Giobobo1
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What are some good Medic schools to go to in the Bay Area?
Medic Schools - Bay Area
- Thread starter Giobobo1
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Foothill Community College in Los Altos, Santa Rosa Community College, San Francisco City College. I was impressed with the students from Santa Rosa during my clinicals.
Las Positas Community College in Livermore sounds like it's gonna be a good program too, but it's new, and it's kinda all over the place right now.
I personally went to Westmed College. I think they are trying to Improve their reputation. They discontinued studying home medications. They utterly failed at teaching 12 - lead interpretation in my opinion. A lot of local paramedics try to help in the program, I consider them wanna-be-EMS-2.0-medics. So they say a lot of things that we would consider good (eg oxygen is bad), but then they'll twist it and do bad in my opinion. An example is in one my scenarios, the paramedic did excellent painting hyperkalemia to me: Sine wave on ECG, SNF somehow did labs and said potassium was 6.9 when I arrived on scene in the scenario. I wanted to push calcium chloride, but he wanted me to push epinephrine. He then proceeded to wanting to have me transport the patient while chest compressions were being done. What horrified me was he told me this was a real call he had, but he told me the patient got ROSC.
In another scenario, the medic told me push amiodarone rapidly for VT with a pulse (not over 10 minutes like what was being taught in class) and wanted me to open dopamine wide open, titrate to effect. "Don't got time for that.... Welcome to street medicine!"
Not gonna hate from Westmed though. I think they all are equally bad somehow (unless it's Santa Rosa). Wasn't personally too impressed with Foothill students, but Foothill has an excellent reputation.
Las Positas Community College in Livermore sounds like it's gonna be a good program too, but it's new, and it's kinda all over the place right now.
I personally went to Westmed College. I think they are trying to Improve their reputation. They discontinued studying home medications. They utterly failed at teaching 12 - lead interpretation in my opinion. A lot of local paramedics try to help in the program, I consider them wanna-be-EMS-2.0-medics. So they say a lot of things that we would consider good (eg oxygen is bad), but then they'll twist it and do bad in my opinion. An example is in one my scenarios, the paramedic did excellent painting hyperkalemia to me: Sine wave on ECG, SNF somehow did labs and said potassium was 6.9 when I arrived on scene in the scenario. I wanted to push calcium chloride, but he wanted me to push epinephrine. He then proceeded to wanting to have me transport the patient while chest compressions were being done. What horrified me was he told me this was a real call he had, but he told me the patient got ROSC.
In another scenario, the medic told me push amiodarone rapidly for VT with a pulse (not over 10 minutes like what was being taught in class) and wanted me to open dopamine wide open, titrate to effect. "Don't got time for that.... Welcome to street medicine!"
Not gonna hate from Westmed though. I think they all are equally bad somehow (unless it's Santa Rosa). Wasn't personally too impressed with Foothill students, but Foothill has an excellent reputation.
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WestMed has been trying to improve their reputation for the better part of 10 years. They didn't exactly have a stellar reputation with their first couple of classes, and it looks like they haven't improved much. If you expand your search to include the central coast area, you might also want to consider UEI College. They used to be known as "Emergency Training Services" and they certainly used to have a fantastic reputation. I don't know how they're doing since being acquired by UEI. They do exceed the minimum clock hours by at least a couple hundred hours though.
TheLocalMedic
Grumpy Badger
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NCTI students have not impressed me much. Santa Rosa has a pretty good program, and Napa is new on the scene and seems to be producing some pretty good students.
Haha, not surprising. Oh well, they always say it. XD
IloveLamp
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Come out to Sacramento!
California Regional Fire Academy
Wonderful experience with my EMT course.
California Regional Fire Academy
Wonderful experience with my EMT course.
DrankTheKoolaid
Forum Deputy Chief
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You can also travel a little further up north to AST Paramedic Program which is Friday afternoon / evening and Saturday morning and afternoon in Willows. Most students group together and secure and split a motel room for the duration of the course and just stay the night.
If your a firefighter you'll feel right at home, the classes are typically 85/90% firefighters
If your a firefighter you'll feel right at home, the classes are typically 85/90% firefighters
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Angel
Paramedic
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crfa students aren't getting internships, they don't have contracts with any of the agencies in sac.
gotbeerz001
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I went to City College in SF. Excellent program but it is in jeopardy due to the college being embroiled in an accreditation fight. The medic program is independently accredited but cannot exist apart from the main school. Internships are generally contracted through SFFD. I would suggest taking the EMTP 120 (A/P) course this semester. It will be more comprehensive than most pre-medic A/P courses but keep the level of instruction at the paramedic scope.
Santa Rosa Junior College is a good program.
American Health Education is a good private school. I would go there before I go to NCTI.
Outside the Bay Area, Sac State has a good program as well.
Here is a link to the first-time pass rates for the NREMT-P written exam sorted by respective programs emsa.ca.gov/Media/Default/PDF/NREMT_Results-2013_Final.pdf
^^^ You'll have to cut/paste the link and maybe add a "www" to the front. My low post totals forbid me from linking anything.
Santa Rosa Junior College is a good program.
American Health Education is a good private school. I would go there before I go to NCTI.
Outside the Bay Area, Sac State has a good program as well.
Here is a link to the first-time pass rates for the NREMT-P written exam sorted by respective programs emsa.ca.gov/Media/Default/PDF/NREMT_Results-2013_Final.pdf
^^^ You'll have to cut/paste the link and maybe add a "www" to the front. My low post totals forbid me from linking anything.
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