Paramedic programs in LA County

Move, or become a nurse.
 
Well to start with the college that I went to was only $4,100 for medic school from the first class until my state license came in the mail.

There are some departments that will pay for your medic school.

You can also try for federal student aid, BOG waivers, scholarships, and as a last resort student loans.

Aside from that you could always try to move and or commute to a different area. For my medic class we had a guy driving 82 miles one way.
 
Yeah, find a cheaper option than UCLA....which is pretty much every other paramedic program within driving distance lol
 
@DesertMedic66 Talk to me about where you went, your experience, and what to expect. What did you like about the program? What didn't you like about the program. How far was your commute? Did you work while in class?

@Jim37F combing through this site you seem to be very knowlegeable within the LA community-- Do you know of anyone that has been to other places and if so what were there experiences like?.


All info is appreciated, guys. I just looking to learn.
 
EMSGhost2 said:
@DesertMedic66 Talk to me about where you went, your experience, and what to expect. What did you like about the program? What didn't you like about the program. How far was your commute? Did you work while in class?

@Jim37F combing through this site you seem to be very knowlegeable within the LA community-- Do you know of anyone that has been to other places and if so what were there experiences like?.


All info is appreciated, guys. I just looking to learn.
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I went to Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa. I do have a bias as I took my EMT class there, general education classes, and currently teach there. It’s a 10-12 month program depending on if you take the full time or part time class. Part time meets 3 days a week from 0900-1800 and full time meets 4 days a week.

My total cost from start until I started working in the field as a medic was $4,100 not including personal expenses.

The program has changed a lot as some of the instructors I had while in the program were promoted to higher up positions in the college.

The program does not cater to any one service. If you do not pass the entrance test then you will not be accepted. If you are a firefighter or dad is a fire captain that will have zero effect on if you get into the program.

The primary staff have either a masters or bachelors with one who has an associates. The skills staff is a mix of firefighter medics, single role medics, private medics, and flight medics. The college also offers an AS in EMS so you can easily get a degree from it.

They also require more clinical shifts and field shifts than a lot of other programs.

As far as downsides, right now it sounds like the students are having trouble with one of the new instructors that was brought in from a different college. It sounds like they are in the process of solving that issue.
 
DesertMedic66 said:
Part time meets 3 days a week from 0900-1800 and full time meets 4 days a week.
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No longer the case. You meet 3 days a week up until the final month and a half from finals in didactic where you meet 4 days a week. It's the same across the board wether you're in spring semester or fall semester.

In my opinion UCLA is overrated and there are other programs that are just as good if not better than UCLA in the LACo area. Mt. San Antonio being one of those.

Like Desertmedic66 I also went to Crafton Hills College for paramedic, not EMT though so I'm not as biased. His estimate of $4,100 is pretty damn close off the top of my head. All in all I was probably close or at ~5,000 with personal expenses included... gas being on of them as I commuted ~70 miles to the campus.

I think I did 25 clinical shifts? If not it sure as hell seemed like 25... Field internship I did the standard 25 shifts for crafton. CA only requires 20 but CHC likes to exceed the requirements for clinical and field.

Downside like my pal Desertmedic said is one of the instructors that was recently hired on. But from talking to friends in the current class, it sounds like they're actively trying to resolve this issue before the next class starts.
 
In the end all of the programs teach the same material, some just do it better than others. I went to UCLA back in 2008 after the previous program director had just left. I'd gone a few years earlier but failed the field internship and had to start over again after I got some 911 experience which made me realize exactly what I did wrong the first time. I don't know how it is now but the program was better the first time and the second time it didn't seem to be as good. There were some good instructors but the program director was getting her legs under her and trying to revamp the program as we were going through it which made it difficult for some of the students. It used to be that UCLA Daniel Freeman paramedic program was pretty well known outside of LA County since it was one of the first programs. Nowadays most people don't really care what medic school you went to, it's all on how well you can actually do the job. The other programs in LA county aren't as well know outside the local area, but that doesn't really seem to matter much anymore as it's not a big deal with what paramedic school you went to. Go to whichever one you can afford and you get into. Long term it won't make a difference unless you go to one of the smaller programs that doesn't have a good NREMT-P exam pass rate.
 
Crafton seems like a great choice, but it's just too far of a commute for me. UCLA is too expensive and seems like if you're not being put there by LAFD then you're going to have to take a backseat to anyone who is; as well as the cost for the program is a little offensive.

Has anyone been through or know anyone that had been through the Mt SAC program?
Or the PTI Program out of Santa Fe Springs?
 
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Unless PTI has changed since I've been working in LA County which has been about six years now, I'd avoid it. It had a reputation for teaching to LA County paramedic standards and lots of the students having problems with passing national registry.
 
Mission Viejo is technically under an hour away from Long Beach.
 
Gonna get weird and suggest Bakersfield College or Victor Valley
 
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EMSGhost2 said:
I'm trying to get my head around going to paramedic school here in LA County, but the cost of living in outrageous! I live here in Long Beach and just started my EMT job looking into the future for paramedic classes, but i'm trying to find a way for the financing with schooling as well as living. Realistically, you're looking at eight to nine month program wherever you decide to go - right(?). While you're in class what happens to the rest of your expenses? I guess my question to anyone who's willing to shed some light on my problem is -- How did you afford life while in school? UCLA's program is - lets call it $13k (classes and national testing). That's 13k plus, I don't know $1,400 for rent and amenities (x 10 weeks = , transportation ($350), weekly necessities ($100). == Almost $40k! My lord...

How did you guys financially get through 10-12 months (adding a couple extra months for cushion) while in paramedic school? Unfortunately, i'll do whatever it takes, but i'm having a tough time compartmentalizing over here.

HELP!
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Save a ton of money beforehand... Get roommates... find a cheaper place to live... Apply for scholarships/financial aid... still work per diem or part time while in medic school...

There are ways to reduce the total cost. I would recommend going for a community college program if possible since it's the cheapest option and you may qualify for financial aid. I'm going to be attending a community college paramedic program soon where the tuition is completely covered by the BOG waiver (still have to pay for books and materials, but at least 40 units of tuition is covered).
 
Texas has cheaper medic schools too.
 
marian said:
there's the time hold-up. the 5 or so people I know who have gone through NCTI have had to wait months to get placed for clinicals and ambulance time.
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They have made some changes to their preceptor policy that has improved the wait time so now it seems like it is 1-2 months max. They are now allowing students to do their preceptor time at their own AMR division (if they work for AMR). I’m not the biggest fan of that idea but I guess whatever works.
 
So our new medics are starting at around $20 an hour
 
Are there any paramedic programs in/around la county that don’t require 911 experience as a basic to apply? I’m also wondering if UCLA’s program requires 911 experience to apply
 
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EmergencyMedicalSike said:
Are there any paramedic programs in/around la county that don’t require 911 experience as a basic to apply? I’m also wondering if UCLA’s program requires 911 experience to apply
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UCLA used to not have it required when I went there, but it's strongly encouraged.
 
CALEMT said:
No longer the case. You meet 3 days a week up until the final month and a half from finals in didactic where you meet 4 days a week. It's the same across the board wether you're in spring semester or fall semester.

In my opinion UCLA is overrated and there are other programs that are just as good if not better than UCLA in the LACo area. Mt. San Antonio being one of those.

Like Desertmedic66 I also went to Crafton Hills College for paramedic, not EMT though so I'm not as biased. His estimate of $4,100 is pretty damn close off the top of my head. All in all I was probably close or at ~5,000 with personal expenses included... gas being on of them as I commuted ~70 miles to the campus.

I think I did 25 clinical shifts? If not it sure as hell seemed like 25... Field internship I did the standard 25 shifts for crafton. CA only requires 20 but CHC likes to exceed the requirements for clinical and field.

Downside like my pal Desertmedic said is one of the instructors that was recently hired on. But from talking to friends in the current class, it sounds like they're actively trying to resolve this issue before the next class starts.
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@CALEMT and @DesertMedic66 I have been trying to do research on which medic school I should attend. I have been looking at Crafton Hills, Moreno Valley College (Ben Clark Training Center), and Mt. SAC. I need a good school that teaches a lot of hands on, visual. I have a learning disability that is difficult to learn by just lectures. Traditional college classes (Professor stands up and just talks and you take notes and then test) does not work for me. I'm attending Ben Clark for my EMT class currently. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
 
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