac monitors that send their signal to the ICU. In the ICU, if we see something odd on someones monitor, we call their floor and have the nurses on the floor check the patient.

The OB floor was probably my favorite place to work. First of all, the other people on the floor were great. Second of all, it was the floor where I learned the most. When we cover OB/GYN emergencies in class, we blow through the material and don't really learn much. But up on the floor a whole new appreciation of it all is gained. I witnessed several normal deliveries and one Ceasarian Section. They were all interesting and all make me glad to be a man.

Overall, the clinical experience was great. I met a lot of great people and was able to be helpful in many, many situations.

Now what? Now I study my buns off for the big test and do my best to pass.

Next week, I am taking a mini-vacation to Denver. I am playing for a wedding of a good friend from high school. I will also be taking in a Rockies game. It should be a fun time.

Hopefully, I'll be able to make more time to update this more regularly. Thanks for reading, folks.

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