Question for INGOers who work in medicine

[Ruffnek]

As some may know, I've decided to make a career change. Started heading toward IT but realized that it isn't the most interesting to me so I switched it up and am now taking a course to become an EMT (https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break-room/444991-ingo-professionals-please-check.html). I'm loving it. Picking up the skills pretty easily, consistently scoring at the top of my class on our exams, and understanding anatomy/physiology and pathophysiology of humans much easier than I did computers.

All of that said, my memory is horrible. I'm understanding different disease processes but having trouble keeping the things I'm learning straight in my head, like the (endless) steps on our patient assessment skill sheet, or the differences in presentation of a pneumonia patient vs one who is dealing with pulmonary edema or ACS. Don't even get me started on getting all the different types of medications memorized.

Is this normal? Is there something I can do or is it just gonna be a matter of experience?

Any other tips for a new EMT would also be appreciated.

 

[1911ly]

My wife was an RN. One of the things the helped her a lot was flash cards. Make some on and have some one quiz you, or look at them and guess the answer and then see if you are right. When she passed away I found tons of flash cards she used over the years. She was a hell of a good nurse.

Just keep working at it and it will get easier

 

[Double T]

You talking EMT or paramedic? Anatomy, biology, pharmacology...it's just memorization. I can tell you how I did it, but it may not help you. I typically write out things I can't remember on note paper, and then highlight it in the book. I also don't read text before any classes, I find that I don't pay attention to lecture and miss things.

I went through LPN school in 04/05, and graduated with my ASN last year for my RN.

The best thing I can tell you, is learning how you learn, is the best way to succeed. Often times rote memorization is the hardest for anyone to figure out.

 

[Ruffnek]

My wife was an RN. One of the things the helped her a lot was flash cards. Make some on and have some one quiz you, or look at them and guess the answer and then see if you are right. When she passed away I found tons of flash cards she used over the years. She was a hell of a good nurse.

Just keep working at it and it will get easier

I sure hope so. This was always my biggest fear when I considered going into this field before but I'm loving this way too much to quit.

 

[Ruffnek]

You talking EMT or paramedic? Anatomy, biology, pharmacology...it's just memorization. I can tell you how I did it, but it may not help you. I typically write out things I can't remember on note paper, and then highlight it in the book. I also don't read text before any classes, I find that I don't pay attention to lecture and miss things.

I went through LPN school in 04/05, and graduated with my ASN last year for my RN.

The best thing I can tell you, is learning how you learn, is the best way to succeed. Often times rote memorization is the hardest for anyone to figure out.

I'm taking EMT right now, probably gonna try to go for medic once I have a few years in. I've been researching the "learning how to learn" and I'm coming up with a few tips.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Definitely flash cards.try some system based learning too. Like cover CHF for a night. Read about why it flares up, what’s going on physiology wise, their presentation, how you treat it, what their usual meds are.

esepcially if you start going on runs, read about the cases you saw. It helps burn the memories in and you’ll recall things better when you think of the patient.

just sitting down to memorize five things about 100 drugs is really hard

 

[SmileDocHill]

Dentist here, so not a "real doctor" ...
Here are my ramblings and thoughts on the matter.
It is about immersion. The mechanical world, or fixing things, seems more logical or "common sense" to a lot of people because most humans are exposed to basic concepts of physics almost from birth. We feel the pressure of gravity, playground equipment is basically a physics lab for what leverage and centrifugal force feels like... so when we are older and take a shop or science class it "feels" like physical science is easier to learn. We've already been immersing ourselves in the basic concepts.
Well, that doesn't apply to pharmacology, most biology, anatomy physiology... It isn't harder to learn but the basic building blocks are not something we spent our childhood sitting around the dinner table talking about.
At first it is memorization but with time it can start to feel more like understanding vs memorization. With biology, it took my brain a while to stop trying to apply mechanical world concepts and really read, study, and take in lectures with an open mind to model the situation in my mind vs trying to memorize it. That is key. I'm no mechanic so take this analogy with a grain of salt but... If you can mentally picture how an engine works, picture each system and component, when each item or system is employed, model the entire thing in your mind it is easier to diagnose problems.
I can say that after several years of university and then dental school things do become more intuitive. Some subjects you have to get to a pretty deep level of study and have been "in it" for a while for that to happen, at least for me it took a while. Pharmacology, for me, only really got to that level for a short while. After school, in regular practice, I can still mentally model several meds I come across daily, or that have very serious issues with the meds I Rx or surgeries I typically perform. The majority of the others, however, I simply look up every time for the sake of safety and ego check (it isn't about me).
All that to say... don't let feeling that "this isn't coming easy" during the early stages of the learning process get you frustrated. The ease of "taking it in", or actually understanding it vs memorizing it gets better with time.
Graph below but x is time you've been immersing yourself in the subject and y is ease of understanding.

I like the one below, it's old so from an era where the majority of humans could grasp 99% of concepts known to man. Part of the reason that's no longer possible is because each area of science has explored so much, one person cannot grasp more than a couple to any level of depth. Another reason is that the depth of scientific exploration is now beyond what our daily "experience" exposes us to. At least until they make double helix chemical reaction playground equipment.

 

[turnandshoot4]

I am an RN, had the same issues.

Time with the material is very important. Even through anatomy I didn't need to study. Listened in class, wrote it down, then I had it test time.

That all changed in nursing school. I had to study every night, no matter what.

As others have said above, flash cards are definitely helpful. I'm sure there are some EMT online study programs too. Be patient, keep plugging away.

 

[PhxCollier]

Or thing you might try, is to use Microsoft one note for flash cards. The advantage is you can then search easily for a topic or tag if you need to. I found physical flash cards are a pain if you have a large number of items.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mic...t-yourself-with-paperless-onenote-flashcards/

 

[Ruffnek]

Thanks everyone. It's challenging at some points but I'm gonna get this.

 

[Hoosierkav]

As a Paramedic, it got overwhelming trying to remember everything (I can't imagine what med school is like!). But, take it step by step--put pen to paper (or dry erase board).

It's hard as an EMT because the "why" isn't taught to the depth it should be. So, as Doc mentioned, look at a single disease process and understand the why behind it (at a level appropriate for you), and then you'll be able to relate the signs/symptoms to that condition. What causes CHF? Why do you see X (JVD, wheezes, rales, dyspnea) with it? Why is treatment A indicated?

As for your assessments, it's easy to get tied up in SAMPLE, OPQRST, DCAP, etc. Stop memorizing mnemonics and start learning how to talk and assess. You need to ask questions that help you figure out what's going on. What's the chief complaint? What other complaints are there (respiratory, circulatory, pain, GI, trauma, neuro)? Take the patient's answer and go through it as detailed as need be, before moving on to the next complaint and dissecting that. All too often I see, "I have chest pain" "Ok sir, [OPQRST] What allergies do you have?"

What??

What about the rest of the assessment? Don't move past S until you're done with it. The only time that A matters is when it matters (anaphylaxis). The only time that L matters is if it's GI/abdominal complaint or you're planning on bringing the patient to surgery. So, don't rush to get those answers--they're good fillers during transport

Medications--keep it simple. You're learning oxygen, nitro, aspirin, narcan, glucose, activated charcoal... ? What else?

 

[Ruffnek]

As a Paramedic, it got overwhelming trying to remember everything (I can't imagine what med school is like!). But, take it step by step--put pen to paper (or dry erase board).

It's hard as an EMT because the "why" isn't taught to the depth it should be. So, as Doc mentioned, look at a single disease process and understand the why behind it (at a level appropriate for you), and then you'll be able to relate the signs/symptoms to that condition. What causes CHF? Why do you see X (JVD, wheezes, rales, dyspnea) with it? Why is treatment A indicated?

As for your assessments, it's easy to get tied up in SAMPLE, OPQRST, DCAP, etc. Stop memorizing mnemonics and start learning how to talk and assess. You need to ask questions that help you figure out what's going on. What's the chief complaint? What other complaints are there (respiratory, circulatory, pain, GI, trauma, neuro)? Take the patient's answer and go through it as detailed as need be, before moving on to the next complaint and dissecting that. All too often I see, "I have chest pain" "Ok sir, [OPQRST] What allergies do you have?"

What??

What about the rest of the assessment? Don't move past S until you're done with it. The only time that A matters is when it matters (anaphylaxis). The only time that L matters is if it's GI/abdominal complaint or you're planning on bringing the patient to surgery. So, don't rush to get those answers--they're good fillers during transport

Medications--keep it simple. You're learning oxygen, nitro, aspirin, narcan, glucose, activated charcoal... ? What else?

Very helpful. Thanks. Meds are coming pretty simple to me. Just small things to remember like contraindications.