Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Got the first part over with

I am happy to report that after much stress and headache, I was able to successfully pass my AEMT skills testing.  Yay me.

Now of course this is only the first step.  Once National Registry validates the test results (which would take about a week), I will get my authorization to test to take the cognitive exam, which is a 135-question computer based test taken at PearsonVUE testing center.  There is one here in Vegas, but there is often a long wait for a spot since they do other testing as well.  If worse comes to worse, I can head down to Bullhead City to their center at the local community college.  Some folks in my class have went up to St. George, UT to do their test to save time.  For now I'll wait and see what comes up.

On the agenda for today: vehicle extrication class starting up today, and will conclude tomorrow.  So I will get to take out my frustrations on a junker vehicle using a Halligan tool and the Jaws of Life 😈

...oh and before I forget, this week is National EMS Week, so take time to thank your friendly neighborhood ambulance or rescue crew.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

The home stretch

Finished up last class this week, just need to do the online final this weekend.  Then skills testing on Tuesday morning...am hoping things will go well.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Happy Mother's Day

For those who are truly saints and have had to put up with a lot from your offspring, may this day be a great one for you all.

My own mom has passed on over 5 years ago, but I still think of her every day.

Meanwhile, I attended an event here at Sunrise Hospital for the organization Carry The Load as they currently do a 4,000 mile walk from Seattle, WA to Dallas, TX to commemorate those whom have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and to put the real meaning back into the Memorial Day holiday.
In addition, me and my fellow first responders and those who are veterans were honored by the chief medical officer of Sunrise with special challenge coins.  That was special and a little humbling to me, but am proud to have been honored in retrospect.



Now I get to tackle cleaning out the refrigerator, fun fun :-)

EDIT 5/18 - some pics from the event:

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Been away from here too long

Sorry for the decided lack of posts over the last few months, but I've had a lot of stuff to plow through.

For starters, I am about finished up with doing the Advanced EMT course being taught at Guardian, with the psychomotor testing happening in less than 2 weeks.  It's pretty much a review of the same things covered during the original EMT course, with the added provisions of IV therapy, pharmacology, and how to use those as part of your treatment regimen.

In addition, I have had to deal with some family issues that are still not quite fully resolved yet, but am hopeful I can conclude those soon.

Finally, after hearing about the benefits of using the new messaging service Gab from Peter at Bayou Renaissance Man blog, I decided to sign up since it doesn't restrict what you want to say, unlike Twitter.  You can follow me at @desertratNV for any wild things I decide to throw out there.

Hopefully more soon!