We are on our third installment of NREMT FAQs, sent in by students during our live review session! This time around, our student attendees had questions involving: Test Anxiety, OB/PEDS, and Medical Terminology.
Curious what questions students asked in previous sessions? Our first installment covers interesting clinical care questions. The second installment answers questions about taking the test itself.
Test Anxiety
What advice would you give if you absolutely don’t know the answer?
If you have absolutely no idea, look for the things you DO know in the question. For example, if there is a disease or condition you have never heard of, ignore it and see what else you may know. For example, if the patient is breathing shallowly, the answer may be to ventilate the patient; the part you don’t know may not matter. Also, look for parts of words that may make a difference. Broncho- refers to the lungs or bronchioles, hemo- refers to blood, etc. See if that narrows down possible answers.
Never throw your hands up and just pick something. Do your best on every question and then move on knowing you did your best.
How do I combat overthinking or wanting to change my answer?
The first step is to take a second, breathe, and try to get out of your head.
If you:
- Clearly read the question. Twice.
- Identified the important concepts in the question
- Applied the concepts to the patient
- Applied value to items and concepts in the question
Then trust in the answer you chose and your knowledge. Don’t second guess.
I feel like I know the material but taking the test is getting to me. Do you have any advice?
You need to find your Mojo. When preparing for the NREMT, students often forget to sit back and give themselves credit. If you know the material and you’ve put in the hard work, all you’re missing is confidence.
Believe you can pass the exam. Be confident you have the tools you need to succeed. Walk into the exam room and get it done. You’ve got this.
OB/GYN & Pediatrics
- At what age would we stop doing a pulse under 100 to ventilate?
- At what age do you stop use the pulse (100-60) (any below 60) for peds?
While we acknowledge that some adolescent patients may be physiologically more adult than pediatric, the AHA says this in their 2020 guidelines:
For the purposes of the pediatric advanced life support guidelines, pediatric patients are infants, children, and adolescents up to 18 years of age, excluding newborns. For pediatric basic life support (BLS), guidelines apply as follows:
- Infant guidelines apply to infants younger than approximately 1 year of age.
- Child guidelines apply to children approximately 1 year of age until puberty. For teaching purposes, puberty is defined as breast development in females and the presence of axillary hair in males.
- For those with signs of puberty and beyond, adult basic life support guidelines should be followed.
For Placenta Previa and Placental Abruption there are two different types of bleeding correct? Bright red and dark red?
Placenta Previa has symptoms of painless, bright red vaginal bleeding. While Placental Abruption frequently (but not always) causes vaginal bleeding, the main symptom to look for is pain. It is often found in conjunction with trauma in the third trimester and occasionally during labor.
How many weeks postpartum do we stop considering women Eclamptic if they are experiencing seizures?
Many sources say up to 6 weeks after giving birth is a window when eclampsia and seizures may still occur. I think that it is important to remember that whether 3 or 5 or 7 weeks, treating the seizure is the most important thing. If you are on a BLS truck, call for ALS and/or transport promptly so that medications can be given to stop the seizures.
For more information about Preeclampsia and Eclampsia, read our blog.
I want to make sure I heard you correctly, with Placenta Previa there is no pain?
Correct! The hallmark symptoms to remember for Placenta Previa are painless, bright red vaginal bleeding.
Medical Terminology
Do you have any recommendations for when you don’t know the terminology in the answers?
Don’t get hung up on terms you don’t know. As a general rule, don’t pick a big word or term
you don’t understand because it looks appealing unless you are sure the others aren’t the correct answer.
Medical terminology can often be overwhelming to learn and remember. As you become more familiar with the language and how to apply it clinically, you’ll gain confidence and the expertise you need to become a key member of a medical team. We have an app specifically made for learning and understanding medical terminology, check it out here.
Can you state the 3 poly with DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis)?
Polydipsia—thirst. Polyuria—urination. Polyphagia—appetite.
Join our Weekly NREMT Review Sessions
The beauty of live review sessions is the opportunity to be exposed to questions that may never cross your mind to ask.
Want to participate in regular review sessions? We do that! Our EMTReview.com subscription site offers EMT and paramedic students the chance to join weekly, live NREMT review sessions with Dan Limmer. The subscription also includes study guides, practice exams, diagnostic tests, organizational checklists, videos, and more.
