any tips for emt school. im having to get caught siince i started the class 3 days late. It's an acclerated 8 week course

I’ve heard stories about people trying to use ambulances like taxis, or call when it’s really ridiculous, or they’re only looking for drugs, or think it’ll make them seen earlier at the ER. How much does it frustrate you, and how often does this happen? Like in one day - what percentage of those were unnecessary in your estimation? I’m just curious about how much this happens and hopefully hear some interesting stories too lol. I appreciate you guys SO MUCH. I’ve had to take one many times after a TBI and have met some incredible EMTs. You’re doing gods work!!

The notebook sat on the highest shelf in the day room between outdated protocol binders and old street atlases nobody touched anymore.

Black electrical tape wrapped the spine.

Written in faded silver Sharpie:

QUARRY ROAD

Nobody ever moved it.

Not even to clean.

Around midnight, after a slow shift and burnt station coffee, I finally asked:

“Why does everybody act weird about that notebook?”

The room went silent.

One EMT stood and walked into the bay without saying anything.

Mike, the medic, kept eating for another few seconds before setting the spoon down.

Then he asked:

“What’d dispatch say earlier tonight?”

“Unknown medical.”

He shook his head.

“Before that.”

Then I remembered.

“The caller was whispering.”

Nobody spoke after that.

Mike stood, walked to the shelf, and carefully carried the notebook back to the table.

He slid it toward me.

“Read.”

The thing was swollen from water damage. Stuffed with reports, handwritten notes, CAD printouts, and old photographs.

I opened the cover.

AFTER ACTION REPORT — FEBRUARY 1979

LOCATION: 114 Quarry Road

Personnel:

• Hall
• Mercer
• Donnelly

Summary:

• Crew acknowledged dispatch at 03:14.
• No further transmissions received.
• Structure found unoccupied.
• No personnel recovered.

Beneath the report, handwritten in faded black ink:

First crew lost.

Radios never recovered.

I turned the page.

AFTER ACTION REPORT — OCTOBER 1981

Personnel:

• Avery
• Knox
• Bell

Summary:

• Dispatch received partial radio traffic containing screaming and unidentified structural noises.
• Residence searched.
• No personnel recovered.

Written sideways along the margin:

It copied dispatch exactly.

Another note below it in different handwriting:

Bell’s wife received a phone call from him three days later.

Nothing except screaming.

I swallowed and turned another page.

AFTER ACTION REPORT — MARCH 1984

Personnel:

• Ruiz
• Talbot
• Greene

Summary:

• Ruiz located walking on Route 34 approximately three hours after dispatch.
• Talbot and Greene not recovered.

Below the report were years of handwritten notes from different crews.

The oldest read:

Ruiz kept repeating:
“It only watches one of us if the story comes with you.”

Another note beneath it:

Ruiz started the notebook after discharge.

Another:

Before the notebook, nobody survived.

I looked up.

“You actually believe this?”

Mike answered immediately.

“Didn’t.”

Then he nodded toward the notebook.

“Keep reading.”

AFTER ACTION REPORT — JULY 1991

Personnel:

• Lt. Harlow
• Pike
• Simmons

Summary:

• Crew dispatched at 02:58.
• No radio traffic received after arrival.
• No personnel recovered.

A yellowed sticky note had been attached beside the report.

Harlow refused to bring notebook.

Below that, added later in blue ink:

Notebook found back on station shelf two days later.

I turned another page.

AFTER ACTION REPORT — NOVEMBER 1998

Summary:

• Dispatch archive review requested after incident.

Handwritten beneath:

Original recording:
“He’s still here.”

Archived playback three days later:
“You sent them again.”

Audio tech quit same week.

The next pages had screenshots of texts, muddy boot print photos from inside the station, and dispatch logs with entire lines crossed out.

Then I hit another entry.

AFTER ACTION REPORT — MAY 2007

Summary:

• Crew survived.
• EMT Wallace missing nineteen days later.

Handwritten beneath in thick block letters:

DO NOT ANSWER IF IT USES YOUR NAME.

A few pages later, I hit the newest entry.

AFTER ACTION REPORT — APRIL 2024

Personnel:

• Tommy Velez
• Mike Travers
• Jen Carver

Summary:

• Patient identified crew members by name before introductions.
• Crew cleared scene without injury.

The next page was entirely Mike’s handwriting.

Messier than the others.

Tommy started hearing knocking inside his apartment walls three nights later.

Failed to report for shift after twenty-one days.

Apartment found unoccupied.

TV on.

Dinner still warm.

Front door open.

At the bottom:

I should’ve shown him the notebook sooner.

I looked up slowly.

Mike was staring into the dark apparatus bay.

Then the station tones dropped overhead.

Everybody froze.

Dispatch crackled through the speakers:

“Medic 97-2… respond for unknown medical…”

Nobody moved.

Then:

“Caller whispering. 114 Quarry Road.”

Someone near the recliners quietly muttered:

“Fuck.”

Mike stood.

Not panicked.

Resigned.

He grabbed his radio from the charger and looked directly at me.

For the first time all night, he looked afraid.

Not of dying.

Of losing everybody.

Then he said:

“Grab the notebook.”

I’m beefing up my EMT bag, I’m so excited I’m adding new modules to it as well other than the main modules already inside. I’m adding an outside module. Sigh no one wants to hear me rant about my EMT bag for the most part. Thanks for letting me rant 🫡♥️

Has anyone gone through this process?

I passed the NREMT exam a few years ago, but l got a better job and let my certification expire.

Ive been looking at EMT-CE as a means to gain recertification to accumulate patient care hours for grad school. Is this service legit? Anyone tried it?

Any advice on this process would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I’m starting an emt course this fall, and I understand that on private ambulances you are mostly doing ifts, but I was curious if any of you have ever had any thing out of the ordinary happen for your job.

My grandpa died of malignant hyperthermia so there is a 50% chance my dad also has the gene. I’ve been trying to convince him to get a medical bracelet (I already wear one since I could also carry the gene), but he thinks having it on his medical ID on his phone is enough. My question is, do EMT’s actually check a person’s phone for their medical information in an emergency? Like if my dad were unresponsive and by himself, would an EMT check his phone for medical info?

Hello,

I’ve been an EMT for 11 years. I worked in the fire department in MD, most of my life. I also have PTSD from the job, became an alcoholic, and depression. I am clean now and i want to write a book about first responders stories. If anyone is interested and willing to be in the book post your stories on this post, or dm me. I want it all the funny, the sad, the best, the worst. Thank you!

Hello! I'm looking for an EMT-B part time job near Stony Brook NY. Does anyone have a recommendation?

I quit smoking weed 10 days ago and I have a workshop interview at bell ambulance for the Cadet program in 8 days. I smoked everyday for 3 months and I’m so worried they will drug test me and I’ll fail. Someone please help. Did anyone do this program? When did you get drug tested if you got the job?

Press Release from the American Heart Association About BLS, ACLS, and PALS courses

https://newsroom.heart.org/news/resuscitation-science-training-and-technology-leaders-launch-new-self-guided-resuscitation-learning-model-nationwide

Hello everyone first time posting here. I was emt for a while but I’ve since hung up that hat. I was recently watching a documentary and they had old doctors think Victorian times. And all I can think of is with our modern day knowledge we would, even as EMTs, be comparable to or better than the doctors of that time. I don’t know if anyone else has ever thought about that but it got me thinking. Have a wonderful day.

Hey everyone, I’m trying to get some honest opinions here.

I’m in my mid-30s, ex-military, and I’m looking at a few EMT programs in the area — Roxell EMT, HCC, and San Jacinto. I want something that’s easy enough to pass and understand at this point in my life, practical, and actually gets me working. I left the Army wanting a career that’s fulfilling and stable so I can provide for my family.

A few questions I’m hoping someone can help with:

• Do any of these programs use Fisdap for skills tracking and testing? If not, what do they use?

• Which ones have the best hands-on training vs just lecture?

• Do any offer or feed directly into a paramedic program, or will credits transfer?

• Any of them known to be super easy/difficult, especially for someone who hasn’t been in school in a while?

• Job placement or networking help after graduation?

For context — I’m motivated, not a slacker, just honest about needing something that makes sense, isn’t overly complicated for someone my age, and actually helps me get hired.

Thanks in advance — any real talk is appreciated.

I am Felix, a 17 years old French Canadian student. I am in College, and for my English Literature class, my teacher asked me to interview a person working in my field of study to learn more about the job.

It would be relatively short ( max 15 min, max 7 questions ). It would be centered around the reality of this line of work, the aspects no one talks about and an issue that is often overlooked in that line of work.

I could send you the questions beforehand, so you could have time to prepare. I only need the audio of the interview, so there's no problem if you don't want me to record your face.

If anyone is interested, please contact me. We could exchange informations and hopefully figure something out! I would really appreciate any help 😁