Anybody know of a class that bridges FR to EMT-B? I am an experienced first responder with a tight schedule and would love to upgrade. Is it easier to upgrade to a wilderness first responder and then bridge to a wilderness emt? I heard there is a class for this. Any suggestions appreciated!
Anybody know of a class that bridges FR to EMT-B? I am an experienced first responder with a tight schedule and would love to upgrade. Is it easier to upgrade to a wilderness first responder and then bridge to a wilderness emt? I heard there is a class for this. Any suggestions appreciated!
While some places will do a completer most find the few hours difference that it is just better to do a complete EMT class unless an area has a ton of first responders in an area trying to move up. You only save maybe 40 hours of the total 120 hours if you do a completer so not really saving any time.
You really are best off taking a full EMT class. In your CFR class, you just sratched the surface of some topics-- which the EMT class will provide more detail on-- as well as entering into more areas... EMT classes really aren't that long.... and I really think you will learn a lot.
I started as a First Responder, then EMT-Basic, then EMT-Intermediate Tech, and now EMT-P this Fall.
The First Responder was a crash course and basically a glorified first-aid class.
The EMT-Basic class expands a little more and gives a little insight as to WHY you are doing certain interventions. In my state the EMT-B class is 144 classroom hours and a few hours in an ER or an ambulance. It is definitely worth going through an entire EMT-B class.
THe syllabus for my class has an itemized list of every topic we cover and what classes you can skip if you already have a certification. Medical Responders can skip about 13 of the 44 topics, but since many of those topics were covered alongside others, a MR taking my class probably wouldn't be able to skip more than a day. It also allows RTs and RNs to get off a little easy. The only people who get to skip significant amounts of the class are those taking it as a refresher. It's only about 60hours for them.
Keep in mind you will have to pass the NREMT exam to get your EMT cert. So skipping out on some things, even if it can be done, probably isnt wise, since EMT's are expected to KNOW a whole lot more than MFR's, even if they arent necessarily allowed to DO a whole lot more.
5 days a week, 8 hours a day, and absolutely no time to do all of the readings between lessons. You would have to committed and an information sponge. My 2 month class was fairly intense.
The "bridge program" is becoming more and more popular and is starting to show up now in Pennsylvania along with the updated EMS classifications. I know for certain that you can currently take an EMR/FR to EMT-B Bridge in Rural-PA but this is only in certain areas where EMS-folk are hard to come by and it is a way to attract more people into the fold. We will be having at least one location in the Philadelphia-Metro area giving the class late 2010, early 2011.
As for out of state specific questions, it is best that you call your State/Regional EMS office and they should be able to answer this question for you on the fly.
Im probably echoing everyone elses response, but ya in Wa State there is no bridge, its taking the EMT class itself. but I will add that as a former FR that took the EMT class, it is well worth it to do it as FR, then move into EMT. The FR course gave you the basics and then the EMT class goes into those basics deeper from the begining. You need to have the deeper understanding.
I did one of the fast-track classes when I got my Wilderness First Responder cert. Seven days (spring break) and an 80 hour course. It was fun, but exhausting. Doing that pace (between 8 and 15 hours per day) isn't really sustainable over a longer period of time and I took the time to read all / memorize much of the material before the class started.
A week was doable - but I had to take a week off work. For the 130 to 170 hours that EMT-B needs, I don't know if I'd want that. Currently scheduled for the standard 2 day a week 4 month class (if they stop pushing the start date back) - that way I can still work full time.
Oh, thinking about it now - it might not be as bad for EMT-B since a lot of our practical stuff (which we did every day) consisted of hiking between one and five miles, in full kit (backpacks between 30 and 80 pounds) and then littering our patients (3 of them once and there were 8 students - 5 miles that time) all the way out of the woods - up hill for about a 1/2 mile stretch ^_^. EMT-B can rely on the ambulance being there, so physical exhaustion probably isn't an issue.
I agree that there is a definite advantage of taking the full EMT-B course and even continuing after that with specialized certifications such as PHTLS, AMLS, ALS for EMT-B's/ACLS, etc. The problem that I am finding is that we are not talking about that many hours even with the full EMT-B course. As a department, our unit requires a lot of training, I believe that PA First Responders have an obligation of 16 continuing education hours and EMT-B's, 24 hours every 3 years respectively. I personally feel that this is inadequate at best and that it is the departments responsibility to ensure that there is continuing education and advanced training in place. We strive to do 8 to 16 hours a quarter for BLS units. we also have planned ALS for EMT's and an AMLS class in the works. This will determine the level of care, not a 40 or even 140+ hour course. It is each of our responsibilities to attain the most amount of training that is within our reach (and it is out there) as lives our in our hands. One other point is that a lot of core skills in BLS are "mechanical" skills and that without consistent practice one will lose the ability to quickly and accurately do those skills.
One more thing... It is also the course providers responsibility to ensure that a course will prepare the student for real-world scenarios. We use a 100-hour course for our emergency medical responders that even includes a 16 hour EVOC with a driving test. Every portion is tested and one will not pass unless they do all of the tasks. I can see a tech school or college doing a 40 or 60 hour class but a rescue squad needs to have such a program in place, especially for first responders because if not trained up to par, will they be able to function in the field as the initial unit?
