# CCP course comparison



## Emergency Metaphysics (Aug 16, 2016)

Greetings folks,

My company offers an educational finance benefit that I can use for whatever educational needs I might have related to EMS. I've decided to investigate critical care certification. I'm wondering if you could offer up your suggestions for what might be the best CCP courses. I'd like to do as much of it online as possible since I have to work full-time and probably will need to get a second job soon. However, I'm not ruling out courses that have in-person classes. I realize, too that there will be clinical hours and in-person skill tests whether this is done online or not or in some hybrid of the two.

As always, I appreciate you.

Meta


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## Summit (Aug 16, 2016)

If you need online, use Chreighton University
https://ems.creighton.edu/pages/critical-care-paramedic-online

It does require 1 day of skills lab and 36 hours of clinical.


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## Emergency Metaphysics (Aug 16, 2016)

Summit said:


> If you need online, use Chreighton University
> https://ems.creighton.edu/pages/critical-care-paramedic-online
> 
> It does require 1 day of skills lab and 36 hours of clinical.



Thanks for this. I did see this course, but I don't know anything about its quality. Do you have any experience with it?


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## Summit (Aug 16, 2016)

I don't personally, but Chreighton U has an excellent reputation. Jesuit institution with a huge health sciences program including a medical school, nursing, pharmacy, health physics, PT/OT, public health, paramedicine... they also have a law school and a business graduate school. Many flight crews have degrees/certifications from Chreighton.


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## ExpatMedic0 (Aug 24, 2016)

I took UMBC's CCEMTP in person, but if I had to take an online course, the only widely known one I am aware of is the Creighton one. There is a lot of smaller ones out there, but IMO the 2 big players are UMBC and Creighton.  Then additional  certification with the BCCTPC as FP-C or CCP-C after your course


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## Carlos Danger (Aug 24, 2016)

University of North Florida


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## dutemplar (Aug 24, 2016)

If you choose to attend the UMBC course in person, just consider starting a liver detox program before the course.  There isn't enough caffeine and migraine strength tylenol to endure two weeks of death by powerpoint without risking liver damage.

Good course though, just two weeks of embrace the suck.


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## ExpatMedic0 (Aug 25, 2016)

ya it was a lot of power point that is for sure. To much IMO. The cadaver lab was cool though


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## Carlos Danger (Aug 25, 2016)

ExpatMedic0 said:


> ya it was a lot of power point that is for sure. To much IMO.



This is why I'm not at all a fan of the UMBC course, especially the 2 week format. Not enough depth and not enough time spent to really absorb much of what you cover. It's probably an OK orientation to the topics, but there is no way you can learn enough about the massive topic of critical care to become meaningfully "certified" in a format or a time frame like that.

Their material always used to be quite outdate, as well. That may not be the case anymore, as I haven't seen their curriculum in a handful of years now.


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## VFlutter (Aug 25, 2016)

Remi said:


> This is why I'm not at all a fan of the UMBC course, especially the 2 week format. Not enough depth and not enough time spent to really absorb much of what you cover. It's probably an OK orientation to the topics, but there is no way you can learn enough about the massive topic of critical care to become meaningfully "certified" in a format or a time frame like that.
> 
> Their material always used to be quite outdate, as well. That may not be the case anymore, as I haven't seen their curriculum in a handful of years now.



The PowerPoints I was provided to teach, out of the AAOS textbook, are decent but definitely novice level. In my opinion they are not sufficient to teach medic to independently manage an IABP/Swan patient.


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## Alan L Serve (Aug 25, 2016)

CCCP. Mother Russia.


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## RocketMedic (Aug 25, 2016)

I personally liked the CCEMT-P certification. I think that, at some point, all of the certifications blur together.


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## dutemplar (Aug 26, 2016)

Alan L Serve said:


> CCCP. Mother Russia.


Which has been amusing to me... working where I am, and currently in the communications center I frequently use the line "In Soviet Russia, CCCP consults you" when calling Alpha (EMT-I) ambulances or CCPs with whacky 12lds or good mechanisms...


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## VentMonkey (Aug 27, 2016)

I recently completed Creighton University's online CCP course. I can tell you going in, it was more work than I anticipated, but well worth the money spent. It does require you to commit time to the coursework and modules, and as I had mentioned to our primary instructor, was basically a "boot camp" for experienced medics. That's not to say if you don't have a certain number of years on as a paramedic that you won't succeed, although I believe one year might be the minimum experience required.

Overall, it was an excellent course, and provided me with knowledge far beyond what I learned when I studied for my FP-C. There is a mandatory skills/ cadaver lab followed by a skills final. You also have to do clinical rotations, 1 CCU, and 2 ICU days, which can be done at a local area hospital, or through their university. The primary instructor is very well versed in the aspects of critical care medicine, and leaves his contact info open to his students for both the online, and in person courses.

I will say that the Back To Basics course, and book are also excellent source if FP-C, or even CCP-C is your end goal. I took the course, and utilized Ms. Orchid's book to gain my FP-C with first time success. I tried sifting through the ACE-SAT, however, I personally did not care too much for it, but hey whatever works.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.


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## PotatoMedic (Aug 27, 2016)

What all did you do during your ICU/CCU time?


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## Alan L Serve (Aug 28, 2016)

How many different critical care "certifications" are out there?


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## ExpatMedic0 (Aug 28, 2016)

Alan L Serve said:


> How many different critical care "certifications" are out there?


Many small to mid size colleges and universities are starting to offer their own on top of private sector.


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## Alan L Serve (Aug 28, 2016)

ExpatMedic0 said:


> Many small to mid size colleges and universities are starting to offer their own on top of private sector.


Madness.


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## ExpatMedic0 (Aug 28, 2016)

Checkout the FP-C prep courses, many offer their own critical care paramedic certification or course certificate for attendance https://www.ibscertifications.org/recert/courses those are mainly private sector
a google search of "critical care paramedic university" gives me multiple pages of results with many universities offering courses and certificates in the subject. I would guess maybe hundreds of community colleges probably also offer their own flavor. 
The industry (Critical Care Transport in the U.S.) is completely unregulated, wild west


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## VentMonkey (Aug 28, 2016)

FireWA1 said:


> What all did you do during your ICU/CCU time?



Mainly mill around the ICU, and follow the SICU surgeons on their rounds. I wasn't exactly thrilling, but if you looked hard enough there were plenty of opportunities to learn. For example, something as a routine to them as a central line placement of a subclavian triple lumen was fascinating to me, especially since I had just had to perform the skill in a cadaver the lab the day prior. Or even being able to actually understand the why, and where things went on severely ill and injured patients, and seeing how the healing process does (or doesn't) take place.

The CCU was a lot busier, and their charge RN made sure to keep me busy, which made my day go by faster, but I do not know that he quite understood the paramedics role, and that I wasn't exactly new to medication administration? Either way both helped a lot in ways I would have never thought of. The main goal as explained to me by my instructor was for us to ride the coat tails of the trauma surgeons in the ICU when appropriate (they were all pretty much laid back, and helpful), and to sit in on any angios in the CCU, which I didn't, but had already.


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## Emergency Metaphysics (Aug 31, 2016)

VentMonkey said:


> I recently completed Creighton University's online CCP course. I can tell you going in, it was more work than I anticipated, but well worth the money spent. It does require you to commit time to the coursework and modules, and as I had mentioned to our primary instructor, was basically a "boot camp" for experienced medics. That's not to say if you don't have a certain number of years on as a paramedic that you won't succeed, although I believe one year might be the minimum experience required.
> 
> Overall, it was an excellent course, and provided me with knowledge far beyond what I learned when I studied for my FP-C. There is a mandatory skills/ cadaver lab followed by a skills final. You also have to do clinical rotations, 1 CCU, and 2 ICU days, which can be done at a local area hospital, or through their university. The primary instructor is very well versed in the aspects of critical care medicine, and leaves his contact info open to his students for both the online, and in person courses.
> 
> ...



Very helpful stuff here, friend. Much obliged.


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## VentMonkey (Aug 31, 2016)

Oh you bet. 

Feel free to ask if you have any other questions I can answer.

I can't say for sure but I thought there may be one or two other posters on here who may have attended this course and can offer up their insights as well.

Like, I said, great course. If you have the time, money, and effort to spend and want to learn _prehospital _critical care this is well worth your time.


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## DWR (Jul 31, 2017)

I just finished the CCEMTP class at the UMBC campus literally yesterday. I thought that the whole experience was awesome! I would recommend it to anyone that wants to get their foot in the door for critical care or just further your education as a paramedic in general. I will say it's two weeks of power points which can turn into a grind (the cadaver lab itself makes up for all the lectures). Worth it in my opinion.


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