# Accelerated (18 Day) EMT-Basic Programs



## RHarding1 (Mar 14, 2009)

Hello, 

My job is paying me to become an EMT but they are only allowing me to take off one month from work. They have offered to pay for a hotel and travel expenses. I have found these two programs on the internet and was hoping that somebody could give me any suggestions as to which of the two is better.

http://www.18dayemt.com


http://www.unitekeducation.com/


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## Sasha (Mar 14, 2009)

Neither. If you really have a desire to be an EMT, take the time to do it working around your work schedule, possibly on your own dime if you have to, and take something not labeled "accelerated". Take some good base classes like anatomy and physiology. 

If you don't have the desire to be an EMT, then I still wouldn't recommend it. We have enough people who deep down, really don't want to be EMTs, just want to be heros with lights and sirens.


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## 281mustang (Mar 14, 2009)

This should be intresting...


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## medic417 (Mar 14, 2009)

Honestly the EMT basic is the only course that can be taken with no real loss in training in an accelerated program.  It will will still be 120 hours its just not stretched out over 6 months.  It is only a first aid course not any kind of medical education.  The only reason to draw it out is if you are a slow learner.  Just remember you are being trained skills, not getting an education.  

Now if you were asking about Paramedic, RN, MD, I would laugh you out of here for even asking.


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## Sasha (Mar 14, 2009)

281mustang said:


> This should be intresting...



Popcorn?


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## imurphy (Mar 14, 2009)

Sasha said:


> We have enough people who deep down, really don't want to be EMTs, just want to be heros with lights and sirens.



It ain't so deep down sometimes. I was just riding with someone that, and I quote "I don't like this medical crap. I'm only here because it puts me higher on the panel to be a cop"

Urge to kill, raised....

Honestly, Fast track EMT is only good if you...

Actually. It's never good.


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## 281mustang (Mar 15, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Popcorn?


 Thanks, I already brought my own though...


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## SanDiegoEmt7 (Mar 15, 2009)

*I agree with medic417*

I agree with medic417, 

I personally already had a background in biological science and anatomy, and when I went through the program my focus was mainly on learning the practical aspects of it.  If you have some background and are a quick learner you should be fine.  I attended the traditional program and still felt that most of the training was on the job. (learning the ways of IFT)

On the other hand, if you like a slowly paced education, or have never been exposed to anything medical or science wise in your life, you might have trouble retaining the info.

You said it you were doing this for a job you already have, can you elaborate on your situation.  If your a solely doing this so your company can have a first aid person around,  choose which ever program gives a good amount of the time to hands on practical training. Those skill sets will better benefit you than learning A & P.


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## Ridryder911 (Mar 15, 2009)

Realistically, no one can expect to know & retain anything from a two week course. Even though there is not much in the current curriculum, at least one could expect a little more than a first aid course. 

Obviously, your employer does not care. 

R/r 911


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## berkeman (Mar 15, 2009)

RHarding1 said:


> Hello,
> 
> My job is paying me to become an EMT but they are only allowing me to take off one month from work. They have offered to pay for a hotel and travel expenses. I have found these two programs on the internet and was hoping that somebody could give me any suggestions as to which of the two is better.
> 
> ...



I took the Unitek 2-week EMT Boot Camp, and found it to be very good, if you are willing to prepare ahead of time, and work at that pace.  

(Pass the popcorn please)

The instructors are very good, and the course has a no-BS approach.  After all, most of the students are highly motivated (who else goes to Boot Camp?), and you are paying pretty good money to take the accelerated course.

There are still some screw-up students, of course (if this thread goes for a few more days, I can share some jems), but by and large, the students are very motivated, and the instructors are no nonsense and working medics with lots of great experience to share.  

I first learned about the 2-week Boot Camp (14 days of 12 hours straight) from a BC friend at my local Firehouse - I was mentioning to him how much I'd wanted to upgrade to EMT for years, but never had the time for the junior college route because of all my volunteer work and my long day-job hours.  He popped up an EMT training resource web page, and showed me the Unitek 2-week Boot Camp option, and I was sold.  Even though I couldn't manage to schedule the longer (and slower) junior college courses and prerequisits, I could plan ahead and take 2 weeks off from my regular day job for the Boot Camp.

So purchase the class early and get the Worktext (Limmer and LeBaudour) early, study the text cover-to-cover before the class starts, and work your butt off in the class.  You will come out of it in very good shape to pass the NREMT (Uniteks' pass stats are much higher than the average program), and put you in a good place to use your EMT skills.

I was #1 in my Unitek class of ~30 (but only by a couple of points -- there was a lot of competition from Fire guys and PD guys), and aced the NREMT a couple days after graduating.  Do the work to go through the book before the Boot Camp starts, and you will have a very good experience.  If you wait to pull the plastic cover off the Worktext until the first day of the 2-week Boot Camp, well, yeah, I have some stories.  Probably similar to other screw-ups in other EMT programs.


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## berkeman (Mar 15, 2009)

Ridryder911 said:


> Realistically, no one can expect to know & retain anything from a two week course. Even though there is not much in the current curriculum, at least one could expect a little more than a first aid course.
> 
> Obviously, your employer does not care.
> 
> R/r 911



Unless you come out of the Boot Camp pulling shifts regularly.  That's true of any education track for EMS.


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## medic417 (Mar 15, 2009)

A point I want to make and it applys to all EMS levels is that a high passing rate on the NR does not a quality education equal.  Many programs teach the test.  They do not educate you so you can use the education to think for yourself.  So do not base the choice of school on NR pass rates.


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## JPINFV (Mar 15, 2009)

In regards to accelerated EMT-B, the only canidate I can think of would be an Eagle Scout that is currently working full time towards a 4 year degree in biology. The first aid training in the scouts would cover a large amount of the skills and trauma assessment (note, large amount is not all) as well as some of the medical conditions taught while the college courses will insure that the student has more than enough background education. 



berkeman said:


> Unless you come out of the Boot Camp pulling shifts regularly.  That's true of any education track for EMS.



Are you suggesting that the true education in EMS is working as an EMT?


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## PapaBear434 (Mar 15, 2009)

If you've had some medical training in the past, go for it.  If not, no.  It IS only EMT-B, which admittedly isn't much, but it's still too much to absorb in two weeks.  I mean, you might be able to pass the test, but you won't be a very good EMT.  At least in a semester length program, they have enough time to put you through scenario after scenario and get you used to the basic idea of doing an assessment.  

A two week program is really designed for nurses who want to branch out to EMT, but doesn't want to waste too much time doing silly things like "learning" how to assess and move a patient.  

That's just me, though.  Your mileage may very.


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## medic417 (Mar 15, 2009)

There is the same number of hours for scenarios in a two week course as there are in a semester long course.  So only thing that would matter is if you are a person that can take in information quickly.


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## berkeman (Mar 15, 2009)

JPINFV said:


> Are you suggesting that the true education in EMS is working as an EMT?



No, not at all.  I was responding to R/r's comment about "Realistically, no one can expect to know & retain anything from a two week course."  My point was that you will retain it if you did a good job of learning it, and if you start using it regularly.  If you get your EMT cert and don't start working shifts, then yeah, your knowledge is going to start slipping away.


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## PapaBear434 (Mar 15, 2009)

medic417 said:


> There is the same number of hours for scenarios in a two week course as there are in a semester long course.  So only thing that would matter is if you are a person that can take in information quickly.



True enough.  Even still, the extended course lets you have more time to work on the scenarios yourself. Two weeks of eight hours a day... Eh, that's just too much for me.


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## berkeman (Mar 15, 2009)

PapaBear434 said:


> Two weeks of eight hours a day... Eh, that's just too much for me.



Those are 12 hour days    BTW, I did say in my post that you really need to get the book a couple months early and work your way through it before the class starts.  No way you could go in cold and learn what you need.


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## AJ Hidell (Mar 16, 2009)

berkeman said:


> My point was that you will retain it if you did a good job of learning it, and if you start using it regularly.  If you get your EMT cert and don't start working shifts, then yeah, your knowledge is going to start slipping away.


I would agree, so long as you qualify that by specifying that it is actual 911 emergency working, not transfer ambulance nonsense.  You're not using hardly anything learned in EMT school running IFTs.  EMT school focuses on the bare basic nitty-gritty of the ABCs, bandaging and splinting, and extrication.  Worst case scenario stuff.  There is very little of that in the transfer business.  No matter how long you work IFTs, your so-called "skills" (which isn't much in a 2 week course) are going to slip away.


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## firecoins (Mar 16, 2009)

The basic EMT class contains very little info. Go ahead and take an accelerated basic course.  Just don't take an accelerated Medic program.


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