# Paramedic clinicals



## Shishkabob (Aug 4, 2009)

How many hours, and how was it split up, did you have to do for your paramedic class?



Not counting internship here, just clinicals.


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## Lifeguards For Life (Aug 4, 2009)

550 hours of clinicals


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## medic417 (Aug 4, 2009)

We base clinicals on actual skills done not on hours.


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## Shishkabob (Aug 4, 2009)

medic417 said:


> We base clinicals on actual skills done not on hours.



We are skill based as well, but have a minimum amount of hours to get those skills.  Say you need 10 tubes.  If you get 10 tubes in 3 hours, you still need to do all the rest of your OR clinicals.


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## 8jimi8 (Aug 4, 2009)

i am looking at a school that requires 168 hours total.  4 24 hour shifts on an ambulance and 6 12 hours shifts at a hospital.


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## medic417 (Aug 4, 2009)

8jimi8 said:


> i am looking at a school that requires 168 hours total.  4 24 hour shifts on an ambulance and 6 12 hours shifts at a hospital.



Holy crap batman!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Even if you get perfect patients I do not see much chance to put your education into play in such short amount of time.  No wonder we see medics pronouncing live people dead, they don't see enough during clinicals.


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## Dominion (Aug 4, 2009)

350 Hospital clinicals.  

We split the majority of that time in Adult OR and ER and a Peds OR and ER.  The rest is in L&D, Psych, ICU/CCU, and a couple others.  We then have to do 24 hours of Adult ER Doc shadow time and 24 hours of Peds ER Doc shadow time where we are assigned a doc to follow around for the day (a very willing and very excited to do it doc).  The doc will give us the cases, listen to our opinions on that case and correct/follow tx plans if it's appropriate etc.  

In the hospital we still have to make the hours PLUS skills, so if I have 100 ER hours and I do all my skills in the first 24 I still have to finish my 100 hours.

550 hours ambulance ride times, plus skills and team leader requirements.  

120 hours as a basic (already finished) at the beginning of class.  

12 hours Morgue time

12 hours community service.


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## Dominion (Aug 4, 2009)

8jimi8 said:


> i am looking at a school that requires 168 hours total.  4 24 hour shifts on an ambulance and 6 12 hours shifts at a hospital.



Is this for intermediate or paramedic?  If paramedic that's very very very very low.


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## ResTech (Aug 4, 2009)

We have 4 Practicums... one each semester that requires so many hours. I believe on average the minimum is 130-150hrs of clinicals each semester. 

We are required to do ED, field, and in addition so many hours at specialty hospitals and departments... for example we do Bayview Burn Center, MD School of Medicine Cadaver Lab, ME's Office for autopsy, Phlebotomy Dept, Respiratory Dept, Cath Lab, NICU, PICU. 

We can schedule as much field and ED time as we want above the minimum required.


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## Shishkabob (Aug 4, 2009)

Sadly Texas has a pretty low medic hourly requirement (lets not get into the "shouldn't be based on hours" debate)



My school does 200hr minimum just for hospital.  Not much, I know, but I'll be signing up for more then that... hopefully doubling.

Split between adult ER, adult ICU, pedi ER, pedi ICU, 8 hours at an elementary school, cath labs, L&D, pedi critical care transport, adult critical care transport, Respiratory therapist shadowing, and OR.



Ambulance time is at the end of the class, while hospital clinical time is from October till Feb.


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## 8jimi8 (Aug 4, 2009)

I understand that it is low but that is in compliance with Texas regulations.  This is chalking up to be the only program that fits into my situation.  I knew it would be controversial admitting that.  Any company where i am hired or volunteering will not clear me to lead ALS until I do extensive ride out with an FTO.  I also feel ok learning by myself.  I'll be volunteering with my 85 certificate and that means that i will be getting experience with ALS in the field.  I understand that the majority advocate for mandated education.  I am also aware of all of the upcoming changes.  I already have a ba and an associates.  I am going to take this route if i have to, based on my circumstances.  If circumstances allow, then I'll take a traditional class.  I am always open to discussion, but i hope we can all remain friends even if we disagree.


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## Sasha (Aug 4, 2009)

8jimi8 said:


> I understand that it is low but that is in compliance with Texas regulations.  This is chalking up to be the only program that fits into my situation.  I knew it would be controversial admitting that.  Any company where i am hired or volunteering will not clear me to lead ALS until I do extensive ride out with an FTO.  I also feel ok learning by myself.  I'll be volunteering with my 85 certificate and that means that i will be getting experience with ALS in the field.  I understand that the majority advocate for mandated education.  I am also aware of all of the upcoming changes.  I already have a ba and an associates.  I am going to take this route if i have to, based on my circumstances.  If circumstances allow, then I'll take a traditional class.  I am always open to discussion, but i hope we can all remain friends even if we disagree.



Not to mention you are a nurse. i'm sure you've got some of this stuff down!


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## Sasha (Aug 4, 2009)

> Respiratory therapist shadowing



Besides a psych clinical, this was perhaps the most boring clinical I did. I know it takes a lot of education and it can be very interesting, but I followed around a lady giving breathing treatments all day. The before and after lung sounds were cool, the lady was smart, funny, and very sweet, but I was so bored!


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## ResTech (Aug 4, 2009)

My Respiratory shifts were boring too. The RRT I was with let me go and give neb treatments though which was cool.. and listen to the lung sounds are good... but 16hrs was a little much which equaled... BORING...


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## cfrench (Aug 5, 2009)

There are some programs out there that will allow you to be a crappy medic so long as you fill a seat and pay your $$. That being said I have precepted students from some of those programs who turned out to be some of the best medics I have seen. It all came down to one (or maybe two) thing(s). 

MOTIVATION 

The second thing that helped obviously was an above avg intellect. 

There is no law that says you cannot ride hundreds of hours more than required and that you cannot spend all your free time with your nose in several different books.

The choice is up to you.


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## medic417 (Aug 5, 2009)

cfrench said:


> It all came down to one (or maybe two) thing(s).
> 
> MOTIVATION
> 
> ...



I agree if someone makes a bad choice and goes to a bad school they can still salvage themselves to an extent with hard work.  More time in the books.  Finding quality Paramedics to teach them.  Doing extra clinicals/ride outs.  

Passing the test is easy.  But your patients very seldom have read the textbook so you actually have to know what you are doing if you don't want to cause more harm.


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## Hockey (Aug 5, 2009)

1200 hours total for class

600 hours of it will be Internship, Externship and all that fun stuff.  Ride time, ER time, OR time, and I'm sure a few others.  They don't want anyone doing anything OB for some reason


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## MrBrown (Aug 5, 2009)

1,100 hours combined hospital and ambulance clinicals in addition to 2,000 hours simulation and lecture, total 3,100 hours for degree plus another 2,000 hours on-road post-employment for Advanced Paramedic.


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## HotelCo (Aug 5, 2009)

550ish hours. You could start taking them about halfway through the first term. Split between hospital and ambulance. Required Ambulances include: FD, County and a private. Required Hospitals were a childrens hospital, trauma center, and OR.


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## HotelCo (Aug 5, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Besides a psych clinical, this was perhaps the most boring clinical I did. I know it takes a lot of education and it can be very interesting, but I followed around a lady giving breathing treatments all day. The before and after lung sounds were cool, the lady was smart, funny, and very sweet, but I was so bored!



You got to do certain sections in the hospital? I wish we could do that. We have the option of respiratory clinicals, but the staff are very cold when it comes  to students.


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## Dominion (Aug 5, 2009)

HotelCo said:


> You got to do certain sections in the hospital? I wish we could do that. We have the option of respiratory clinicals, but the staff are very cold when it comes  to students.



We're d oing the same, different parts in different hospitals.  Our class has an unusually good relationship with most of the people who matter.  Most classes around here don't get to do what we are going to do.


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## Lifeguards For Life (Aug 5, 2009)

ours are divied up between the morgue, burn unit, OB-GYN, OR, ED and the ambulance


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