RideAlong: EMT School

And She’s buying an Airway to Heaven (Airway Management & Ventilation) Airway is everything in EMS, and this week the crew gets hands-on with one of the most critical skills an EMT can learn. Mike, Max, and Jonathan dive into airway anatomy, manual airway maneuvers, suction, BVM ventilation, oxygen delivery devices, and airway adjuncts. From recognizing stridor to mastering the head-tilt chin-...

Prove It or Lose It (Competency Verification & Skills Check) After eight classes, the crew hits a mid-season “prove it” moment. Mike, Max, and Jonathan recap Section One of EMT school and what it’s like to switch from book work to demonstrating real skills under pressure. It’s a lighter, story-driven debrief that still digs into hands-on takeaways—like practicing backboards with head blocks fo...

Stayin’ Alive (CPR Training and Certification) Mike and Max earn their CPR certification — the first major credential on the road to becoming EMTs. With Jonathan adding real-world perspective, the crew covers what high-quality CPR really means, how AEDs actually work, and why chest recoil is just as important as compression depth. From adult compressions to infant rescue breathing, this episode di...

From Cradle to Grave (Life Span Development) Mike and Max (with Jonathan bringing the paramedic perspective) tackle life span development — how EMTs assess and interact with patients differently from infancy through late adulthood. From dehydration in infants, to psychosocial factors in adolescents, to polypharmacy in the elderly, the crew walks through the major age groups and what makes each uni...

Malfunction Junction (Pathophysiology) Mike and Jonathan (flying the “missing man formation” without Max) dive into the toughest class yet: pathophysiology. They tackle the foundational concepts of how the body’s systems work together, what happens when they fail, and why understanding compensation and perfusion is critical for EMTs. From heart and lungs working in tandem, to the different types o...

Talk Nerdy to Me (Medical Terminology & Anatomy Basics) Mike and Jonathan dive into the challenging world of EMT vocabulary, tackling medical terminology and the basics of human anatomy. From anatomical position to directional terms like anterior, dorsal, and proximal, they explore how EMTs learn to speak a common language. The conversation also digs into when to use precise medical jargon ver...

Why EMT School? (Registration, EMT Well-being) In the very first episode of RideAlong: EMT School, Mike and Max dive into why they decided to start EMT school and what it takes to get enrolled. Joined by Jonathon, a working paramedic, the hosts discuss the sacrifices needed to balance training with work and family, the gear and requirements for getting started, and what new EMT students should exp...

Surviving Week One (Diving In To EMS) Mike and Max share what it was like stepping back into the classroom for their first week of EMT school — from being “older students” to navigating the demographics of their new classmates. Joined by Jonathan, a working paramedic, the hosts break down EMT training levels, trauma center designations, and why provider wellness matters if you want to last in this...

Moral Quandaries & Hip Throws (Legalities, Ethics, and Moving Patients) Mike and Max recap their third night of EMT school, where the class shifted between heavy ethical discussions and hands-on patient movement training. Joined by Jonathon, a working paramedic, the hosts dive into the real-world dilemmas of consent, duty to act, and scope of practice, before hitting the mats to practice carri...

Ever wonder what it’s really like to become an EMT? RideAlong: EMT School follows Mike and Max as they take on EMT training for the first time, with guidance from their co-host Jonathon, a paramedic bringing real-world perspective. Each week, the trio breaks down lessons from class, shares the challenges of training, and explores the tools, tips, and stories that every future EMT should know. From...