# Best School in Alberta to learn?



## MedicMorgan (Jun 14, 2009)

any idea's? i cant decide which is better...


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## fortsmithman (Jun 14, 2009)

Portage College in Lac La Biche is a good school one of our EMTs went there and she says it's one of the better ones in Canada.  For her EMR she went to AHASTI in Calgary and she was not impressed with them.


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## colafdp (Jun 14, 2009)

I know that Lakeland College (formerly the programs with Augustana) have an excellent medic program, but i'm not too sure about their EMT programs.


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## Wee-EMT (Jun 14, 2009)

MedicMorgan said:


> any idea's? i cant decide which is better...



Depends on your location.  I believe SAIT prepares you for real life, well AHASTI prepares you better for ACP.  There both good schools but, every school will have some issues and everyone will have an opinion.  If your closer to E-town, NAIT is awesome.

 I wouldn’t recommend Portage College. I meet about 7 students from there at ACP for the EMT write who have had double fails on there scenarios in the past 3 writes! But then again, that’s my opinion


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## fortsmithman (Jun 14, 2009)

Wee-EMT said:


> Depends on your location.  I believe SAIT prepares you for real life, well AHASTI prepares you better for ACP.  There both good schools but, every school will have some issues and everyone will have an opinion.  If your closer to E-town, NAIT is awesome.
> 
> I wouldn’t recommend Portage College. I meet about 7 students from there at ACP for the EMT write who have had double fails on there scenarios in the past 3 writes! But then again, that’s my opinion



Then again AHASTI is not CMA accredited but Portage and SAIT are.  Go to SAIT.

I have heard this about AHASTI from former students don't know how true  tgey are.  The allegation was that the instructors seemed to think the student were there for the instructor not the instructors there for their students.  Personally I would not go for EMT/PCP in Alberta as the course in anywhere from 6 to 10 month.  In Ontario PCP is a 2 yr program.


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## ABEMS (Jul 15, 2009)

*Schools*

There are a varitey of schools you can attend.

esa academy in sherrwood park, i heard it good program, full time
Nait, part time studies, long time to complete, edmonton
CCEMS, canadian college of ems, full time studies, 6 months to complete, not the best school out there but a good one.edmonton
thats all the schools that i know of, but there are others


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## Kendall (Jul 16, 2009)

I'm currently taking the EMT/PCP course at Professional Medical Assicoates (PMA). I've had no problems with them, and I think they're a fantastic school. They offer EMR, EMT/PCP, and EMT-P/ACP courses that are CMA accredited. They are based out of St. Albert, AB, and also have courses in Calgary. They are a bit on the pricey side, but its top notch EMS education.


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## ABEMS (Jul 16, 2009)

PMA is a excellent school to take ems schooling. i almost forgot about them


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## RielHalfbreed (Jul 21, 2009)

I find that the past students with complaints about AHASTI were unprepared for the workload (it is an accelerated program), had poor study habits, or had unrealistic expectations of themslves or the program. All students are well warned before they begin the program that it is extremely intense and there is no time for students who choose not to keep up. Generally this means there is no time for family, work, or a personal life for the 3 months you're in the program. Beyond that AHASTI offers more skills training than SAIT, higher ACP pass rates than any program in the province, and I'm told the program is now CMA accredited. I've worked with a number of graduates from AHASTI and haven't seen the same level of professionalism from graduates any other school in the province. Just my thoughts.


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## fortsmithman (Jul 22, 2009)

According to the CMA web site they are only registered not fully accredited.  
http://www.cma.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/50602/la_id/1.htm


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## RyanMidd (Jul 29, 2009)

You are both right; AHASTI applied for CMA status in 2005, and the bureaucratic side of the application requires that AHASTI keep every individual student project/test/grade on hand should they require it to be reviewed. 

This results in an instructor/school that is very diligent with due dates, completion of projects, and most importantly, results -- no school wants CMA to audit their students and find that they are not doing well in any particular area.

I can only speak for SAIT and AHASTI, but I agree that SAIT preaches practice, and AHASTI is very intensely didactic. However, I will also verify that AHASTI has the highest ACP graduate rate in Alberta, and that out of every 4-on, 4-off tour, at least one of your 4 on is dedicated COMPLETELY to skills. Practical, hands-on, with an actively working Paramedic or EMT instructor for each group of 3-5 students.

As a result, preceptors are quite pleased that when their EMT students roll in, they aren't stumped by how to lift a stretcher. Or how to initiate an intermediate airway. Or how to place a 12-lead-ECG.


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## nomofica (Aug 31, 2009)

Edmonton: NAIT (did my EMR there, excellent instruction from ACTIVE EMS personnel), Emergency Services Academy (As far as I know they only offer EMR and EMT as it's more of a fire-oriented institution).

 Do *NOT* go to the Canadian College of EMS. Their instructors are (from my experience with them while in the field) are incompetent and are in possession of the god-complex far beyond that of a Paragod. It was ridiculous. Their students (again, experience with them in the field) weren't very confident and seemed clueless. Just recently in the Edmonton Sun newspaper, there was an article about an EMT student who failed the Alberta College of Paramedics exam (twice, I believe) and pursued legal action against the CCoEMS for ill preparing their students for the ACP certification exams. I can also recall from the article that the students hadn't received their text books until about 4-or-so months into the program.

In Calgary, SAIT is good. Don't know much about Calgary because I'm in Edmonton.


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## ABEMS (Sep 1, 2009)

your right, but things had changed. Rumor has it,They fired there head emt instructor, who had no field expeirence(exempt for his emt course)as far as we knew, and replace him with a city of edmonton paramedic. Every one that went to ccems has there own expirence and stories. As for me i thouhgt it was decent enought to get a good education. the responisblitiy cant be place all on the school, the student has to get invovled and ask question.

the best thing that I found in the school was the medical standbys that the school has. Big valley jamboree, marathons, and concerts at the shaw. all awesome time to practice skills on real pt.


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## nomofica (Sep 1, 2009)

ABEMS said:


> your right, but things had changed. Rumor has it,They fired there head emt instructor, who had no field expeirence(exempt for his emt course)as far as we knew, and replace him with a city of edmonton paramedic. Every one that went to ccems has there own expirence and stories. As for me i thouhgt it was decent enought to get a good education. the responisblitiy cant be place all on the school, the student has to get invovled and ask question.
> 
> the best thing that I found in the school was the medical standbys that the school has. Big valley jamboree, marathons, and concerts at the shaw. all awesome time to practice skills on real pt.



I actually had my field experience with CCoEMS students and instructors at Big Valley Jamboree when the main stage collapsed. The EMT (who is an instructor at CCoEMS) in charge of the Green Priority during the triage was incompetent (he didn't even know how to fill out priority cards, although he told me he was "highly trained for MCIs"; I call BS on that). Some of the students were arrogant, the others ignorant. A lot of them treated me with disrespect because I was "just an EMR". Irony is, so are they. They had only been EMT students for the past two months and it was their first time out on an EMS field trip, so to speak.

As an aside, the students are total whackers, too. The EMT student I was talking with told me she had a full trauma jump kit AND an AED in her car.

As for where to put responsibility, yes the students should ask questions however the students can't ask the question they don't know. Also, it's not the student's responsibility to be given their text books; it's the institution's responsibility to supply their students with the resources necessary. Yes, I know they pay for the texts and that it's responsibility of the student to pick up the texts, however (from what I hear) the school didn't even have the text books in stock.

But regardless of whose responsibility it is, the CCoEMS has a very bad rep and it is honestly beyond me how they're still CMA and ACP accredited.


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## xlq771 (Sep 20, 2009)

This is just an observattion, but on the CCoEMS website, under the EMT program cost information, the school states that the students are responsible for purchasing their own textbooks and uniforms, as they do not sell them.  They also provide a link to a supplier.  Maybe the reason the student did not have their books is because the student did not order them. 

www.ccofems.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=51


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## fortsmithman (Sep 27, 2009)

If my service wasn't going to put on an EMR course then I would have probably applied to ESA in Sherwood Park.  I did consider CCofEMS for EMR  But after reading about the lawsuit if my service does not put on the EMR course then I'll probably go to ESA for EMR and EMT.


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## nomofica (Sep 28, 2009)

Good choice, fortsmithman. That's all I have to say.


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## EMSFA (Sep 28, 2009)

I'm new to this conversation and all, but I took my EMR and EMT with AHASTI and it was great. Hard yes, but at least I felt prepared. I just checked the CMA website, thanks for the link fortsmithman and they are CMA accrediated. (Must have come through after your post). The schedule worked for me and the instructors were awesome.

Just wanted to add this. Really, pick a school that fits your learning style. I needed to be able to practice skills and be in a classroom. I studied allot on my own, but if I had a question, it was answered in person within 4 days. That really worked for me.

Good luck.


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## mikethemedic (Oct 11, 2009)

*medic*

how much does it cost to do the testing for the alberta college of paramedics for emt-p


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## ABEMS (Oct 11, 2009)

it cost(for 2009) $747 for the test and additional $375 for registration. all this info can be found on the alberta college of paramedics website
http://www.collegeofparamedics.org/pages/home/default.aspx


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