12 week accelerated Paramedic Program!!??
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I think it could be the right idea, for the right person. There are plenty of people with extensive medical backgrounds that would likely gouge their eyes out with a rusty spoon if they had to attend a traditional paramedic program. I really believe there is a role for condensed and online/hybrid medic programs, provided the students are a good fit for the program.
Of course, these also have the potential to go south in a heartbeat. You combine a student with little to no background or experience, run them through a program like this and you end up with a problem.
Zodiac
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I think programs like these could possibly work for someone who already had a pretty extensive background in health care but I don't think the average person is cut out for absorbing so much information in such a short time frame. My brain would probably melt if I even attempted it. There's just not enough time to study and actually retain the information being learned. The hours might be the same but with a 12+ month program that meets twice a week (or whatever), you have time to actually study versus having nightly cram sessions.
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jordanwilson
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accelerated medic program
I will be taking the accelerated program at mccook community college, I think it will be much easier to learn the course if its full time and five days a week. a part time program would be very hard to retain all of the information i learned over a year ago without being out in the field. also i will be doing nothing but studying paramedicine and rooming with another paramedic student in the middle of nowhere nebraska. I honestly think that for the right person this program is a great fit, I also think that we will start to see a lot more of these programs popping up in the future. Not to mention that the Air Force trains their Pararescue special operators to national standards in six months from start to finish and most have no medical background what so ever and they are the best at what they do.
I will be taking the accelerated program at mccook community college, I think it will be much easier to learn the course if its full time and five days a week. a part time program would be very hard to retain all of the information i learned over a year ago without being out in the field. also i will be doing nothing but studying paramedicine and rooming with another paramedic student in the middle of nowhere nebraska. I honestly think that for the right person this program is a great fit, I also think that we will start to see a lot more of these programs popping up in the future. Not to mention that the Air Force trains their Pararescue special operators to national standards in six months from start to finish and most have no medical background what so ever and they are the best at what they do.
HotelCo
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I disagree.
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Army medics and civilian medics are not very similar....The have a huge huge huge emphasis on trauma, not so much on the medical side.
And you have an inborn confirmation bias, as you will have a significant amount invested in this being the case.
I would hardly call 4 days a week, 6-10 hours a day for 22 months (what my program was) part time. It was in depth, with a very high amount of repetition that is simply not possible in 12 weeks.
So what your telling me is it's great that you in the middle of nowhere because your too immature to manage your study time?
Those who aren't really interesting in learning anything in depth and would rather just race through with a superficial understanding of paramedicine? Cause you know we don't have enough of those in EMS...
God let's hope not
Ehhhh, trauma maybe. I think a very large number of PJs would admit they would be in over their heads with a complex cardiac patient. Also, last I heard the PJs were certifying at the I85 level now, not Paramedic as they were in the past (this has been two yearss ago though).
The accelerated programs only exist to funnel out minimally qualified paramedics as fodder for FDs, low-rent privates, ect.
quality of education...coming from Canada I can't even possibly fathom a 12 week "paramedic" course or the "paramedics" they put out......
sweetpete
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Wow....can't tell if it's "ego" or sincere concern for the quality of EMS that's causing such responses. I'm leaning toward the former.:unsure:
Pete
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Work with some accelerated program graduates and then tell me what you think.
Since when did decreasing entry standards do good things to ANY profession?
As far as ego, yes, I think having a college-based intensive training program in my background gives me a considerable leg up on a guy who tried to cram it all into one semester. I also think a physician learns a hell of a lot more in four years of med school than I learned in two years of medic school. What's your point?
ShotMedic
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I think that a paramedics skills can be taught in 12 weeks no doubt IVs, ET, Reading EKGs,Etc. except for maybe starting IVs on the dehydrated 90yo heroin junkie..... When it comes to the confidence of field diagnosing and treating your everyday Medical call I agree that the 12 week program is just not enough time. I went to school out here in San Diego and our didactic class was around 7 months right around 22 weeks with a college A&P as a prereq. then 1 month in the hospital and 3 month internship. Then bam your out on your own making decisions. It is definitely nerve racking to say the least and the expectations are so high due to the professionalism we have gain over the years. None the less I have been confident in my skills and knowledge and maybe saved a life or two. Am I ready for everything the citizens throw at me? of course not but thats why we have CEUs right? If I could have created my perfect Paramedic Program I would have loved to have it start off the same with didactic with clinicals and internship mixed in at the same time. So I could apply my IN class knowledge with real life(that lil gray area). I wish I could have had a preceptor the whole time i was in school that took me under his/her wing to teach me not just to grade me. I feel as if the majority of preceptors is San Diego County expect you to be at the same level as them when your green as a green can be and fail a lot of students when they could honestly help them grow and flourish. Now would it be a lot easier for students in the field to prosper if they had the same education time as a DR? I dunno i think we have all scene some Docs in the field try to run a call.... So what do i think it takes to make a great Paramedic? I think if you have 2 years solid full time EMT-B experience (to learn the structure of EMS) add an Understanding of A&P,plus General Idea of Pharmacology, Minus your social life, and add A Salty Dog Paramedic Mentor= Successful Paramedic Student in class and as well as out in the field, wither your taking NREMT test or faced with the "real" test.
ExpatMedic0
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ya...... cause I want ANYONE... RT, RN, Paramedic working on me after 12 weeks....
That goes without saying. You can teach anyone the practical parts, but it takes longer to put things together and know when to do them and when not to. 12 weeks is way too short imo
alphatrauma
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Accelerated programs/courses [and their respective graduates] are like most things in life, you will have good ones and bad ones. I don't think anyone can just summarily dismiss all programs of the sort (or those who attend them) as inadequate. There are quite a few variables involved.
I attended an accelerated (community college) Paramedic program, and what I found to be most egregious was that there were absolutely NO admission pre-requisites... other than having a high school diploma, no recent felonies, and current EMT certification. I do agree, that for most aspiring Paramedics, accelerated programs are probably not the way to go. That being said, there is a segment of the population that can flourish and excel in such a curriculum, as long as they have the proper educational background/foundation to build upon, as well as the aptitude for high paced learning.
I attended an accelerated (community college) Paramedic program, and what I found to be most egregious was that there were absolutely NO admission pre-requisites... other than having a high school diploma, no recent felonies, and current EMT certification. I do agree, that for most aspiring Paramedics, accelerated programs are probably not the way to go. That being said, there is a segment of the population that can flourish and excel in such a curriculum, as long as they have the proper educational background/foundation to build upon, as well as the aptitude for high paced learning.
jordanwilson
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Thanks for the info, I did say airforce, but yes you are right, but point being that the military holds very high standards for any training. training someone with no medical background to paramedic in six months has worked for them
jordanwilson
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I would hardly call 4 days a week, 6-10 hours a day for 22 months (what my program was) part time. It was in depth, with a very high amount of repetition that is simply not possible in 12 weeks.
Then obviously you didnt attend a part time program and sorrry it takes you longer to learn things, also the 12 weeks is only the didactic portion and same amount of hours required for any other program
So what your telling me is it's great that you in the middle of nowhere because your too immature to manage your study time?
its this thing called life and a family and you apparently have neither so that wasnt a factor for you
Those who aren't really interesting in learning anything in depth and would rather just race through with a superficial understanding of paramedicine? Cause you know we don't have enough of those in EMS...
a lot of what you know you learn in the field and in depth in real life situtions not in a book
Ehhhh, trauma maybe. I think a very large number of PJs would admit they would be in over their heads with a complex cardiac patient. Also, last I heard the PJs were certifying at the I85 level now, not Paramedic as they were in the past (this has been two yearss ago though).
a good friend of mine is a PJ NREMT-P and has been for 6 years
The accelerated programs only exist to funnel out minimally qualified paramedics as fodder for FDs, low-rent privates, ect.[/QUOTE]
the patch says nothing different wether it took you 2 years or 6 months to get it.
Then obviously you didnt attend a part time program and sorrry it takes you longer to learn things, also the 12 weeks is only the didactic portion and same amount of hours required for any other program
So what your telling me is it's great that you in the middle of nowhere because your too immature to manage your study time?
its this thing called life and a family and you apparently have neither so that wasnt a factor for you
Those who aren't really interesting in learning anything in depth and would rather just race through with a superficial understanding of paramedicine? Cause you know we don't have enough of those in EMS...
a lot of what you know you learn in the field and in depth in real life situtions not in a book
Ehhhh, trauma maybe. I think a very large number of PJs would admit they would be in over their heads with a complex cardiac patient. Also, last I heard the PJs were certifying at the I85 level now, not Paramedic as they were in the past (this has been two yearss ago though).
a good friend of mine is a PJ NREMT-P and has been for 6 years
The accelerated programs only exist to funnel out minimally qualified paramedics as fodder for FDs, low-rent privates, ect.[/QUOTE]
the patch says nothing different wether it took you 2 years or 6 months to get it.
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JPINFV
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Actually, that depends. An associates degree is required in some states to be licensed. So, yea, a person with a paramedic level education sans degree (such as the 6th week wonders) wouldn't be licensed as a paramedic, and therefore wouldn't have a paramedic patch to wear. Additionally, there's Texas which has an EMT-Paramedic and a Licensed Paramedic depending on just passing a course or having a degree.
sir.shocksalot
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I suggest you use proper grammar and spelling if you intend to call out a respected poster as "slow". Also, the didactic portion is the MOST important portion of paramedic school, you can't apply knowledge in the field if you lack clinical knowledge of physiology and pathophysiology and how it applies to the prehospital provider. More time and care should be placed on the didactic portion than what we see currently in schools.
We all have our little demons we have to deal with.
Have you worked in the field?
I agree that a portion of what you need to know must be learned in the field, but not before the prerequisite knowledge is there from a book, which can probably not be covered adequately in 12-weeks. Heck, today I spoke with a baby doctor and I asked him about the specificity of Homen's sign; the dude has been out of school for a week and was able to tell me all about the sign, how non-specific it is, and other assessment tools that are more specific. He didn't learn that through practice in the field, he read that in a book.
Anyone from the military will completely agree that they would be over their heads with patient populations that they don't see: geriatrics and pediatrics (raisins and grapes in my book). Several military medics who are now civilian medics have told me that they never even saw a diabetic patient until they started working on a civilian ambulance.
You are correct in saying that a 12-week mill medic may end up with the same patch as a 2 year medic. However there is a significant difference in the caliber of a medic who's only interest was getting the patch through whatever means necessary vs one that had an interest in medicine. I know medics from 6-month programs who are great because they had a good science background, worked their a$$ off to learn as much as possible, and go above and beyond the first aid book (aka paramedic text book) and read more in-depth books, read new studies and scientific journals, as well as attended CEs (and paid attention). I know medics from the same program who are dumb as a rock because they: A) Didn't want to go but went because they want to be/stay a hosemonkey. b) Went to learn paramedicine but didn't have much of a science background, and as a result lacks a lot of the "whys" and "hows" to critically think beyond their protocols. OR C) Due to a gross lack of prerequisite course work and testing to get into paramedic school, were too dumb to be there in the first place.
I highly suggest you take a step back and evaluate yourself before leaping in to school. Do you have the knowledge and are you willing to keep up with new science to become and proficient provider of prehospital medicine. If not I highly recommend not going to any program, let alone one only 12-weeks long. Don't go to a program because it's short, your patients don't want a medic trained quickly, your reputable employer doesn't want one, and the profession doesn't need any more either. Go to a program because it's good, well respected, and puts out good medics who want to learn more; that's what your patients want, that's what employers want, and that's EXACTLY what this profession needs.
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