results are in

Exam results for my national registry were posted yesterday. You are now reading the blog of a nationaly registered PARAMEDIC!!!!!

I still can't believe I passed. Have to call both hospitals I've interviewed with and let them know I've passed. Also have an interview with a different hospital Monday. With any luck I'll have a new job by the end of next week!!

one little question

I received the written exam results in the mail this week.

I missed the airway and breathing section by one question. ONE QUESTION!!!!!! I missed my paramedic cert by ONE F*@#ING QUESTION!!! I felt better about failing before I knew it was ONLY ONE DANG-BLASTED, PIDDLEY-ASS QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhh, I feel a little better now. Really I don't. I think I'll be bitter about this for quite some time. (one question!)

Bring on the retest. I'll be traveling with the other 3 from my class (who also failed by a measely 1 or 2 questions) to National Registry Headquarters in Ohio in July 12th to take that friggin test again.

One question, seriously . . . can't they just ignore one question?!?!?!?

I'm back!

so it's been nearly a year (I wasn't even sure I remembered my password!) but I'm back. School is over. I made it. Graduation was last month and my national registry was last weekend. I passed the practical portion with (amazingly) no retakes. I will know about the written portion in the next couple weeks.

Nothing has really changed. I'm still working and studying (decided I shouldn't put the books down just b/c school has ended - I'm likely to forget it all!) I'm still working on the blasted house and I FINALLY have a move it date - July 1st . I will be moving that weekend even if the stairs aren't done.

Boys still suck. The one I took a chance on turned out to be an ass. We've managed a bit of a friendship, but mostly we avoid eachother. I'm keeping my promise not to let him sour me on all men though, and have accepted the offer of dinner and a movie with a new boy this week. He seems nice (of course they all do in the begining) so we'll see.

That's all for now. If anyone knows of any great job (paramedic) openings in the central/north central Indiana area, let me know.

Night all.

time

I had class this morning (yes, on a Saturday - no rest for the medic students). Around 1:00 we decided to call it quits for the day and Lisa (fellow student) and I went to lunch. We talked about class and our familes and a little about high school. It got me to thinking about time and how much things can change over the course of a few years.

I went to high school with our instructor, Chad. I didn't like him AT ALL in high school. He was an ass. He admits to being an ass. He was friends with one of my older brothers (who was also an ass, and unfortunatly hasn't grown out of that stage of life just yet). I've been out of high school for 10 years (wow! that sounds longer when it's in typed out in black and white). I don't think I would have EVER imagined that Chad would have become anything worthwhile, let alone have become a really good medic and an instructor. What a difference 10+ years makes.

When class started last August and found out our primary instructor was going to be Chad, I nearly quit right then. I couldn't imagine learning anything from the arrogant pain in the ass that terrorized my high school halls. I decided to stay, learn what I could and just keep my distance from him. Today Chad joined Lisa and I for lunch after class. This isn't the first time I've had lunch with him after a Saturday class. Today, I enjoyed the company of an arrogant, pain in the ass, fantastic medic that I went to high school with.

What a difference a little time makes.

UUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why can't a girl just tell a boy when she likes him?

And why can't the same girl just be friends with other boys?

Why do boys have to be so stupid?

(Why didn't this boy thing get any easier after the 7th grade?)

update

Wow! It's been a while since I've been on here. Where to begin . . .

Vacation was wonderful. I still can't believe it was only a few weeks ago that I was soaking up the sun without a care in the world. Ft. Myers was beautiful and we had an amazing place to stay with an unbelievable view of the beach.

The boy, the one from work who ended up just being a friend, has moved back out west. And the shocking thing, I don't really miss him all that much. I guess you were right Reep, he was just a primer guy ~ just there to get me ready for "the one" when ever he comes along.

School is plugging along. This summer has been a bit of a nightmare. We've had several classes canceled due to poor planning on the part of my instructors (and the fact that the one who runs the program got a different job and is jumping ship at the end of the summer). So we are a few weeks into the hardest part of our curriculum (cardiology) and our instructors are deciding this teaching thing may not be for them. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have an ulcer by the end of this summer.

Actually, I am starting to get this whole reading EKG strips thing. I've managed to make it thru several in a row and get them mostly right (right enough that I could effectively treat the hypothetical patient). And a couple of the medics at the hospital have been really good about helping me whenever I ask.

I have a day off this Saturday!! First one in 27 days!!! I don't have class or work or have to be at the hospital. I do have a family reunion to go to for a few hours that evening, but the day will be all mine!!! As excited as I am about that, I feel like I should be picking up an extra clinical shift or something. Like I'm slacking off if I'm not doing something school related. Oh well, I guess working on my house will fill the void.

Speaking of the house, I've actually been sleeping there on occasion. The shower/tub works and I've got an air mattress on the living room floor. My house is in town, closer to work, school and the hospital (actually within 10 minutes of all three) so the days where I only have a few hours to shower and sleep between the 3 places I just stay there. It's making me more and more anxious to get my house done and get into it for real.

Well, it's getting late and I've hit all the highlights.

Almost . . . .

ALMOST . . . .

• done with this semester - less than 48 hours from my last final of the semester.

• on a beach - in 10 days I'll be lounging in the sand, soaking up those precious UV rays (yes, I know they cause cancer - but really, what doesn't!?!)

• done with my house - ok, so this is a stretch, but I finally broke down and asked a friend at school for some help. I'll at least be able to shower at my house by the weekend.

• a medic - as of Thursday, the one year count-down will begin!!