# NCTI San Diego



## Kodiak (Aug 9, 2013)

Hi everyone, 

Has anyone gone to NCTI San Diego? I have heard mixed reviews about the school. I contacted the location and was told that yes they had issues but the problems are being corrected. I am looking at starting the OCT. class. 

My background is I was a Corpsman for 6yrs and EMT certified. My goal is to become a flight Medic. 

Any information would be a great help. 

Thank you for your time.


----------



## jgmedic (Aug 9, 2013)

Kodiak said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Has anyone gone to NCTI San Diego? I have heard mixed reviews about the school. I contacted the location and was told that yes they had issues but the problems are being corrected. I am looking at starting the OCT. class.
> 
> ...



I just finished precepting a student from there. He was out of class for almost 9months before being placed. It was rough, he did mention some huge issues with staff turnover, but I don't know if that has been resolved. He ended up contacting NCTI Riverside who placed him with me.


----------



## Jambi (Aug 9, 2013)

jgmedic said:


> I just finished precepting a student from there. He was out of class for almost 9months before being placed. It was rough, he did mention some huge issues with staff turnover, but I don't know if that has been resolved. He ended up contacting NCTI Riverside who placed him with me.



That sucks!


----------



## DesertMedic66 (Aug 9, 2013)

Jambi said:


> That sucks!



I've heard that's a common problem for NCTI :unsure:


----------



## socalmedic (Aug 10, 2013)

I have insider information... yes there has been a lot of Turnover at NCTI STATEWIDE. The closets are being cleaned and the excess baggage is being dumped. I can tell you that we are a much better school now than just a few short years ago. there has been a top down re-structuring of the company and I really like the changes that are being made or formulated. Riverside is the regional campus for Riv, SD, and SB handling all the internship paperwork now, we have a dedicated person just for this which has streamlined the process. 

The lead instructor in San Diego, Doug, is an amazing teacher and very experienced clinician. yes, the wait for a preceptor can be long but the reasons lately in SD were out of our control which I am sure you can all imagine why with the recent headlines. Couple that with 4 other medic schools in SD and 6 in the IE you can imagine how many inters are competing for a limited number of preceptors, who make nothing extra for taking a student. 

if you want any more information PM me and we can talk. 

@JGMEDIC-I have sent you a PM. anyone else who is reading this and is precepting an NCTI student, please feel free to contact the school at the first sign of struggle. we can coordinate for extra learning and lab days as well as additional clinical shifts to work on skills that are lacking. we want to head off these issues as soon as possible.


----------



## Amberlamps916 (Aug 10, 2013)

Insider information from a student at NCTI RIVERSIDE.....

Finished didactic in December and finished clinicals in March, still waiting on an internship.


----------



## terrible one (Aug 10, 2013)

Be prepared for a very long wait to be precepted and fork over big bucks.
If at all possible I'd look somewhere else. Glad to know they are restructuring though, that was long overdue.


----------



## RocketMedic (Aug 11, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> Insider information from a student at NCTI RIVERSIDE.....
> 
> Finished didactic in December and finished clinicals in March, still waiting on an internship.



Can you do clinicals out of state?


----------



## Kodiak (Aug 11, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the advice...I have a lot to decided!


----------



## Kodiak (Aug 11, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> Insider information from a student at NCTI RIVERSIDE.....
> 
> Finished didactic in December and finished clinicals in March, still waiting on an internship.



Could you explain more about your experience there? Also why did you end up choosing NCTI?

Thank you for all your help!


----------



## Amberlamps916 (Aug 15, 2013)

Kodiak said:


> Could you explain more about your experience there? Also why did you end up choosing NCTI?
> 
> Thank you for all your help!



The didactic portion is pretty good. I chose NCTI because I couldn't get into any A&P classes to fulfill entry requirements to certain junior college paramedic programs.

I do however have a problem with being in the dark regarding internship placement. Student's emails and phone calls go unanswered regarding internship questions for some reason.

In hindsight, I should have gone somewhere else. It's ridiculous to have to put your life on hold waiting months for an internship placement. It's 5 months and counting since I finished clinicals and 8 months since I finished didactic. Some students in my class started right after their clinicals and are already finished with their internships. The rest of us have been kept in the dark this whole time. I can't plan for anything or take college courses in the meantime because I have no idea when this internship will begin or where I will go. 

Once the school offers you a placement, you have to accept it no matter what. If you deny it, then the school is no longer obligated to find you a preceptor and it's all up to you.

Also, it doesn't really matter if you are an AMR employee. Sure the company owns the school but it doesn't streamline the process of waiting almost a year for a placement, which happened to many fellow employees I've met.


----------



## Amberlamps916 (Aug 15, 2013)

RocketMedic said:


> Can you do clinicals out of state?



Yes you can.


----------



## Kodiak (Aug 15, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> The didactic portion is pretty good. I chose NCTI because I couldn't get into any A&P classes to fulfill entry requirements to certain junior college paramedic programs.
> 
> I do however have a problem with being in the dark regarding internship placement. Student's emails and phone calls go unanswered regarding internship questions for some reason.
> 
> ...



Thank you for your response...sorry the site will not let me email you until I have 5 posts. 

I am in the same boat...if is very hard to get into an A&P class here they fill up so fast or they have a waiting list. 

I have heard that the school has gotten better over the past year. I hope so at least. I am scheduled to take their A&P course in Sept. Can you tell how it was? I know it is a fast one. 

Thank you


----------



## AnthonyM83 (Aug 17, 2013)

I only know about NCTI in Riverside, and I keep hearing horrible things.
I know a previous poster said things have been changing the last few years, but the complaints I hear have all been from the last three years up to on-going now, currently, with present students.

I would go have a chat with the directors of all your medic school options and sit in a day in class, speak to the students, and if possible get put in touch with some graduates. Get a feel for it all.


----------



## Amberlamps916 (Aug 17, 2013)

So according to CA title 22,

_Section 100153 (d) The paramedic training program shall not enroll any more students than the training program can commit to providing a field internship to begin no later than ninety (90) days after a student’s completion of the hospital clinical education and training portion of the training program. The training program director and a student may mutually agree to a later date for the field internship to begin in the event of special circumstances (e.g., student or preceptor illness or injury, student’s military duty, etc.)._


It's been 5 months since I finished clinicals. What is my best course of action? Mind you, about 15/30 classmates are in the same predicament.


----------



## DesertMedic66 (Aug 17, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> So according to CA title 22,
> 
> _Section 100153 (d) The paramedic training program shall not enroll any more students than the training program can commit to providing a field internship to begin no later than ninety (90) days after a student’s completion of the hospital clinical education and training portion of the training program. The training program director and a student may mutually agree to a later date for the field internship to begin in the event of special circumstances (e.g., student or preceptor illness or injury, student’s military duty, etc.)._
> 
> ...



Lawyer.


----------



## Jambi (Aug 17, 2013)

Addrobo said:


> So according to CA title 22,
> 
> _Section 100153 (d) The paramedic training program shall not enroll any more students than the training program can commit to providing a field internship to begin no later than ninety (90) days after a student’s completion of the hospital clinical education and training portion of the training program. The training program director and a student may mutually agree to a later date for the field internship to begin in the event of special circumstances (e.g., student or preceptor illness or injury, student’s military duty, etc.)._
> 
> ...



Two things about this is crazy.

1. this is not unusual at all. I've heard countless stories like this.

2. Essentially AMR us NCTI so placement should never be an issue.


----------



## mike1390 (Aug 17, 2013)

Start calling other NCTI's any other NCTI should be able to place you Iv meet a couple NCTI vegas guys in Ventura county doing their internship, I have seen guys from riverside doing it with LAFD. If you really want it do some leg work.NCTI has contracts with all kinds of places AMR, countless FDs make it happen man pick up the phone and do it yourself. 

I was contacting FDs in my area that NCTI had contacts with, I made it happen all my teacher had to do was send an email. I waited about a month from the end of clinicals to do it with LAFD.


----------



## gruntdoc (Aug 22, 2013)

*Ncti Riverside*

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I start Ncti Riv.in January, hopefully they have gotten their stuff together. A friend of mine attended Ncti Riv,Years ago.He is now a L.A.county FF/medic in the antelope valley. He basically told me you get out what you put in. Take care guys.


----------



## AnthonyM83 (Aug 23, 2013)

Yeah.... Seems to be that it hasn't gotten better as of currently. And that you can put in a lot but not get it back


----------

