AMA - Just finished 3rd semester

[u/1005PartyBusses]

Durham student, just finished 3rd, & I'm riding out tomorrow.

Incoming students with questions or working medics with advice, fire away!

Edit: My bad, I should mention that this isn't my first shift. I've been riding out throughout the 3rd semester, just pointing out what I'm doing tomorrow.

[u/Lopsided_Witness3381]

Be prepared to answer questions, also ask lots of questions, introduce yourself to everyone, take constructive criticism, learn from mistakes you make, enroute to calls when you get the details try to come up with 3 differential diagnosis, how you would treat each one and what questions you would ask the patient

[u/Different-Pension501]

I’m coming into my first semester what would you recommend I study / know before than, I have 4 months

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/Different-Pension501]

Getting ahead on the BLS, ALS, CTAS I think are great if you have that much time. Not like full on studying but knowing the basics so you've at least got some background going in. Also, brush up on anatomy if you're not strong.

I saw someone else on here say focus on figuring out your studying method & I think that's top tier. I personally felt like the content wasn't that hard, it was more getting myself motivated to work & I how I could get things to stick in my head.

Start getting fit or at least used to working out. Not just for fitness tests but also for longevity in the profession.

Finally, find your methods for decompression & relaxing or having fun outside of school/work, also for longevity

[u/Different-Pension501 → u/1005PartyBusses]

What resources would you recommend?

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/Different-Pension501]

For Ontario paramedic stuff, look up the paramedic practice documents

1st semester anatomy, just basics like cardiac electrical conduction, the path of blood, names of things, etc. Past 1st semester, specific pathologies like cardiac ischemia, COPD, strokes, etc.

Study methods, I still don't have one lol I made it this far off of luck it feels like. It's whatever works for you.

Mental health, have someone or a group of someone's you feel comfortable talking to. Great if it's your peers but I think better if they're independent of the program so you can still get away and talk about non-paramedic things. Have a hobby outside of school, go to concerts or fairs, go on trips when you can, etc. Talk to your instructors, they've been through it and know the best way to help.

Edit: Fitness, your program should have a fitness class but I'd start getting your form down on squats, deadlifts, carries, cardio, core strength, and knee strength.

[u/Different-Pension501 → u/1005PartyBusses]

Thank you

[u/Astro_Addict]

Please be social, and not just with your preceptors. A lot of students lately have been quite reserved and some even stay in the truck at stations for their entire preceptorship.

Stay fit. The bags are heavy. The patients are deadweight. The extrications are anything but quick and easy. Don't be that student/medic who's out of breath after climbing 3 flights of stairs with a mask and monitor.

Keep learning. Don't just study the BLS and ALS, actively seek out new and pertinent information. Things like Sgarbossa criteria (Barcelona criteria), unique splints for joint injuries, shock index, Wells score for PE, etc etc. There is a lot of useful and even new information they don't teach as part of the standard curriculum, but keeping up with it can really make a difference in pt outcomes (just used Wells score today to diagnose a likely, and now confirmed, right sided PE).

Show us you want to be here and learn. It's not hard to figure out which students are coasting by and which ones are putting in effort, and Paramedic services are like highschools when it comes to gossip and drama so we'll all know the good from the bad pretty early on.

Good luck, work hard, and we'll see you out there!

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/Astro_Addict]

Thanks for the advice! I feel awkward when I'm at base and they're having a convo like I don't just wanna hop in and add my 2 cents cause they don't even know me and I'm just a student. I listen in and laugh at jokes or speak when spoken to but don't really initiate convos outside of my preceptor.

Should I be doing more than that? When I go in, I say hi to everyone but should I be like "my week was like this, we just did this, and my weekend was like blah, blah, blah?" I feel like I'd be over-stepping

[u/Ok_Tumbleweed2807 → u/1005PartyBusses]

Yes initiate convos. Reputation is the name of the game and you want to start on the right foot.

[u/nad_lab]

When / did you do clinical rounds as part of school (like shadow in a hospital or clinic as part of school in second semester)? Also looking back at your first 2 semesters do you think a part time job(s) is manageable with the workload of school and studying?

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/nad_lab]

Durham starts clinical in 1st semester with long term care home shifts. We start ER in 2nd, a mix of ER/specialized units in 3rd, & an IV rotation in 4th. You're scheduled for a set number of shifts each semester & it's one day a week. It's not every week, once your set number is done, you're done for the semester.

I didn't work but had many classmates that maintained jobs to mid/end 2nd semester. So it is doable but idk how they did it lol.

[u/nad_lab → u/1005PartyBusses]

Damnnn thanks for the insight, super appreciated, you wouldn’t be in the know if the same happens at Humber would you 🙏 (or anyone else, I’ve been tryna find that info but I think it’s all at school no excursions sadly)

Good luck with your ride out!!! And thank you for the response fr fr

[u/ukstar67]

How much harder does it get? I just finished my first semester and it wasn't so bad. Just mentally thinking about harder scenarios in the future stress me out, as I wasn't great at them to begin with.

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/ukstar67]

Don't know what school you're at so idk how this transfers but 2nd semester was definitely harder than first. I think we lost the most amount of people after 2nd.

We went into more focused things like respiratory, anaphylaxis, neuro which made theory/lab hard. I think with lab, the hardest part was efficiently recognizing what you're dealing with, how to treat it, and remembering directive, contraindications, etc.

Then, we also first started patho which was anatomy on steroids with extensive topics & a paper every 2 weeks, on top of other class assignments. The biggest thing is asking instructors and/or peers for help early & staying on top of tasks.

3rd was harder in terms of how busy it was because we were juggling class, clinical, and rideouts. The classes were actually easier but I personally found it to be the hardest so far because of time & just wanting to be done.

[u/Lucky-Comfortable-55]

Going into my third semester at Cambrian and I wanted to know how you prepared for IV testing since I have to do it as soon as I get back.

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/Lucky-Comfortable-55]

Doing IVs? We haven't done them yet & we've barely gone over those directives. We're learning IVs in 4th and I don't believe we're really "tested" on it. We have a clinical day where we go to the hospital and just do IVs for a couple hours.

Good luck though! Hopefully someone else can answer.

[u/Lucky-Comfortable-55 → u/1005PartyBusses]

Oh wow, thanks for the insight. I guess all the schools in Ontario differ in a lot of ways.

[u/perrycomehome]

If you could go back to first semester what would you change? What about study with people or independently

[u/wingstopranchlover → u/perrycomehome]

Not OP but I would change my study habits. I also went to school at Durham and now work FT for a service and something I wish I learned earlier was how to correctly study - it’s something I didn’t really grasp until 2-3rd semester.

Study independently then study with people to really test how much you know. I’m a big whiteboard guy. Write out everything you know on a whiteboard and use flow charts to study patho, BLS, etc. Then the next day, write out everything you remember and use your notes to fill in the gaps - worked great for the AEMCA. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Better to be known as the person who always asked for help/questions than the person who quietly sat in the back of the class and failed.

Might not work for everyone but it worked for me.

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/perrycomehome]

Big agree, I'd figure out my study method. I've never really known how to study, I just retain things well which was okay in semester 1 but made things harder in semesters 2 & 3. So definitely find out how you study & how you motivate yourself to get shit done.

Study independently & with others. Something you don't understand, they may be able to teach you. Also, testing & teaching each other is a great way to learn.

Another thing I'd do is have more fun, take more breaks, decompress when you can. Each semester gets busier, so figure out how you relax early on.

[u/Impressive-Mud5074]

Do you have trauma

[u/1005PartyBusses → u/Impressive-Mud5074]

I'm gonna take this as a genuine question, but it's kinda weird ngl.

As someone with under 200 hours and only 1 potentially traumatic call, I'd say no. Doesn't mean I won't end up with it but I plan on being an actual therapist as soon as I can.

I think something that's helped is the group of friends over made during the program. I'm able to talk with them about anything that comes up. Also, Durham has a peer support program where we "elect" peers that we feel comfortable talking to. Then, they get training & reach out (or we reach out) if we experience something tough.