Typical Wednesday Class Day

Today was a typical day at Weiss Memorial Hospital EMT class. Here is what happened:
Arrive at 5:00pm
5:00-5:15 . . . Announcements. This is typically the time in which you will be given study guidelines for the test on the upcoming Monday. If you study what they tell you to review you should have no problem getting above an 80% (which is what you need to pass the course).
5:15-6:00 . . . Lecture.
6:00-6:30 . . . Break for Dinner. There is a cafeteria at the hospital where you can purchase a hot meal for a reasonable price. They also have vending machines with candy bars, sandwiches, drinks and other snacky foods.
6:30-7:45 . . . Lecture.
7:45-7:50 . . . Quick Break.
7:50-9:00 . . . Practical. This is the time in which you do hands on work that you would be doing as an EMT in the field. Today we did patient assessment/triage and bandaging.

Over 1/4 of the Way There

The entire course is broken up into "quarterly's". At the end of these "quarterly's" there is a test that is slightly longer than the weekly Monday tests. They are not more difficult, they only cover more material. Our class performed poorly on the first quarterly and she allowed for an optional retake (nearly everyone took the opportunity). Here are some highlights of what we have covered so far in this course.

• Airway's which includes (among other things) nonrebreathers, oxygen tank usage/setup, combi tubes, oral and nasal airway's and the like.
  
• Head to toe patient assessment
• How to take vitals (blood pressure, pulse, breathing rate, etc.)

This is by no means a comprehensive list of things we have covered but should give you a basic idea of what is being covered in the first part of this course.