accelerated course?

EMTCop86

EMTCop86

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so i am new to the forum and am going to ask for your guys advice for the first time:) i am trying to decided on whether to take an EMT-B class that will take two months or 4 months. the two month class is from http://www.ncti-online.com/westcoastregion/index1.shtml which is a link i got from the AMR website. the 4 month class is from my local community college. i had my first responder medical cert but it expired in 2005. i worked as a volunteer fire fighter about 3 or 4 years ago and from that got experience with medical aids. so i was wondering what do you think would be best, 2 months or 4 months. thank you.
 
EMTCop86 said:
so i am new to the forum and am going to ask for your guys advice for the first time:) i am trying to decided on whether to take an EMT-B class that will take two months or 4 months. the two month class is from http://www.ncti-online.com/westcoastregion/index1.shtml which is a link i got from the AMR website. the 4 month class is from my local community college. i had my first responder medical cert but it expired in 2005. i worked as a volunteer fire fighter about 3 or 4 years ago and from that got experience with medical aids. so i was wondering what do you think would be best, 2 months or 4 months. thank you.
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I cant comment on the on-line courses, but I did accererated course at community college. We did B class in just under 2 1/2 months where it usually takes about 6. You have got to knuckle down, lots of studying, and lots of time in class. But I still got a lot out of it and did well on my state exam. One thing, and I understand it is personal opinion, I think getting your B class in a class room with hands-on and instructors to question and get second hand experience from was best for getting a good solid foundation. Being a good EMT-B is the best ground work for moving up.
 
sorry my mistake i didn't mean to make it seem that the ncti class was online, it is not. i just copied a link from the website to show what school it was. thank you for the advice though. i know i would be able to make it through the shorter class but i also want to learn as much as a i can. so i that is why i am torn between the two.
 
I took my EMT-Basic at a community college in an academy setting which took six weeks, and I loved it. I had previously tried doing it in the semester format but couldn't stand it. I did great at the academy and passed the National Registry the first time around.

You must be willing to put the time and effort into the program Not just say you are, but really put the time in. I left the program at 5:00 PM and would go home and study for a few hours, go to bed, and then wake up and do it again.

I didn't feel as though it was rushed or too much, and my classmates generally did well too. I know that I spent a lot of time after the class reviewing for the NR, which I credit for helping me pass.

I hope that helps.
 
MMiz said:
I took my EMT-Basic at a community college in an academy setting which took six weeks, and I loved it. I had previously tried doing it in the semester format but couldn't stand it. I did great at the academy and passed the National Registry the first time around.

You must be willing to put the time and effort into the program Not just say you are, but really put the time in. I left the program at 5:00 PM and would go home and study for a few hours, go to bed, and then wake up and do it again.

I didn't feel as though it was rushed or too much, and my classmates generally did well too. I know that I spent a lot of time after the class reviewing for the NR, which I credit for helping me pass.

I hope that helps.
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ok thank you for the advice. i am definity willing to put in the work being that this is one of my passions. i also have a job were i am able to do school work all night long so i have a full 8 hours to study 5 nights out of week
 
What's the hurry? Everyone goes to the forums describing wanting to take EMS courses as fast as they can ... then to re post later how they failed the certification test or was not taught this or that. I ask what did you expect?

Ever noticed how everyone will describe "their" course as one of the best or hardest. Know why? Because they have nothing to compare it to. I review and observe courses for schools and states, I will tell you there are some great courses and there are some horrible ones as well.

There are several things to look for in a course.

One is NOT how fast one can finish the course. Just remember, the faster you take the course, the less time you have to absorb the material, review material, practice your skills, and get to know and become involved in the EMS community.

When one takes a cook book course, that is what one will have to work in a system under is recipe protocols. Why? Because, one will not have the knowledge or understanding the generalities of medicine.

Now, you describe your experience as in Fire Fighting and First Responder. That's nice and not discounting such but that is NOT medicine. Sorry, you might have been on several calls .. but; you assisted and were not responsible for the care. As well, the medical side of is much different than just the initial care.

If you are really considering EMS as a profession or being a "good rescuer" then expect and I would hope one would do as much as possible to take the time to learn to develop the skills needed. Remember, this is one of the most serious areas.. not alike things or property; we are dealing with peoples lives. What could be more important or serious?

R/R 911
 
Is the difference betwee the two classes the number of days/hours per day that you meet? If so, is the longer class really longer?

Regardless of the length of the basic class, most of the are too short, do not provide enough A&P, and are lacking in so many ways. However, that is another post all together and I digress.

If the longer class is truly longer, and provides you with more information/education, you are not doing yourself any favors by taking the shorter one. Take the class that is going to best prepare you by providing you with the best education.

R/r makes several good points. Listen to him and think about what he has to say.
 
thats not really a truly accelerated course. while the 2 month is "accelerated" compared to the 4 month, its only a marginally accelerated.

a true accelerated course is the two week shake and bake course you see advertised in the back and at the bottom of jems.

iirc, my emt course was somewhere in the 3 month range, not counting downtime between didactic and testing. doing it in two months and change isnt out of the question.

what you need to look at is how often the class meets and if the time between classes is adequate to actually absorb and retain the material. thats the biggest deficiency in the speedball emt courses.

there is only one set of circumstances in which i approves of hyper accelerated emt course. if you have been previously certified, but for whatever reason your ticket lapsed and you want to get it back. in that case, the only thing you need to do is get caught up on changes in protocol and refresh your memory on your skills. thats the only time im ok with it.

as far as choosing between 3 months and 4, is say go with the best overall program. the community college may have better facilities and faculty, then again they might not. do some research into the reputation of the programs and make you pick from there.
 
hey guys thanks for all the great advice. i have decided to do the course at my community college. now that i think about it, it is the same hours as the two month course but 4 months will give me more time to absorb the material and practice. i have heard nothing but good things about the community college one and think this will be my best bet.
 
This forum is remarkable because a few real professionals grace us with there advice. Listen carefully to the advice here, there is no need for a accelerated course. You will regret it later when your listening to someones lungs and can't remember if what your hearing is normal or not. Things like that.
 
I would not recommend an accelorated course to those without a strong understanding of the material first hand.

I did an accelorated course in 2004 and I found it fine and passed no problem the NR-EMT. However, please take into account that before I did this course, I had 8 years experience in vol EMS where I had done basic first aid to First Responder Instructor and BLS Instructor and everything in between. I also read the book cover to cover before going in. Some people on my course were completely new so a lot had trouble.

Remember, relax, take the longer course. There will always still be EMS jobs!
 
EMT level training is pretty much following algorithms and basic book knowledge with skills training. I think a six week class is fine for this basic level of provider. A local reputable school did a study on success rates of their students (I THINK based on passing national registry) and they had no statistically significant difference between accelerated and non-accelerated course. The EMT students from that school have also left the best impression on me when I get them as student ride-alongs (so it's not just book knowledge and prepping for the registry test).
 
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