12 week accelerated Paramedic Program!!??

[usalsfyre]

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

Ahh yes, I'm to dumb to go to an accelerated program . Any thoughts there may have been more CONTENT in my medic program?

its this thing called life and a family and you apparently have neither so that wasnt a factor for you

It's true, I was a college student when I was in paramedic school. However, being a husband and father now I would find it far, far harder to sequester myself for three months than attend college part-time.

a lot of what you know you learn in the field and in depth in real life situtions not in a book

Real patients don't read text books, it's true. But to say the background info is unimportant is a farce. Otherwise how do you know WHAT your looking at? It's like the old "experience" argument. Experience without knowledge is useless, otherwise your doing the same thing over and over again.

a good friend of mine is a PJ NREMT-P and has been for 6 years

As I said, I wasn't sure about this. I had a paramedic instructor who was a former PJ. I have a huge amount of respect for them, but the focus is different than what you need for a typical EMS patient.

What really tells me everything I need to know about you attitude is....

the patch says nothing different wether it took you 2 years or 6 months to get it.

I really don't give two sh!ts what my patch says. I want to have a knowledge base of sufficient depth and breadth to safely and effectively treat patients. Considering that some EMS services have new-hire academies longer than 12 weeks, I don't think the ultra-short programs can provide this. What they can do is pump out someone who has memorized enough to pass a test. However, the question that the patient cares about is do they remember enough six months later when presented with a complicated presentation to treat it safely?

 

[AnthonyM83]

Does a medic class thats shorter than my basic class sound like a good idea? I know it would be full time class but still.

Shorter in terms of class hours or total length. Makes a difference.

Is it 12 weeks total or 12 weeks of classroom, then hospital clinicals, then field internship? Does it specify?

 

[fast65]

Then obviously you didn't attend a part time program, and sorry 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

it's this thing called life and a family and you apparently have neither so that wasnt a factor for you

a lot of what you know you learn in the field and in depth in real life situations not in a book

the patch says nothing different whether it took you 2 years or 6 months to get it.

First of all, I posted corrections in bold, please review them and apply the concepts to subsequent posts.

Second, you might want to avoid calling one of the most intelligent posters on here "slow", others may look down upon that. There a plenty of people who have a job and a family and are still able to attend a good program. My program is a two year AAS program and there are a few people with a job and families that attend it full time.

You're absolutely correct about learning a lot of things in the field...you learn a lot of bad habits, you learn the good habits from the book. You need a good foundation to build upon if you're going to learn anything from experience. Quite honestly, I don't want some medic to show up and give me Adensoine with a HR of 50 and say "oops, I guess I missed that chapter in the book, but now I learned something".

Sure, the patch might not say anything different, and I suppose if the patch is all that matters to you then go for the 12 week program. However, there's A LOT to be said for a medic who went through the trouble of getting a proper education.

 

[rhan101277]

When a patient asks you how long you have been doing this just say.

I'm not a paramedic but I stayed at a holiday inn express for 12 weeks.

 

[medicRob]

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.

the patch says nothing different wether it took you 2 years or 6 months to get it.[/QUOTE]


You sound like someone who is butthurt because the program you chose is sub-par, and instead of admitting that, you get defensive. There are many like you, you are not the first. I am guessing you couldn't get into a standard medic program for some reason or another, went the 12 week route (aka Patch Factory <--- say what you will, it is a patch factory.), and came here looking for justification and warm fuzzies... sorry bro, you aren't going to get them here.

Get with a REAL program.

 

[Tommerag]

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 I figured if you had class 5 days a week 8 hours a day for 12 weeks that is only 480 hours. My class is for didactic is 640 hours, not exactly the same amount of hours as your 12 week program.

 

[boarder12]

I can see my post has grabbed a lot of attention.

To explain deeper on the program I went as far to call the program director himself to help clarify about the program see below:

12 weeks, 5 sessions a week from 0800-1800= 600 hours.
Plus a few Saturday sessions so I'd say roughly around 650 hours.

This does not include the clinical and field internships, those are for the student to set up with either the colleges contracts (AMR in Omaha etc.) or to return to their home town/state and finish the required hours there (student would need to find a hospital and ambulance company to accept him/her as a trainee and be placed with a preceptor).

The program has around the same hours as any full time year long program.

Another example of an accelerated program is Mt. SAC,

29 weeks total, 16 didactic and the rest= field and clinical internships.

However it is highly regarded as one of the toughest programs in California because of the pre-course and self study work required before the actual program starts.

As an aspiring medic I I am doing whatever I can to get in to Mt. SAC, I have a friend who I just found out will be attending the 12 week accelerated program. I wish him the best of luck, although it would not be my first choice, having experience as a former army medic he is used to the high paced learning environment. This program is most likely a good fit for some and a horrible idea to others.

We all go through similar training whether it is EMT-B or Paramedic... and my opinion has always been you get out of it what you put into it.

 

[Tommerag]

Class 10 hours a day for 12 weeks straight? No thanks

 

[izibo]

Class 10 hours a day for 12 weeks straight? No thanks

I think the point is, however, that there are plenty of people who would consider 4 hours of class twice a week for a year and a half, plus clinicals, to be much, much worse. I really don't even like the 'hours' type checkoffs. 800 hours in a terrible medic program with cringe worthy faculty does not equal 800 hours in a fantastic one with great instructors. I personally feel, as I mentioned before, that there is a 'right program' for the 'right student.' This includes 12 week accelerated programs, although I would never be able to do a program like that due to family issues.

I think the debate on the merits of a particular program are not nearly as important on the standards we implement as a profession regarding who can practice and who needs remediation (or simply can't cut it). If people are so concerned about patch mills, than we need to get tougher. Make NREMT significantly more difficult, both written and practical. Require a tougher accreditation process than what is currently being implemented. Make all paramedics retest every license cycle in addition to completing continued education to ensure retention of knowledge.

 

[systemet]

If people are so concerned about patch mills, than we need to get tougher. Make NREMT significantly more difficult, both written and practical. Require a tougher accreditation process than what is currently being implemented. Make all paramedics retest every license cycle in addition to completing continued education to ensure retention of knowledge.

Perhaps part of the solution would not be accrediting programs that only provide 480 hours of didactic instruction?

 

[fast65]

Class 10 hours a day for 12 weeks straight? No thanks

I actually had a conversation about this with some of my classmates on our lunch break from PALS today. One of them brought up the point that after the first four or five hours their attention would just completely disappear, I mean there's only so much lecture/lab that you can handle in a day.

In my opinion a 12 week program is like cramming before a big exam, sure, you'll remember the knowledge long enough to pass the test, but soon thereafter you will forget a lot of it.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Grumpy grumpy grumpy.

They were talking about extending my program to 18 months instead of 12. Probably wont happen until after my class is finished, although they did move our didactic up to closer to 700 hours, then with the clincals and internship added on the program ends up near 1500 hours total. Compared to the rest of the world, not a whole lot of time...

I don't understand how people complain about the pay when there isn't the education to merit the raise in pay.

 

[systemet]

Just wondering if anyone knows where I can go to get a BScN nursing degree in 12 weeks? Or my RRT? Or perhaps a PA?

Actually, scratch that, I'd like to become a licensed plumber. Can anyone tell me where I can go to do that in less time than it takes to become a paramedic?

 

[MrBrown]

Again, if other nations require three to six years of education and experience to reach ALS level, how can 12 weeks be seen as acceptable?

*Browns head explodes

 

[fast65]

*Browns head explodes

Ummmmmm, hold pressure?

 

[alphatrauma]

Again, if other nations require three to six years of education and experience to reach ALS level, how can 12 weeks be seen as acceptable?

That's easy... the U.S. is just plain superior, and we don't give a **** about how other nations do things.

 

[medicRob]

That's easy... the U.S. is just plain superior, and we don't give a **** about how other nations do things.

or one could also say, "We don't believe in credibility because we know that we're freakin incredible."

 

[JPINFV]

That's easy... the U.S. is just plain superior, and we don't give a **** about how other nations do things.

 

[fortsmithman]

I'm always amazed of what the training is for ALS in the USA.

 

[ShotMedic]

Johnny an ROy

What would the EMS world be, With out Johnny And Roy....( i think they were from the USA)..... most dialed medics ever