# NCTI San Diego



## MikeM (Feb 15, 2010)

Hello all. Has anyone heard anything about the NCTI Medic program in San Diego?

I'm looking to apply because they don't have any work experience requirements and I'm a newly-certified EMT-B. I just got hired on an IFC ambulance, so I'll have about 6 months experience by the time the class comes up if I get accepted. I've always been a good student with good study habits (finished #1 in EMT class) so I'm confident that I will be able to do well in medic school as long as my pt interaction skills get good work with my company. But, I haven't really heard any good things regarding NCTI in San Diego. Any insight?

Thanks.


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## SanDiegoEmt7 (Feb 15, 2010)

NCTI is what it is.  They teach their classes and do their clinical time in Alvarado Hospital, not the finest hospital in my opinion.  I'm not sure if their ride-alongs, and eventually internship, are limited to AMR or not, but they very well may be, as the handful of NCTI students I know only spend time on AMR rigs.  Lastly, think about the caliber of EMT that will be present in your cohort.  I personally don't think I would like to go to medic school with EMT-B's who have little to no experience in the field.  I know this doesn't necessarily effect the education you will receive, but its something I would consider.

The argument for a school like NCTI posed by some is "medic school is what you make it" and "you can become a good medic anywhere".  The problem with this logic is that, if the standard of the school is lacking, then how do you really know that you are trained to be the best medic possible? A good analogy would be the typical college exam.  If the professor doesn't compose a test with difficult enough material, then it may be possible for a majority of students to ace the test.  They passed the set standard, but now there is no way of knowing where the true knowledgeable students lie.  Now if that exam is difficult and challenging, no one will get every single question right.  In this second scenario you get a more accurate picture of which students knew the material and were competent.  NCTI would be the first type exam.  Lacking a challenging standard, and hence an unclear view of its students abilities.

Palomar College's program would be the second test, and more.  It's not for the faint of heart, and its requirements can be quite demoralizing.  But again, only in a challenging environment can you truly measure your worth.  If you can't stomach Palomar (or wait the 1-2 years) then look at schools like Southwestern College and EMSTA.  

I know that you are eager to get in medic school, but suck it up and wait the 1 year so that you can look at ALL medic programs.  Buying a product because its the only one available doesn't always make sense if you can wait a few months a get something of a much better quality.

Last thought:  Success in an EMT-B course might not accurately gauge your ability to succeed in a medic program.  Paramedic School is more difficult material in greater volume, but most importantly it takes some serious time management (you can't have a down week)

This is only my .02, but its based on having many friends from each school.

Rant over.


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## MikeM (Feb 15, 2010)

Thanks for the response, the rant is much appreciated. You make some very convincing points!


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## Shishkabob (Feb 15, 2010)

SanDiegoEmt7 said:


> Lastly, think about the caliber of EMT that will be present in your cohort.  I personally don't think I would like to go to medic school with EMT-B's who have little to no experience in the field.



What does that have to do with anything?  How one of my classmates is in the field has no direct or indirect correlation to me in the classroom.


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## MrBrown (Feb 15, 2010)

I hear NCTI is AMR's patch factory

You are warned


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## JPINFV (Feb 15, 2010)

MrBrown said:


> I hear NCTI is AMR's patch factory
> 
> You are warned



While I can neither confirm nor deny that NCTI is a patch factory or the quality of said patches, I can confirm that it is owned and operated by AMR.


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## SanDiegoEmt7 (Feb 16, 2010)

JPINFV said:


> While I can neither confirm nor deny that NCTI is a patch factory or the quality of said patches, I can confirm that it is owned and operated by AMR.



Lol



Linuss said:


> What does that have to do with anything?  How one of my classmates is in the field has no direct or indirect correlation to me in the classroom.



Field internship and didactic are separate.  During didactic you build off of concepts and skills that should have been learned during 1 year of EMT-B employment.  If you attend a medic program that doesn't require medic prep or employment, you very well could spend sometime discussing skills and knowledge that could already have been acquired.  In the field and clinical setting you won't be seeing the classmates, so who really cares.

That said, I do agree that incompetent classmates is only a minor detail in comparison to the curriculum and its quality of instructors:



SanDiegoEmt7 said:


> Lastly, think about the caliber of EMT that will be present in your cohort.  I personally don't think I would like to go to medic school with EMT-B's who have little to no experience in the field.  *I know this doesn't necessarily affect the education you will receive, but its something I would consider.*


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## MikeM (Feb 16, 2010)

Thank you all for the help. I'm going to apply, though I doubt I'll get in due to my big fat "N/A" under the "EMS Employment History" portion of the application. If I do get in, though, I'm going to take the approach to get the absolute most out of medic school and I'll make it my goal to be tops in my class. Thanks again, and stay safe.


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## terrible one (Feb 16, 2010)

MikeM said:


> Thank you all for the help. I'm going to apply, though I doubt I'll get in due to my big fat "N/A" under the "EMS Employment History" portion of the application. If I do get in, though, I'm going to take the approach to get the absolute most out of medic school and I'll make it my goal to be tops in my class. Thanks again, and stay safe.




NCTI could care less about your work history, all they want is your $. 
I've dealt with only one campus (NCTI Buellton) and to say the least I am glad I withdrew my application, horrible program


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## jgmedic (Feb 16, 2010)

SanDiegoEmt7 said:


> Lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What medic program did you go to? Any medic program worth its salt should start from the beginning, the idea that they shouldn't cover the basics is ridiculous, my program spent a long time on BLS before moving onto the ALS, using the idea that paramedics should be a complete pre-hospital provider not just skill monkeys.  Ironically, my program was one of the longest in the area and offers an AAS once your gen ed is complete, requires a real college A+P class with a lab but it also does have the 2000hour requirement, the only value I see in the previous experience is that you have seen the blood, guts and body fluids, dirty houses, etc, and you won't have that deer in headlights look so much.


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## 858heatstroke (Mar 10, 2010)

SanDiegoEmt7 said:


> Palomar College's program would be the second test, and more.  It's not for the faint of heart, and its requirements can be quite demoralizing.  But again, only in a challenging environment can you truly measure your worth.  If you can't stomach Palomar (or wait the 1-2 years) then look at schools like Southwestern College and EMSTA.



What do you mean "demoralizing"? I was thinking about palomar. I don't know much info about the school but right now it seems like it's the best option for me. Just want more info on that school.


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## SanDiegoEmt7 (Mar 10, 2010)

858heatstroke said:


> What do you mean "demoralizing"? I was thinking about palomar. I don't know much info about the school but right now it seems like it's the best option for me. Just want more info on that school.



Talk to any paramedic who attended Palomar, or any of the people who failed out.  

I have heard of cohorts where only half of the enrolled students graduate.  Last medic I talked to said his class started at 30 and only somewhere like 8 had become medics (others failed in didactic or field internship)

It is run like a fire academy, they put a lot of pressure on you, enjoy F****** with you, and you do physical training.  If you have a bad week at Palomar fail two quizzes, you're gone, no matter how far you are into the program.  You might be able to roll back to the next class (depending how far along you are), but you'll have to wait a year.

For some people this is something they desire (to be the best).  But for others, they don't want to risk all of the time it takes to get into Palomar (since they do a points based admission) to risk the chance of being dropped from the class for having a bad week.


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