hello to all. i'm new to this forum, kinda stumbled upon it on accident actually. i've been working as an emt for like 2 months and i'm hoping to go to medic school in about a year. i live in northern CA and i'd like to leave the area (kinda sick of it up here haha) so i was looking into the daniel freeman program in LA. has anyone gone to the school or know how it compares to the program at San Francisco City College? all info is appreciated thanks a lot
Daniel Freeman Paramedic School
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medic417
The Truth Provider
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Search is on right side on line above. There has been some discussions that mention that school.
mycrofft
Still crazy but elsewhere
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Daniel Freeman used to be Trauma City, Ike Turner's ER of choice.
Look into living arrangements, you may want to commute and etc. Not cheap.
Look into living arrangements, you may want to commute and etc. Not cheap.
DV_EMT
Forum Asst. Chief
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Ive heard that its a GREAT SCHOOL... definately try it out and see if ui can get in
NickD
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I went to EMT school at Daniel Freeman (UCLA), worked a year as an EMT with a 911 company, and I'm currently in their paramedic prep program. I also took a phlebotomy course there. And I disagree with my Kiwi colleague above. While I'll agree higher levels of education is a no-brainer for EMS few people would characterize DF as a whacker mill. And you do accrue college credits in all their programs. Not to mention, the majority of paramedic schools in the States are non-degree programs, so that's sort of a sideways criticism.
DF is the 1st or 2nd oldest paramedic school in the U.S. (There is a running, but friendly dispute, with another school in Florida over this). We have instructors both brilliant and caring including a few with ties going back to the 1970s and the formative years of EMS.
It's one of the few, if not the only, paramedic school in Los Angeles that accepts private students who are not affiliated with a fire department. Even the community colleges here require a mini-fire academy for admission. How many privates they take in each class depends on how many sponsored fire guys are enrolling. And in most classes it's six to ten.
Like any course of education a lot depends on the student. I'm sitting next to young fire guys who will depend on a very established support system within the fire department and unfortunately medicine isn't that high on their interests list. But that's a separate issue concerning the way Los Angeles County implements EMS. However, privates do apply from all over the country at DF.
As to the cookbook comment that laughably inaccurate too as they do everything except tattoo critical thinking on your forehead . . .
I have a friend who thinks New Zealand is a boring, provincial, stuck in the 80s kind of place. But I know he's wrong because I lived and worked in NZed for a year in the early 1990s. It's a wonderful country.
Your friend is flat out wrong about DF . . .
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I went to EMT school at Daniel Freeman (UCLA), worked a year as an EMT with a 911 company, and I'm currently in their paramedic prep program. I also took a phlebotomy course there. And I disagree with my Kiwi colleague above. While I'll agree higher levels of education is a no-brainer for EMS few people would characterize DF as a whacker mill. And you do accrue college credits in all their programs. Not to mention, the majority of paramedic schools in the States are non-degree programs, so that's sort of a sideways criticism.
The website clearly states they do NOT offer college credits. That is made clear up front so there is no false hope.
If you look at the many community colleges in CA and FL, you will find the majority of them DO offer a degree program. Unfortunately it is an option so the real reason there are not more degreed Paramedics is not the fact there are no programs but rather most do not have the motivation to take an A&P class or perceive it to be a waste of time. There are also medic mills that have made a half-arsed attempt to offer degrees "with ease of entry". Generally they credit transfer nowhere.
Also, the difference between FL and CA's first Paramedic programs is that FL did establish the degree and was even sought after in the 1970s by FFs. Thus, that is why I got my degree in 1979.
If you look at the state and local protocols for CA, critical thinking is really not a necessity...unfortunately. For some, as long as they can read the protocols or have a nurse read for them they will do just fine in some CA systems. This is why the MICN has a large presence in EMS and CCT in CA.
If you have yet to go through a Paramedic program you may not be the best reference for quality and content.
JPINFV
Gadfly
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-UCLA Center for Prehospital Care Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cpc.mednet.ucla.edu/SRRS/ProgramDocs/Programs/13/student FAQ info sheet 040611.dot
NickD
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The college credits I received for EMT school at DF were through another local college, credits for my current paramedic prep course are through still another college, and I thought the paramedic course was the same. I'll give you your point on that one . . .
If I had to guess why it's probably a matter of internal squabbles between DF and UCLA which runs it's own medical school.
If I had to guess why it's probably a matter of internal squabbles between DF and UCLA which runs it's own medical school.
daedalus
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I find it funny that they are looking into making Freeman actually apply towards college credit, but the UCLA itself will not offer it. It will be through the Westwood college (which has just been sued for offering junk degrees).
Also, the program itself is not even on the UCLA campus, it is in the ghetto in Inglewood. The hospital it used to be affiliated with is now shut down.
I love when people spout off to me that Daniel Freeman is the best paramedic school. Actually, my school required anatomy and physiology before entering, and the big bad UCLA Daniel Freeman does not. My school offers college credit and can apply towards an Associates degree in Paramedic Studies. Daniel Freeman does not. My school is also much cheaper.
Also, the program itself is not even on the UCLA campus, it is in the ghetto in Inglewood. The hospital it used to be affiliated with is now shut down.
I love when people spout off to me that Daniel Freeman is the best paramedic school. Actually, my school required anatomy and physiology before entering, and the big bad UCLA Daniel Freeman does not. My school offers college credit and can apply towards an Associates degree in Paramedic Studies. Daniel Freeman does not. My school is also much cheaper.
NickD
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I suppose a little "school spirit" is unavoidable but at the same time masks the real problem. I replied to the initial characterization of DF because I felt it rash so I'm guilty too. But the larger point is don't expect the general public and higher level providers to stop denigrating EMS until we stop denigrating ourselves. It's the easiest first step to respectability we could take.
Can we all agree the best paramedic school in the world is still capable of turning out poor medics just as the reverse of that is true? Getting a dream paramedic curriculum in place would be laudable but not a solid guarantee of overall improvement in care. If level of education was the only key, why are there questionable doctors, nurses, professors, etc?
So what we are really talking about is human nature. And that's a lot harder to fix. Instead we blame our schools, we blame our protocols, we blame fire for muscling into EMS, we blame everybody and everything except ourselves. And that's exactly where 100% of the blame rests.
And to insinuate because a school is situated in a "ghetto" (your word) it's second rate is what? I don't even know what that means. With good instructors and knowledge hungry students you could run a good paramedic school on any street corner sitting on milk crates . . .
Can we all agree the best paramedic school in the world is still capable of turning out poor medics just as the reverse of that is true? Getting a dream paramedic curriculum in place would be laudable but not a solid guarantee of overall improvement in care. If level of education was the only key, why are there questionable doctors, nurses, professors, etc?
So what we are really talking about is human nature. And that's a lot harder to fix. Instead we blame our schools, we blame our protocols, we blame fire for muscling into EMS, we blame everybody and everything except ourselves. And that's exactly where 100% of the blame rests.
And to insinuate because a school is situated in a "ghetto" (your word) it's second rate is what? I don't even know what that means. With good instructors and knowledge hungry students you could run a good paramedic school on any street corner sitting on milk crates . . .
It's funny. Whenever a thread takes a turn like this one has and turns into this type of a discussion, it seems like it's often an EMT or someone who's only even a student that comes out with the smartest post while everyone else keeps whining and yelling.I suppose a little "school spirit" is unavoidable but at the same time masks the real problem. I replied to the initial characterization of DF because I felt it rash so I'm guilty too. But the larger point is don't expect the general public and higher level providers to stop denigrating EMS until we stop denigrating ourselves. It's the easiest first step to respectability we could take.
Can we all agree the best paramedic school in the world is still capable of turning out poor medics just as the reverse of that is true? Getting a dream paramedic curriculum in place would be laudable but not a solid guarantee of overall improvement in care. If level of education was the only key, why are there questionable doctors, nurses, professors, etc?
So what we are really talking about is human nature. And that's a lot harder to fix. Instead we blame our schools, we blame our protocols, we blame fire for muscling into EMS, we blame everybody and everything except ourselves. And that's exactly where 100% of the blame rests.
And to insinuate because a school is situated in a "ghetto" (your word) it's second rate is what? I don't even know what that means. With good instructors and knowledge hungry students you could run a good paramedic school on any street corner sitting on milk crates . . .
Quite funny really.
daedalus
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Heres the thing, a rigorous set of entry requirements will significantly decrease the probability of a school turning out poor medics.
Lets not mince words. People spend good amounts of money to get into Daniel Freeman for Paramedic education. They spend much more than most paramedic schools in California. They should have the right to know that the school is not located in the UCLA campus in Westwood (both are very nice areas) and is instead located in Inglewood. According to recent statistics, Inglewood has a much higher violent and petty crime rate compared to Westood and most reasonable people in the greater Los Angeles area will tell you to avoid the area if you can.
Perhaps funny to you, but no one else is laughing. It is you who turns rather serious threads with good debates into a mockery of the EMS profession.
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To make a comment more on topic, I disagree (partly) with the comment about rigorous selection will stem the tied of poor providers. You may lessen it a little, but fact of the matter is academic programs use academic standards for entry, and anyone who has been out in the field for very long knows those geniuses who can recite the damn textbook by heart but fall apart completely soon as a patient shows up. Same thing happens at every level of training.
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JPINFV
Gadfly
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Can I put up the quality of my program's worst student vs your program's worst student since, apparently, prereqs don't matter?
What do you considered difficult pre-req's that are going to make a difference clinically?
I'll use medical school as it may help illustrate my point. I don't think anyone would argue that med students are some of the most academically talented students coming out of UG (on average matriculating medical school classes represent the top 1% of students nationwide). Yet even with extremely difficult screening/selection processes people enter their 3rd year at the top of their class, with extraordinary board scores and do miserably the last 2 years. Why? Because all this information your taught means nothing if you can't apply it. Rigorous pre-req's won't fix that.
See? It's funny! The rest of your response just helps illustrate that fact. Speaking of which...weren't you someone who made such a big deal about leaving...and is still posting? Also funny. :lol:
They won't to a certain extent, but then, what would you do to fix that problem? The easiest solution is to start having the students (any student in a field that interacts with pt's) interact with pt's very early so they can get used to it and become more proficient as time goes on and their knowledge increases. That won't solve the problem of having someone who is very proficient in the classroom but inefficient in applying that knowledge though; it'll just allow it to be recognized earlier, and, hopefully, get resolved.
Having pre-reqs to enter a program should still be used though; by the same token, someone can be the most amicable, nicest person out there who can interact with anyone, but if they can't understand/retain/troubleshoot what they learn, it doesn't matter.
Interesting balancing act.