Iowa State university paramedic program

[Aidey]

I asked a question about the quality of the program since the information given on the website did not offer anything different. Bigbaldguy apparently has not attended this program either. He has an opinion and is distracted by the overweight guy to which he seems to think I was attacking him personally. His fixation over that one comment out of 5 others derailed the topic of this discussion just as your comment has even after I have made an attempt to salvage it.

Your attitude towards education is probably why programs with just the minimal number of hours have become so accepted. JEMS has nothing to do with education or regulation of EMS policies. If you want to discuss this you should stop making personal attacks and do some research for a more informed discussion on these topics concerning education. Personal attacks really don't make your posts credible.

Main iac clearly listed in their post why they thought the program was awesome. Since awesome is a subjective observation they can base their opinion on anything they want to. It doesn't have to be based on whatever standards you think are acceptable.

You brought up an irrelevant point, and bigbaldguy called you on it. His opinion is that your nit-picking about the people in the photos was uncalled for and had nothing to do with the actual quality of the program. Unlike you, he never offered an opinion on the program, just an opinion on your ridiculous statement. Same as I have done.

You have no idea what my attitude towards education is, so I thank you to not make assumptions about it. I am fully aware that JEMS has nothing to do with education or regulation, but you seem to need somewhere to get on your soapbox and whine, and I think JEMS would be more a more fitting place than this forum. If you want to discuss this you should tone down the holier-than-thou attitude and stop sounding like a condescending know-it-all.

Also, this isn't a personal attack, it is a commentary on your attitude as perceived in your posts. A personal attack would be saying "JakeEMTP doesn't have a valid point because they are an obnoxious twit".

 

[firetender]

Everybody

Cool your socks please.

 

[Jon]

Jake - what experience with this school have you had? Did you attend? Have you worked with graduates? Before you slam everyone else for having an opinion, do you have any feedback about the school other than "I don't think the course is long enough" and "there's a picture of a fat guy".


Further, you allege we in EMS need to be physically fit because

The hours alone are stressful on the body. The 24 hour shifts will remain as the standard just because that is the way it has been done.

Just because we've been doing it for so long doesn't mean it's the right thing. There is a LOT of evidence that healthcare providers on long shifts make MANY more mistakes than HCP's on less taxing shifts. There is no scientifically evidence that says a 24-hour shift is MORE healthy than 2 12's - we just like them because they are convenient, and allow us to go work other jobs around it.

 

[WestMetroMedic]

My service, 300 miles to the north, has hired a handful of their graduates, and we have a contract with them for their internship and i have never heard a bad word about that program, in fact quite the opposite. They have an outstanding amount of alumni loyalty back to the program.

Everyone had their opinions on the programs that they deal with. Every program should be teaching to the standard, but the quality of the education you purchase isn't reflected strictly in numbers, it is reflected in interns coming to clinical sites able to hold their own, talk to people and be a contributing member of a crew, not just a ride along. A good program with great instructors will do that, it will teach a student the intangibles most programs do not include and make their graduates stand out from the field based on their programs reputation.

Right now, i have an intern from Fairbanks Alaska working with me for 2 months and he, like every other student they have sent us, is an excellent provider, who knows how to talk to people, and could easily get hired wherever he chooses, even though i know his heart is always in Alaska... I implicitly respect that program for that reason and it is why their graduates general get at least a first round interview at my service.

I can count off one hand and still have left over fingers, the number of medic programs that i completely respect, and Iowa is one of them.

 

[Maine iac]

Quality of the instructors is everything. One of the primary instructors has decades of ER nursing, flew as a critical care nurse, is a paramedic, and has been teaching for years (oh yeah... she wrote the Iowa CCP guidelines- one of two nationally recognized CCP curriculums). Another instructor was a critical care flight medic for decades. The other instructor has decades of teaching experience and is a quality instructor, as all the others are.

Those are just the core instructors- can you tell me how many paramedic programs have practicing PharmDs teaching pharmacology, anesthesiologists teaching airway labs, and world renown doctors lecturing on their specialties?

Their class hour limit is pretty standard for all paramedic programs and is based off of specific contacts and not hours reached. For instance if you run 24 hour shifts at a rural service and see 2pts a day you won't be finished in the 300 hr minimum.

The program is directly affiliated with UIHC, a level 1 teaching hospital, which is ranked pretty highly.

Their pass rates on the NREMT are very competitive with the best programs in the country.

While their entrance requirements might be low, you apply and interview for the program, so joe blow might not get in.

It is affiliated with the University of Iowa- you get, i think, 30 credits when you finish it and are a student for 2 or 3 semesters (depending on if you take the winter or summer class).

Fully operational SIM lab, with multiple mannequins.



JakeEMTP, why don't you put up the link to your medic program and we can compare the two.