Patient Assessment and the Clinical Experience

Part 2 in a 3-part series about preparing EMT students for the new NREMT exam. Read part 1 here. Read part 3 here.

We all wish our EMT students had meaningful learning experiences in the clinical setting, whether hospital or field. The introductory level of the EMT course, the shorter clinical hours, and the hesitancy by the student to engage are challenging to overcome.

Issues aside, clinical experiences are an ideal way to highlight and integrate patient assessment concepts that are increasingly necessary for the new NREMT examination. Clinical experiences allow students to see actual patients with real conditions. Our job is to build connections between clinical experiences and assessment content learned in class and lab.

Patient Assessment Exercises for EMT Classes

Here are some suggestions to help move beyond clinicals being a skills drill or simply meeting the hours requirement–and bolster your student’s patient assessment thinking and skills.

We’ve created a series of exercises for students to complete after clinical encounters and shifts. The exercises prompt students to look more deeply into clinical encounters by applying classroom concepts and evaluating outcomes.

Patient Assessment Exercise 1: Stable or Unstable

The first exercise asks students to choose a patient they saw in a clinical setting and first classify them as stable or unstable. The exercise then asks students to reflect on several parameters to justify their classification.

This helps students with the following NREMT tasks identified in the practice analysis:

• Determine a general impression of the patient.

• Determine a chief complaint and life threats.

• Obtain results of the patient’s baseline vital signs and diagnostic testing.

• Identify the need for rapid treatment, rapid transport, or additional resources.

Patient Assessment Exercise 2: Special Populations

The second exercise involves the differences between adult patients and those who are classified as pediatric or geriatric. This exercise prompts students to reflect on everything from differences in senses and maturity to vital signs and feelings experienced by the student in the encounter.

Special populations may be a small part of the exam–but they are a big part of EMS runs. In addition to covering the tasks listed above, this exercise concentrates on specific issues with special populations:

• Manage interventions specific to special populations.

The clinical experience provides one of the best opportunities for students to apply and cement patient assessment concepts–a big focus on the new NREMT BLS exam. Don’t miss this opportunity to create strong cognitive and skill connections through clinicals.