As you may or may not have noticed, my absences seem to stretch into longer periods of time. It seems that this blog was far more therapeutic than I gave it credit for. A dissolving marriage, emotional sponge-ness and stalemate in the career front were the fuel to my blogging fire. Now I find myself blissfully married to an incredible man, no longer taking on the grief of the world (and not dealing with FD politics) and finding contentment in my career and where it is headed has made me, well kinda dull. Sure, I can muse with the best of them but generally after re-reading, I find that I sound either scatter brained or just plain ol' "simple". So what is a blogger (and I use that term very loosely) to do? Hang up one's hat and call it? Continue rambling on about nothing and everything? Bore you all (all two of you that may still have me in your readers) with the wonderful monotony of my day to day life?
I'm not sure what is the best course of action. I don't believe I was ever a terrific writer. Sure I pulled one out of left field from time to time, but for the most part I don't find myself all that eloquent or interesting. (Trust that I am not fishing for compliments here. Quite the contrary, in fact.) I like writing. I have been doing that in one form or another for as long as I can remember but often I find myself looking back and cringing at what I wrote.
So the question becomes...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Just call me the Terminator.
That's right. I'll always be back. Truth is, I never really left I just got really, really quiet. I'm positive you are all just dying to know what I have been up to other than enjoying life in the Sunshine State. Right? Of course!
Well, I finally took the short version of the NREMT exam to obtain my new license. I studied and reviewed and JB quizzed me until the cows came home, and let me tell you, there isn't much by way of bovine down here. After several nights of falling asleep with various books meant to boost my memory of various subjects, it was time to take the test. I was ushered into a small room with a single row of computers. I immediately noted a slight scent of dirty rodent in the air. You know that funky cedar chip and hamster poop smell? Yeah, it was loverly. The first few questions were a little rough. I had to mentally divide the CCR protocols I had been running under and the AHA CPR protocols the rest of the world abide by. About question 28 I felt that I had hit my stride and stopped panicking every time I hit 'Next'. 45 minutes in the screen politely reported that I had completed the test. Begin total freak-out mode. It took me well over an hour and a half the first time I took this thing! Surely I just bombed it and would be the laughing stock of all the EMS world. I called my wonderful mother who laughed until I managed to get her to freak out with me. JB told me either I was being silly, of course I passed. (Have I mentioned lately how awesome he is?)
I guess the EMS gods smiled on me because my results were there waiting for me, bright and early Tuesday morning. Bada-bing. Bada-boom. I rocked that sucker and I am now a card-carrying EMT of the State of Florida. Now to apply for a part time job... eventually. First, we have to close on the house (MONDAY!) and paint every surface in that place.
I'm sure I will have my fair share of stories of gore and remodeling to share, but in the mean time I'm going to sit and enjoy the fact that I can still pass a portion of the NREMT exam. Go me.
Well, I finally took the short version of the NREMT exam to obtain my new license. I studied and reviewed and JB quizzed me until the cows came home, and let me tell you, there isn't much by way of bovine down here. After several nights of falling asleep with various books meant to boost my memory of various subjects, it was time to take the test. I was ushered into a small room with a single row of computers. I immediately noted a slight scent of dirty rodent in the air. You know that funky cedar chip and hamster poop smell? Yeah, it was loverly. The first few questions were a little rough. I had to mentally divide the CCR protocols I had been running under and the AHA CPR protocols the rest of the world abide by. About question 28 I felt that I had hit my stride and stopped panicking every time I hit 'Next'. 45 minutes in the screen politely reported that I had completed the test. Begin total freak-out mode. It took me well over an hour and a half the first time I took this thing! Surely I just bombed it and would be the laughing stock of all the EMS world. I called my wonderful mother who laughed until I managed to get her to freak out with me. JB told me either I was being silly, of course I passed. (Have I mentioned lately how awesome he is?)
I guess the EMS gods smiled on me because my results were there waiting for me, bright and early Tuesday morning. Bada-bing. Bada-boom. I rocked that sucker and I am now a card-carrying EMT of the State of Florida. Now to apply for a part time job... eventually. First, we have to close on the house (MONDAY!) and paint every surface in that place.
I'm sure I will have my fair share of stories of gore and remodeling to share, but in the mean time I'm going to sit and enjoy the fact that I can still pass a portion of the NREMT exam. Go me.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Dr. David Lee Murphy says...
"There might be a little dust on the book
But don't let it fool ya about what's inside."
Well that is if he was singing about my EMT-B book and not a scrumptious and oh-so-tasty and inviting bottle of wine. Mmmm... wine...
Right, a post. Luckily for me, having moved in the last 6 months eliminated the need for the icky-icky dance when I reached into my bookshelf to pull out the well-worn and slightly out dated book. I even went as far as to pull out the workbook that matches. It took a day or two, but I finally mustered the courage to crack open the workbook and take the final test. I was cruising right along, answering questions and circling ones I knew I was guessing at when I realized I was guessing a little more often than I should. Of course I felt a twinge of shame, but that twinge became a swift kick to the backside when I tallied the results and realized... I failed.
I have been trying to rationalize the reason why I would fail so miserably and really the only reason is I need to brush up on the material regardless of a recert test. Of course with my brain, the thought process doesn't stop there and coincidentally, neither does the need for refreshing and learning.
I was reading through the Medical/Legal and Ethical Issues chapter and ran across these little ditties...
Whoa.
This little paragraph is probably skimmed over by most as they eagerly read through the chapter waiting for the "good stuff" to start appearing on the pages before them. I think every chapter should start with this sentence. And yes, I believe it is that important.
How many of us complain about the old guy that phones it in at trainings and recerts declaring they have seen it all and therefore know it all? Or how about the person who after years on the department, still doesn't have the confidence in the most basic skills. We aren't talking, "Hey, I'm not positive about this BP, can you check for me?" The look of sheer terror when you ask to put the 3-lead on, the frantic opening of every cabinet looking for the NRB. Yeah, I know you are nodding your head right now or maybe you are thinking, 'crap, that's me'. Right now, I feel like that is me and that makes me sad. Of course, there are times I have those moments where I swear my cranium just dutch ovened my grey matter and I couldn't recite your ABC's if I was offered a million dollars to do so. Hell, I have had more than my fair share of those in every day life as well as in EMS.
I am trying really hard not to be the person that can just skate through the exam and settle with a passing grade. I want to own that test. I want to walk out of the building fist pumping. I want to be the person who verifies, learns and grows. I want to have the knowledge beyond X=Y because the book told me so. I want to be great.
I think I can do that. No, wait. I KNOW I can do that. I just have to remember to keep my nose in the books.
But don't let it fool ya about what's inside."
Well that is if he was singing about my EMT-B book and not a scrumptious and oh-so-tasty and inviting bottle of wine. Mmmm... wine...
Right, a post. Luckily for me, having moved in the last 6 months eliminated the need for the icky-icky dance when I reached into my bookshelf to pull out the well-worn and slightly out dated book. I even went as far as to pull out the workbook that matches. It took a day or two, but I finally mustered the courage to crack open the workbook and take the final test. I was cruising right along, answering questions and circling ones I knew I was guessing at when I realized I was guessing a little more often than I should. Of course I felt a twinge of shame, but that twinge became a swift kick to the backside when I tallied the results and realized... I failed.
I have been trying to rationalize the reason why I would fail so miserably and really the only reason is I need to brush up on the material regardless of a recert test. Of course with my brain, the thought process doesn't stop there and coincidentally, neither does the need for refreshing and learning.
I was reading through the Medical/Legal and Ethical Issues chapter and ran across these little ditties...
"To be an effective EMT-B, you must maintain your skills and knowledge. This includes practicing until you have obtained confidence and mastery of the skills. After that, continuing education and re certification are necessary to maintain mastery. Every patient deserves the best care."
Whoa.
This little paragraph is probably skimmed over by most as they eagerly read through the chapter waiting for the "good stuff" to start appearing on the pages before them. I think every chapter should start with this sentence. And yes, I believe it is that important.
How many of us complain about the old guy that phones it in at trainings and recerts declaring they have seen it all and therefore know it all? Or how about the person who after years on the department, still doesn't have the confidence in the most basic skills. We aren't talking, "Hey, I'm not positive about this BP, can you check for me?" The look of sheer terror when you ask to put the 3-lead on, the frantic opening of every cabinet looking for the NRB. Yeah, I know you are nodding your head right now or maybe you are thinking, 'crap, that's me'. Right now, I feel like that is me and that makes me sad. Of course, there are times I have those moments where I swear my cranium just dutch ovened my grey matter and I couldn't recite your ABC's if I was offered a million dollars to do so. Hell, I have had more than my fair share of those in every day life as well as in EMS.
I am trying really hard not to be the person that can just skate through the exam and settle with a passing grade. I want to own that test. I want to walk out of the building fist pumping. I want to be the person who verifies, learns and grows. I want to have the knowledge beyond X=Y because the book told me so. I want to be great.
I think I can do that. No, wait. I KNOW I can do that. I just have to remember to keep my nose in the books.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Help!!
Today I received an email that scared the crud out of me.
"Congratulations. You have been approved to take the examination for Florida Certification as an Emergency Medical Technician."
Yeah. So all this time that I should have spent reviewing the EMT-B protocols, I haven't and now I'm starting to get that "Immafrowup" feeling. So... anyone care to share their favorite review/study aids? There are more books out there that claim to be 'the best review evah', but I don't want to be shelling out $50 for something that isn't current or is inconsistent with the NREMT. I still have my EMT-Basic books but those were published in 2003 and well, times have changed and I would hate to brush up on incorrect info.
Seriously folks. If anyone still follows this sad little blog of mine anymore, please help a sistah out.
"Congratulations. You have been approved to take the examination for Florida Certification as an Emergency Medical Technician."
Yeah. So all this time that I should have spent reviewing the EMT-B protocols, I haven't and now I'm starting to get that "Immafrowup" feeling. So... anyone care to share their favorite review/study aids? There are more books out there that claim to be 'the best review evah', but I don't want to be shelling out $50 for something that isn't current or is inconsistent with the NREMT. I still have my EMT-Basic books but those were published in 2003 and well, times have changed and I would hate to brush up on incorrect info.
Seriously folks. If anyone still follows this sad little blog of mine anymore, please help a sistah out.
Monday, August 16, 2010
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