Posted: 1/3/2018 7:00:10 PM EDT
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I got my WFR cert in 2016. Mostly because we do a lot of back road driving and camping with the kids, but also because I enjoy helping others, tend to be first-on-scene at a lot of accidents and started volunteering for a local sheriff office CERT.
I have to re-cert this year and have talked with the NOLS/WMI about what additional steps it would take to meet the requirements for the national registry of EMRs. It is not a lot, but it's not entirely trivial. Given that this has nothing to with my job/career, is there any value in pursuing the NR cert? FWIW, I have looked at the EMT and WEMT classes more than once, but don't know I could commit the required hours. It would also be primarily for personal interest, although in the back of my mind I have an idea of volunteering for the local FD/EMS when we move out of surburbia to a small town (ex., we have 20 acres outside Ellijay, GA which is pop. about 1300). That's not likely to happen for 10 years (when the kids graduate HS). |
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| It's a great place to start. It might even encourage you to continue on to EMT or beyond. No good medical knowledge and training is waisted. It's were I started years ago. Though not my primary function at work, I am a licensed paramedic and TCCC certified. It can only add to the knowledge you gained from your WFR class. I'm not sure if the skills taught are much different though. |
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Originally Posted By Kinzei:
It's a great place to start. It might even encourage you to continue on to EMT or beyond. No good medical knowledge and training is waisted. It's were I started years ago. Though not my primary function at work, I am a licensed paramedic and TCCC certified. It can only add to the knowledge you gained from your WFR class. I'm not sure if the skills taught are much different though. Re: previous post, WFR includes CPR/AED, but does not award a NR recognized CPR cert so that has to be repeated externally. If memory serves, I'd need to do the CPR cert within 12 months of my WFR re-cert and I could then sit for the NR exam, but there might be some additional hoops. I have the info from the WMI dir. of education somewhere in my email. |
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Do you have the time for the CE requirements to keep the National cert?
https://www.nremt.org/rwd/public/document/emr-recert 20 |
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Originally Posted By KR20:
Do you have the time for the CE requirements to keep the National cert? https://www.nremt.org/rwd/public/document/emr-recert 20 You make a good point, though, and something to consider when weighing options. |
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Originally Posted By NorthernTundra:
Just go for your EMT-B WEMT (which grants NREMT-B) is a 200 hour course. I believe (but am not certain) last time I looked at EMT-B it was also a 200 hour course. I'm not sure about CE or re-cert, as it has been a while since I looked up EMT-A/B. While I said my schedule is flexible enough to manage CE needs, I'm not sure how I could manage a 200 hour course unless I could take it as an evening class. If you don't mind me asking, why do you think EMT-B is a good choice given my current career (I'm honestly interested in your thoughts). |
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Does your state require you to keep up the NREMT cert? I let my NREMT-P drop and just do my state paramedic cert due to no plans to move out of state. Also if you are not planing to use the higher skills yet stay where you are and gain experience. When you do decide to upgrade that experience will be invaluable. I was an EMT for 14 years before I went to Paramedic. It was easer for me than others in my class do to time in cert. 20 |
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Originally Posted By KR20:
Does your state require you to keep up the NREMT cert? I let my NREMT-P drop and just do my state paramedic cert due to no plans to move out of state. Also if you are not planing to use the higher skills yet stay where you are and gain experience. When you do decide to upgrade that experience will be invaluable. I was an EMT for 14 years before I went to Paramedic. It was easer for me than others in my class do to time in cert. 20 
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Originally Posted By KR20:
Does your state require you to keep up the NREMT cert? I let my NREMT-P drop and just do my state paramedic cert due to no plans to move out of state. Also if you are not planing to use the higher skills yet stay where you are and gain experience. When you do decide to upgrade that experience will be invaluable. I was an EMT for 14 years before I went to Paramedic. It was easer for me than others in my class do to time in cert. 20 |
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Originally Posted By King_Mud:
Remember that you have to be affiliated with an agency and providing patient care in order to recertify with NREMT, if you’re not on the roster of an EMRA, ambulance service, or other organization and actively working you’ll lose your cert after one cycle. |
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Originally Posted By D_J:
That's great info - I didn't know that! I don't know if I could volunteer enough hours for someone to keep me on their roster. My friend was pursuing becoming a surgeon, but dropped out during residency. He's working an ambulance now while he tries to get in a PA school (he has his masters in medicine), but they primarily do transports (most/all dialysis patients). I may ask him some questions. |
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Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Graduated med school and then dropped out during residency? Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By D_J:
That's great info - I didn't know that! I don't know if I could volunteer enough hours for someone to keep me on their roster. My friend was pursuing becoming a surgeon, but dropped out during residency. He's working an ambulance now while he tries to get in a PA school (he has his masters in medicine), but they primarily do transports (most/all dialysis patients). I may ask him some questions. He did a few years at a school in the Caribbean, then a few more at a school in the UK - London, I think. Came back and was doing residency in NY. During residency, he put on about 50 lbs and became pre-diabetic. Some other issues as well. I should point out he was roughly 48-50 at the time. Now he’s saying most PA schools don’t want him because of his age, but he has to get the PA cert before working as a PA even though he’s overqualified. Keep in mind this is all his story, and I don’t know enough to spot any glaring errors if there are any. But he does bore us with lots of unnecessary medical info on a regular basis. 
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Originally Posted By D_J:
Do you mind sharing what you do? TCCC is on my list of wants. Re: previous post, WFR includes CPR/AED, but does not award a NR recognized CPR cert so that has to be repeated externally. If memory serves, I'd need to do the CPR cert within 12 months of my WFR re-cert and I could then sit for the NR exam, but there might be some additional hoops. I have the info from the WMI dir. of education somewhere in my email. |
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Originally Posted By Kinzei:
Sorry for the late response! I didn't see your question. My primary job is a lab technician at a specialty chemical plant. I'm on our ERT (fire/rescue/medical) I'm the only paramedic we have in the facility, so I always default to medical if there is an on scene medical emergency. CPR is always an external certification, although the initial might be provided through your certification class. A few years ago we did a mutual aid active shooter drill with the local fire/EMS/police and other plants in our area. They offered a TCCC certification class at the Texas EMS conference and I was able to convince my safety manager to send me for certification. If all you are lacking to sit for your cert is CPR I would definitely do it. Certification and education is never wasted. Who knows, you might even be able to convince your employer to send you for the next level of certification. I was. CE hours are easy to come by. You can do them on line. I think an EMT-B needs 36 hours over 4 years to maintain a Texas cert. I let my NREMT-P slip. I just maintain my state. As a licensed paramedic, I need 144 hours every 4 years. My employer does a good job of sending the plant medics for 8 hours of CE once a quarter, but I still usually end up short. Originally Posted By Kinzei:
Originally Posted By D_J:
Do you mind sharing what you do? TCCC is on my list of wants. Re: previous post, WFR includes CPR/AED, but does not award a NR recognized CPR cert so that has to be repeated externally. If memory serves, I'd need to do the CPR cert within 12 months of my WFR re-cert and I could then sit for the NR exam, but there might be some additional hoops. I have the info from the WMI dir. of education somewhere in my email. Since I need an AHA/RC CPR cert within so many days of my WFR recert, I'm going to take one this month, recert in August and sit for the NREMR exam shortly after. Its only $75 IIRC, and will give me a reason to seek our more CE. I just recently got back from our BSA troops summer camp where I ended up being the only one with any medical experience, so in addition to treating bites, injuries and inevitable pocket knife cuts (every boy bought at least one), I had to diagnose, treat and transport a concussion pt. to the local ER. I also taught part of the camp's WFA class when their medical director got called away. Long term, that could be my niche that keeps me active and I might consider taking over the troop medical director position (although that comes with a crap load of paperwork management of health forms and medication mgmt). Our troops is very large (~160 active boys, and we had 90 at summer camp). I'm going to look for other opportunities to volunteer my time, and depending on what I find I might take a month off work and get through the EMT class. |
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Just wanted to follow this up to say I did my WFR recert in early Aug, got my BLS Provider cert last week, completed the WFR>EMR bridge course and sat for my NR-EMR exam last Thurs. I thought I'd failed because there was so much content I'd never seen, but as I understand it there are 20-30 questions that are used to test future content and so I'm just guessing that is where the most confusing ones came from (I had at least 4-5 diagnosing between meningitis and hepatitis).
Anyhow, just logged in and found out I passed. I spoke with several instructors and friends in the field, and as of now feel like there's no real benefit to getting my EMT unless I'm going to take a volunteer job with a local FD. I had that on my mind, but that was when we were on the path to move out into the country - no real need in my current AO. |
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Originally Posted By Everythingisawesome:
Congratulations. 
Next stop, TCCC/TECC. My simplified analysis of EMT v. EMR is that most of what I would add to my skill set moving from one to the next would require access to an ambulance, fire engine and/or immediate access to a hospital/physician office - all of which are things I do not have in the primary place I use my knowledge and skill. My trauma bag contains pretty much everything I'm trained to use, and moving to EMT doesn't add many skills that I could use in the same mobile, remote-environment manner. That said, there are a lot of valuable skills that do not require an ambulance, et.al. and than can extend the timetable during which BLS may increase the chances that ALS arrives in time and/or is successful. And I think those are going to be in focused training (that may help with my CE) outside an EMS instruction ladder. I think that is where I go next. |
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Originally Posted By ICU:
EMT is great & all but min training should involve administration of IV... Hell, any basic 11B can do it... |
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Originally Posted By Everythingisawesome:
Suturing is no good unless you can properly clean the wound first. Without antibiotics and a sterile workspace, it's about as useful as the IV skills are with no drugs or fluids. I really haven’t thought about it a ton, but I should probably put together a list of skills/training and start prioritizing based on likelihood of use. |
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Originally Posted By D_J:
Fair enough. I was thinking of a situation where you’re evacing to EMS, but steri strips are insufficient for transport. I really haven’t thought about it a ton, but I should probably put together a list of skills/training and start prioritizing based on likelihood of use. Originally Posted By D_J:
Originally Posted By Everythingisawesome:
Suturing is no good unless you can properly clean the wound first. Without antibiotics and a sterile workspace, it's about as useful as the IV skills are with no drugs or fluids. I really haven’t thought about it a ton, but I should probably put together a list of skills/training and start prioritizing based on likelihood of use. Diluting someone’s remaining blood supply is about as helpful as putting diesel in your engine because the oil light came on. Sure, you now have volume but how much good is that going to do? |
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Originally Posted By King_Mud:
Honestly IVs are not worth worrying about for the majority of trauma patients. Amount of clotting factor in NS? 0. Amount of Hgb in NS? 0. Chances of contributing to hypothermia without warmed fluids? 100%. Diluting someone’s remaining blood supply is about as helpful as putting diesel in your engine because the oil light came on. Sure, you now have volume but how much good is that going to do? Originally Posted By King_Mud:
Originally Posted By D_J:
Originally Posted By Everythingisawesome:
Suturing is no good unless you can properly clean the wound first. Without antibiotics and a sterile workspace, it's about as useful as the IV skills are with no drugs or fluids. I really haven’t thought about it a ton, but I should probably put together a list of skills/training and start prioritizing based on likelihood of use. Diluting someone’s remaining blood supply is about as helpful as putting diesel in your engine because the oil light came on. Sure, you now have volume but how much good is that going to do? 
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Originally Posted By D_J:
Anyhow, just logged in and found out I passed. I spoke with several instructors and friends in the field, and as of now feel like there's no real benefit to getting my EMT unless I'm going to take a volunteer job with a local FD. I had that on my mind, but that was when we were on the path to move out into the country - no real need in my current AO. |
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Originally Posted By GypsyDoc:
DJ, where do you live? Da Grady's need PRN EMTs. Food for thought. Originally Posted By GypsyDoc:
Originally Posted By D_J:
Anyhow, just logged in and found out I passed. I spoke with several instructors and friends in the field, and as of now feel like there's no real benefit to getting my EMT unless I'm going to take a volunteer job with a local FD. I had that on my mind, but that was when we were on the path to move out into the country - no real need in my current AO. |
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| Heck, I've got a trauma bag that I put together based on my experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let me know if you are missing anything |
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Originally Posted By NavyDoc1:
Heck, I've got a trauma bag that I put together based on my experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let me know if you are missing anything
The only thing I’m sure I’m missing is a hemostatic agent and a chest seal, but they’re highly unlikely to be needed for boy scouts. I think I have celox in my blowout bag (on my battle belt used for classes), but I’m not sure what I’d replace to add it to my bag. |
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