Practical exam

I passed the NYS practical exam on Monday. The exam consisted of three advanced life support skill stations (cardiology, ventilatory management and intravenous therapy) and four basic life support skill stations (trauma assessment, seated spinal immobilization, bleeding control/shock management and long bone splinting). Some of these stations had multiple components, however, so it actually felt like more. For example, cardiology was broken down into static and dynamic cardiology and there were two pharmacology sub-stations during the intravenous therapy evaluation.

I passed all of the stations on the first try except for one; I accidentally placed my finger in the wrong spot while starting an IV and contaminated the site. That mistake was easy enough to correct, and I passed the retest with no problems. The rest of my class passed as well, which means there are nineteen students preparing to take the state written exam in August (nine from the night class and ten from the day class).

Between now and then, I am studying for the state exam, working on the ambulance and just trying to enjoy my last weeks in Western NY. It's been a full and exciting year, and I'm intent on ending the year on a high note by passing the state exam. Almost there!

In other news, the Boy Scouts of America announced their newest Merit Badge: Chess!