Making a Plan

How do you plan your training schedule?

I've been finding a lot of opportunities, but haven't really sat down to put it all together into a coherent plan, the way I'd like to.

I need a GIANT calendar to write things on.

I'm starting to compile lists of things to put on the calendar, but no organized way to keep track of everything.

First, there are conferences, big and small. They happen at specific times, so they have to go on the schedule when they are happening.

Then there are occasional local opportunities. I don't usually know about those very far in advance, so they have to fit in at the last minute. They might be a training night at a different department, or something else that comes up, short notice.

There are podcasts. Do I try to catch them live, or listen to the recorded version? Live, they have a specific time on the calendar. recorded, I can peruse the topics and choose when to listen to them- but can't participate.

Webinars- again, I have to choose between live, or recorded. Some are only available live.

Once I slot in all the things that have specific times, I have to look at what I can AFFORD. Which conferences? Which training days? What classes will they have, and how do I choose? By location only, or by topic? By topic, or by instructor? By cost? Distance?

Then I see what days are still open, and start looking at all of the available online training classes. There are approximately a zillion. I also have a year's worth of EMS Today recorded sessions, with three more years available, that I'll get at some point. I've been trying to look at the topics and fill in areas that I don't know as much about. Not knowing much about much, that doesn't narrow things down all that much yet.

I've been trying to alternate different categories: medical/trauma, ALS/BLS, geriatric/pediatric/adult, new/review. I also try to add in things, as they come up, that are real concerns for real patients here. We have some regular patients with very specific conditions that I can always learn more about.

The best part is that as soon as I think I have a good plan, I find new opportunities. Did I mention that that huge calendar needs to be erasable?

I've thought about trying to roughly follow the original EMT-B curriculum, to choose what topics to do in what order, but I haven't actually done that.

I'd be interested in seeing overall plans or schedules that might be out there, but I haven't come across any. I'd think there must be some, somewhere. I just don't know where.