# Good EMT and Paramedic School in Saint Louis, MO



## chrisloveit (Feb 7, 2013)

Hello All,

I am a brand new member to the site(off and on reader for the last year or so). I have decided that the current profession I am in is too boring for me and requires me to sit at a desk all day is no longer for me and want to become a paramedic. I was wondering if anyone here has experience with IHM Academy of EMS in Saint Louis, MO. They are a big trainer for Abott EMS here in the Saint Louis area. The choice of schools is between them and Community College at Forest Park. If anyone has any experience with either school how did you like it? And would you recommend it to an aspiring EMT/Paramedic student? Thank You


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## VFlutter (Feb 7, 2013)

Welcome. I took my Basic in Columbia, MO so I do not have any personal experience with programs in St. Louis but I have heard good things about St. Charles County Ambulance District and St. Louis Community College.


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## chrisloveit (Feb 7, 2013)

About how much did your EMT Basic classes cost? IHM is 78*9 Credit Hours and STLCC is 93*18 Credit Hours.


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## VFlutter (Feb 7, 2013)

chrisloveit said:


> About how much did your EMT Basic classes cost? IHM is 78*9 Credit Hours and STLCC is 93*18 Credit Hours.



I think $700. Mine was a semester long program.


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## chrisloveit (Feb 7, 2013)

Ah ok thats not too bad then.I already was accepted to the Community College last week. I am taking a tour at IHM on Friday.


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## ah2388 (Feb 7, 2013)

I would highly recommend the EMT Program at Florissant Valley under Ken Frederickson or the EMT Program at St. Charles County Ambulance District.

The Paramedic program at SCCAD is in my opinion, the best in the state.

If you have more specific questions pm me.


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## chrisloveit (Feb 7, 2013)

PM sent ah2388. I look forward to speaking with you.


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## ThirtyAndTwo (Feb 10, 2013)

IMO the class isn't really that important, they all use the same few textbooks so the content is the same and you learn most of what you need to know on job anyway.

My recommendation is to take the cheapest class and just read the book a lot so you learn all the important knowledge you are expected to know.


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## VFlutter (Feb 10, 2013)

ThirtyAndTwo said:


> IMO the class isn't really that important, they all use the same few textbooks so the content is the same and you learn most of what you need to know on job anyway.
> 
> My recommendation is to take the cheapest class and just read the book a lot so you learn all the important knowledge you are expected to know.



My recommendation is that you don't listen to this recommendation


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## ThirtyAndTwo (Feb 10, 2013)

Chase said:


> My recommendation is that you don't listen to this recommendation



If you disagree with something I say, please give your reasons for doing so for the benefit of everyone reading this thread.


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## VFlutter (Feb 10, 2013)

ThirtyAndTwo said:


> If you disagree with something I say, please give your reasons for doing so for the benefit of everyone reading this thread.



If you plan on never going to class, which isn't an option for most EMT programs, and are able to read and understand all of the information in the textbook yourself then sure your advice is ok. 

But if you do plan on going to class I suggest you choose a program based on quality not just the pick the cheapest. If you are going to be sitting in class you mind as well get the most out of it. Quality instructors can really make a difference in the education you receive even if you think you will be able to learn everything by reading the textbook. 

Just because the class content and books are similar does not mean that they are equal. Besides that the clinical locations, hours, etc may be totally different and are part of the decision over just price


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## chrisloveit (Feb 10, 2013)

I went and toured IHM Academy on Friday and have enrolled to begin classes on May 2nd. The main thing that swung me towards them is it is 15 mins from my house, I can do my clinicals at a hospital I used to work at, and they are accredited Nationally. Itt Tech burned me on the last one as my credits only transfer to University of Phoenix. Any other tips you can give me Chase as to what helped you succeed in school?


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## MidwestEMT (Feb 10, 2013)

Chase said:


> If you plan on never going to class, which isn't an option for most EMT programs, and are able to read and understand all of the information in the textbook yourself then sure your advice is ok.
> 
> But if you do plan on going to class I suggest you choose a program based on quality not just the pick the cheapest. If you are going to be sitting in class you mind as well get the most out of it. Quality instructors can really make a difference in the education you receive even if you think you will be able to learn everything by reading the textbook.
> 
> Just because the class content and books are similar does not mean that they are equal. Besides that the clinical locations, hours, etc may be totally different and are part of the decision over just price



STRONGLY AGREE!!! While the minimum curriculum is the same for most classes, the good ones will go far above and beyond. My personal experience has been this: I chose to pay for the 'good' program in the area, which not only was much more expensive than the price of the other program, but the other program would have been covered by a scholarship. Most everything I've heard about this other program is negative, that the instructors 'teach the test', have little field experience, and are poor quality instructors. 

The program I chose lived up to everything I heard about it (Which was all good). We had about 60 hours more classroom time than the 'other' program, the main instructor was both an experienced medic, still working as a lead medic in our large metro FD, as well as a qualified instructor, who really knew how to teach. 

Moving onto medic, I plan on attending the same school, which will cost me about 10k more than if I were to take medic through the other school, But I know that it will make me a better medic down the road, as it has already made me a better EMT than the ones churned out down the road.

Point made: Quality over cost


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## chrisloveit (Feb 10, 2013)

Thank You MidwestEMT. That was my entire point. Im going to have to pay for it myself and I care about the Instructors that I have and the class sizes. The fact that they are Nationally accredited is a major plus for me. My current degree is not recognized outside of the Metro area where I live. If I wanted to continue my IT career I would need to start the program all over again. I cannot afford to go down that road again and decided to do my research here and am grateful for you guys response.


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## MidwestEMT (Feb 10, 2013)

No problem. It sounds like you found a school that will be great for you in IMH academy. Better to pay for it now in cash than later in stress (and usually more cash). I wish you the best of luck in school!


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## chrisloveit (Feb 10, 2013)

Thank You. I actually ended up paying 39,00 total going to Itt Tech for an IT Degree that means nothing and the credits transfer nowhere. So I have learned my lesson. Maybe I will see you at school when classes start. Thanks again.


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## chrisloveit (Feb 11, 2013)

Correction 39,000 dollars for Itt Tech.


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## VFlutter (Feb 11, 2013)

chrisloveit said:


> Correction 39,000 dollars for Itt Tech.



My BSN cost ~$65K. It would have been cheaper if I went to a community college instead of Mizzou for my first two years doing prerequisites. But that wouldn't have been nearly as fun


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## ExpatMedic0 (Feb 11, 2013)

$10,000 USD for my Paramedic program only, then another $12,000 per year for the 4 year bachelors in Paramedicine. Tuition cost only, excluding fee's, books, rent, or living expenses. I also could have saved money, did 1 year at the community college which saved me about $9,000 but chose to complete everything else at the university.


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