Credit Hours

[JJR512]

Is there a standard or uniform way to calculate how many actual hours of instructional time one gets from a college course that's described in credit hours? In other words, can credit hours be converted to real hours spent in the class or with the instructor or otherwise officially participating in the class?

I ask because I'm curious to know how this accelerated Paramedic program compares to a "real" -P program.

http://www.teex.org/teex.cfm?pageid=training&area=TEEX&templateid=14&Division=ESTI&Course=EMS135

One local community college near me offers a certificate program that's a minimum of 54 credit hours. That accelerated program in the link is 624 hours. I just want to compare the accelerated program to the college certificate program on equal terms.

 

[socalmedic]

there is no way to uniformly convert credit hours to class room hours. that is dependent to the number of class meetings and the hours per week. it will vary by semester/quarter length, 10, 12, 16 or 18 week courses. but also many professional courses (eg. paramedic) add credit hours to get more money from the state. paramedic programs in my area vary from 24 to 46 credits. further more i dont recall if 600 hours is enough to meet NR guidelines. for the most accurate count of hours call the school, the department that EMS is under, and ask how many lecture hours there are.

 

[46Young]

According to the college distance learning classes I've been taking, for a 16 week course, we were advised that we were expected to spend eight hours or more per week per class for work and study time combined.

Otherwise, look up the class in the college catalog, see how many hours a week you're spending in the classroom and also in lab if applicable, I guess.

If you've got some free time on your hands, check out a local college EMS AAS curriculum, count the total classroom hours of each EMS class by referencing the class schedule found in the catalog or online, and also the pre-requisite A&P and pharm at the least, to be fair. Also include all the field stuff, such as ER rotations, ambulance clinicals, labs, and such. That's apples to apples. However, it's really apples to oranges when comparing a college EMT-P curriculum vs an accelerated EMT-P certificate program. Do they require college A&P and pharm at the minimum prior to application, or do they do a rapid, watered down version tailored to just what you "need to know." Are the skills stations run strictly, or do the instructors tell numerous war stories, wasting everyone's time? Are the ambulance ride alongs and ER rotations busy or slow? These are all considerations when comparing these programs.

 

[LucidResq]

Credit hours roughly represent how much time you spend in the classroom per week. If the community college utilizes the semester system, the 54 credit hours would take 4 semesters to complete, if you were taking about the average load for a full time student. 54 divided by 4 equals 13.5, so let's assume you take 13 credit hours per semester for the first two, and 14 credit hours per semester for the second two. The average semester is 15 weeks.

2(15 x 13) = 390
2(15 x 14) = 420

390 + 420 = 810.

I'd also like to point out that colleges often short change credits for courses with lab sections. For example, my microbio course was worth 4 credit hours. Lecture was 3 hours a week, but lab was actually also 3 hours a week, not 1. That's a difference of 30 hours over the whole semester. This does not include extra time spent in lab, studying, etc.

If the curriculum contains clinical rotations, the same also often applies. Looking at a local paramedic program out here that is partnered with a community college for credit, you get 12 credit hours for clinical rotations, which in theory adds up to 180 actual hours. However, the program actually requires 650 hours of clinicals - that's more than the hours required for that accelerated TEEX program TOTAL.

This local paramedic program, which isn't even particularly rigorous, requires well over a 1,000 hours. When you start looking at the prerequisites which include college A&P, EKG, and IV, you're starting to look at more than double the number of actual hours as TEEX.

 

[LucidResq]

Oh and is that a good thing? Hell yes. Imagine a punk little 18 yo fresh out of high school that takes a quick 2 and a half week EMT course at TEEX (yes they do) from 10/18 - 11/5.

He waits for his certs and such, and less than two months later starts their paramedic program on 1/3/2011, graduating ten weeks later on 3/16.

Yes, in less than 4 months (plus another 2 or so waiting for certs but not actually doing anything) with nothing but a HS diploma or a GED, with no formal coursework in anatomy, phyisiology, pharmacology, or anything really, you can call yourself a paramedic.

Someone could graduate HS in May, take two months off to enjoy their summer and still be pushing atropine before Thanksgiving. Doesn't this terrify anyone?