Studying to be an EMT

December 11, 2024

Dear Friend,

I hope this finds you well. I realize it’s been a while since I last wrote. I signed up for a class in late July for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) so I could train to be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I started class at the end of July and finished the class mid August.

The course was amazing. I attended Virginia Medical Training Academy.

The couple who run the course do so in such a simplistic yet effective manor. I haven’t been in school since 2005, well nothing in person. This was huge for me. The way it’s taught is easy to follow, and straight forward. I loved learning about medical subjects I didn’t know much about. The fact the instructors used their own personal experiences helped make a lot of the content stick, plus it makes class far more interesting.

Even though I’m in a stable place medically, I wish I didn’t have my own personal experience with much of it, but it helped a lot in several subjects. The class was three weeks, so it was very intense, and so much information you have to learn and know in a short amount of time.

I started studying for the NREMT (National Registry) a week before I finished class.  After I completed the course I studied everyday, making sure I understood all the content learned. I wanted to know I understood the signs and symptoms of different emergencies, and the correct treatments.

Studying was brutal, but I took the NREMT a week and a half after finishing the class. I was confident in what I knew and felt ready to test. I’m probably the only one who thought the test was easy so I swore I failed it. I thought I failed it, because of minor things and medical terms I didn’t know. I got home and sat down with my textbook to look over the small things I knew I had missed. For me it’s understanding why I missed it and what was different, and learning more on it so it won’t happen again. Like I said it was minor silly things.

I took the NREMT at 10am, and at 330pm I had the results, though I didn’t look at them until the following day. I passed! I was so surprised, yet excited. I did it!!!

I rested the week after. My brain was tired from all the information I absorbed over the previous month. I don’t dream much but I was having dreams where I was using medical terminology in everyday conversations like it was nothing.

I had my first interview, which went horribly. It was so embarrassing. To be fair I hadn’t been interviewed in 10 years, so I was really not prepared. It was fine, I used it as practice and learned from it so I could ace the next one.

About a month after taking the NREMT, I got hired at my first job. I don’t talk bad about those I work for/with, but I quickly found the company wasn’t a good fit for me. I was messaged from another company and got with them within another month.

I went into EMS initially because I wanted to do 911. If I could do transport and interfacility too that’s even better. The company I'm currently with does it all and I'm really enjoying it and learning a lot of new things. It helped confirm my wanting to be a medic and love for what we do.

All areas of EMS are essential, one isn't better then another. I’m hoping to start a paramedic program next month in January, which I’m pretty excited about that.

That’s what I’ve been up to. I apologize it’s taken me so long to write. I hope you are doing well. I’ll write again soon.

Stay Well,

Rebecca

P.S. Remember the good we put into the world today, can be the change we see tomorrow.