Paramedic Programs in SOCAL.

[Qulevrius]

I knew what you were implying (for those who didn't). It's just so remarkable how nothing will ever change in, and around my stomping grounds. At times it makes me sad, but only flashes in the pan...

Anyhow, I'd seen something somewhere about CARE offering some ties to an EMT program for EMT students, so that makes sense.

Maybe it's just the bitter old fogie in me who can recall as if it was yesterday the cocky brodozer-driving, giant-white-Broakley-glasses-wearing EMT who had life all figured out. None of which included anything more than chasing badge bunnies, and nowhere in that equation were the words "prehospital medicine" massaged into their brotein-guzzling minds.

Yeah, it may crank out the occasional solid paramedic-to-be, and to them I say "fight the fight", and know there are systems, jobs, and higher learning opportunities abound. Don't get swallowed in the sea of merit-badge-medicine and "cool stories".

-Mono del Vent

ROFL so true, every single word...


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[DesertMedic66]

I knew what you were implying (for those who didn't). It's just so remarkable how nothing will ever change in, and around my stomping grounds. At times it makes me sad, but only flashes in the pan...

Anyhow, I'd seen something somewhere about CARE offering some ties to an EMT program for EMT students, so that makes sense.

Maybe it's just the bitter old fogie in me who can recall as if it was yesterday the cocky brodozer-driving, giant-white-Broakley-glasses-wearing EMT who had life all figured out. None of which included anything more than chasing badge bunnies, and nowhere in that equation were the words "prehospital medicine" massaged into their brotein-guzzling minds.

Yeah, it may crank out the occasional solid paramedic-to-be, and to them I say "fight the fight", and know there are systems, jobs, and higher learning opportunities abound. Don't get swallowed in the sea of merit-badge-medicine and "cool stories".

-Mono del Vent

If you're going to call me out I'd much rather you did it in private....

 

[CALEMT]

None of which included anything more than chasing badge bunnies, and nowhere in that equation were the words "prehospital medicine" massaged into their brotein-guzzling minds.

Bro...

 

[VentMonkey]

I just actually read this post, so let's see here...

I thought the UCLA program was great. I went to it last year as a private (non-Fire) student, so most of the instructors I had are probably still there. The lead instructor is a former ground and flight paramedic from Illinois.

Pretty sure he also does some of their refresher stuff as well. A very smart guy for sure. That said, I paid good money to take this refresher twice only to hear the same war story ver batum from him.

I think I will stick to seeking out forward thinking critical care CME's from here on out. A room full of nozzles asking Jems-style questions, no thanks.

I had busy internship shifts, treated a lot of critical patients. Got tubes, ROSC, got to pace and needle-T, treated anaphylaxis, breathers, overdoses, suicides, homicides, hypoglycemia, strokes, STEMI, seizures, sepsis, MVAs, pedestrians struck, auto vs. bicyclists thrown, GSWs and stabbings. My clinical rotations started on time and there were ample shifts available to schedule as it was practical to me. I got to rotate through busy emergency rooms and every kind of specialty center, got paired up with cool anesthesiologists in my OR rotations who actually let me intubate - it blows my mind when some people say they only get to observe in the OR.

Good on you? Many paramedics on here have had the same either during internships, in the field as paramedics, or both. How does this set Freeman apart? It doesn't. How will this make you a better paramedic if you go to, say, Idaho? a year later and hardly see any inner-city violence? It doesn't. Unnimpressed; moving on.

I don't doubt that some good paramedics come out of their program, but I am with @CALEMT. A medic school is a medic school. Put two paramedics from the same program in the field a year later- one with stellar work ethic, and one who just made it to get their card for some other gig. You tell me who the strongest clinician of the two will most likely be?

UCLA is full of themselves as a program plain, and simple. If you want a "challenging" paramedic program in LA County go to Mt. Sac.

 

[Tony Maximilian]

Apart from it being difficult to get into as well as academically rigorous, what legitimate, specific complaints to people have about the Mt SAC program??

 

[gonefishing]

Apart from it being difficult to get into as well as academically rigorous, what legitimate, specific complaints to people have about the Mt SAC program??

The Mt Sac program actually has changed from what it once was. Word was their were some academic issues of some sorts.

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[VentMonkey]

The Mt Sac program actually has changed from what it once was. Word was their were some academic issues of some sorts.

Elaborate without the heresay.

Apart from it being difficult to get into as well as academically rigorous, what legitimate, specific complaints to people have about the Mt SAC program??

Those were them. The attrition mainly. I gave it a stab in '05? but DOR-d because my med-math sucked arse. Now, as far as what it once was, @gonefishing is right there. There has been some changing of the guards.

The course director/ lead instructor is no longer in charge of it, nor is another stern primary instructor who was a brilliant nurse, and just all around sharp lady. Together they made for a somewhat intimidating cadre.

They're actually not hard to get into, as they don't (didn't) require you show your desire to be an FFPM. They sought out those interested in self-dedicated style learning, and prided themselves on having their students reach their paramedic preceptors with a "ya' made it this far" gleam.

They have/ had a wall of past graduating classes at the very back of the room with typically anywhere from 5-10 people. People would go there for the "Mt. Sac challenge", that is, bragging rights to say that you went there.

As far as why they used to complain about it: they did not hold anyone's hand, it wasn't PTI's death by block PowerPoint for the worlds shortest didactic. And they did not pompously brag about their rich history while even then charging an-arm-and-a-leg for a branding "affiliation" with a prestigious university that's home to the Wizard of Westwood.

They were (I still hope are) a no frills, bust your hump junior college condensed paramedic program. Many of their students are still respected out in the field. They challenged you to challenge yourself, and I honestly regret not reapplying like I had initially intended to.

Put it this way: fire departments still won't pay to put their guys through the Mt. Sac ringer. A lot of the dialed in FD guys in SoCal went there...themselves...before landing getting on with a department.

It used to be an auditorium full of people for a precourse, then they'd select the top 20-30 who'd scored the highest overall. You got your uniforms--which were cool because all they wanted you to wear was a t-shirt, blue uniform pants, and comfortable sneakers for didactic. You got different uniforms, and wore boots for clinicals/ field internship--then were given a date, your books, and began a fast-paced odyssey of in-depth paramedic learning.

Again, this was well over 10 years ago and I don't know how much has changed since. Lol, most people from the other two SoCal paramedic programs would cackle about Mt. Sac students being "book smart only". I found this amusing as I don't know what other kind of "smart" one should be after actually learning from, well, paramedic books.

Every Mt. Sac medic I know is, or was dialed in. Again, self-motivation, that was huge there.

 

[Tony Maximilian]

Elaborate without the heresay.

Those were them. The attrition mainly. I gave it a stab in '05? but DOR-d because my med-math sucked arse. Now, as far as what it once was, @gonefishing is right there. There has been some changing of the guards.

The course director/ lead instructor is no longer in charge of it, nor is another stern primary instructor who was a brilliant nurse, and just all around sharp lady. Together they made for a somewhat intimidating cadre.

They're actually not hard to get into, as they don't (didn't) require you show your desire to be an FFPM. They sought out those interested in self-dedicated style learning, and prided themselves on having their students reach their paramedic preceptors with a "ya' made it this far" gleam.

They have/ had a wall of past graduating classes at the very back of the room with typically anywhere from 5-10 people. People would go there for the "Mt. Sac challenge", that is, bragging rights to say that you went there.

As far as why they used to complain about it: they did not hold anyone's hand, it wasn't PTI's death by block PowerPoint for the worlds shortest didactic. And they did not pompously brag about their rich history while even then charging an-arm-and-a-leg for a branding "affiliation" with a prestigious university that's home to the Wizard of Westwood.

They were (I still hope are) a no frills, bust your hump junior college condensed paramedic program. Many of their students are still respected out in the field. They challenged you to challenge yourself, and I honestly regret not reapplying like I had initially intended to.

Put it this way: fire departments still won't pay to put their guys through the Mt. Sac ringer. A lot of the dialed in FD guys in SoCal went there...themselves...before landing getting on with a department.

It used to be an auditorium full of people for a precourse, then they'd select the top 20-30 who'd scored the highest overall. You got your uniforms--which were cool because all they wanted you to wear was a t-shirt, blue uniform pants, and comfortable sneakers for didactic. You got different uniforms, and wore boots for clinicals/ field internship--then were given a date, your books, and began a fast-paced odyssey of in-depth paramedic learning.

Again, this was well over 10 years ago and I don't know how much has changed since. Lol, most people from the other two SoCal paramedic programs would cackle about Mt. Sac students being "book smart only". I found this amusing as I don't know what other kind of "smart" one should be after actually learning from, well, paramedic books.

Every Mt. Sac medic I know is, or was dialed in. Again, self-motivation, that was huge there.

Thanks for sharing your experience and insight! Tremendously helpful. This is the program I very much have my eye on for 2018. Mind if I pick your brain a bit more later down the line?

 

[Jim37F]

If I wasn't being picked up by an out of state BLS dept, I'd totally be applying for Mt SAC right now. Even so, I'm still kind of kicking myself for having not tried to get in a lot sooner.

 

[VentMonkey]

Mind if I pick your brain a bit more later down the line?

Not at all.

 

[CALEMT]

med-math sucked arse

Hated med math.

 

[Qulevrius]

My hopes are that, somewhere down the line, one of the good medic schools in CA will be approved for a RN-medic bridge so I won't have to go to AL.


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[DesertMedic66]

My hopes are that, somewhere down the line, one of the good medic schools in CA will be approved for a RN-medic bridge so I won't have to go to AL.


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I don't see that happening anytime soon. I don't know any nurses who want to be medics. With better working conditions, better benefits, and starting pay in the $90,000 why would one want to go medic? The ones who do want to go in the field will usually do HEMS where (at least in my area) they can do everything I can as a medic and more.

I could see a college doing a medic to RN bridge because there are a decent amount of medics in nursing school.

 

[Qulevrius]

I don't see that happening anytime soon. I don't know any nurses who want to be medics. With better working conditions, better benefits, and starting pay in the $90,000 why would one want to go medic? The ones who do want to go in the field will usually do HEMS where (at least in my area) they can do everything I can as a medic and more.

I could see a college doing a medic to RN bridge because there are a decent amount of medics in nursing school.

It's about having simultaneous experience in both fields. HEMS universally requires at least 2-3 years of clinical experience, so having a F/T floor job and a P/T medic gig will go a long way with learning. Plus, it'll look very juicy on the resume.


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[VentMonkey]

I don't see that happening anytime soon. I don't know any nurses who want to be medics. With better working conditions, better benefits, and starting pay in the $90,000 why would one want to go medic? The ones who do want to go in the field will usually do HEMS where (at least in my area) they can do everything I can as a medic and more.

It's about having simultaneous experience in both fields. HEMS universally requires at least 2-3 years of clinical experience, so having a F/T floor job and a P/T medic gig will go a long way with learning. Plus, it'll look very juicy on the resume.

Speaking from firsthand knowledge- going the "traditional" medic route without proper channels, a degree, and/ or no augmented licensing (i.e., nursing degree) is not fun.

Fighting tooth and nail for nearly a decade was by no means the easiest way, and is all but going the way of the dinosaur. I could have been had my RN by now and back, but have no affinity for nursing, so there is that.

 

[DesertMedic66]

It's about having simultaneous experience in both fields. HEMS universally requires at least 2-3 years of clinical experience, so having a F/T floor job and a P/T medic gig will go a long way with learning. Plus, it'll look very juicy on the resume.


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Or you could do what HEMS providers actually want and get a minimum of 3 years full time experience in the ED or ICU. I do not know of any nurses who got into HEMS who work full time on the floor. To me that would set off many red flags.

 

[VentMonkey]

Or you could do what HEMS providers actually want and get a minimum of 3 years full time experience in the ED or ICU. I do not know of any nurses who got into HEMS who work full time on the floor. To me that would set off many red flags.

Correct you are. Many are looking for a "new challenge" or, "change of pace".

 

[Qulevrius]

Or you could do what HEMS providers actually want and get a minimum of 3 years full time experience in the ED or ICU. I do not know of any nurses who got into HEMS who work full time on the floor. To me that would set off many red flags.

I'd be very lucky to land my 1st nursing gig in ICU or ED. If that happens, I agree with you that having a P-card is redundant. But if it doesn't, I'll have to try and fight for a spot, and that's where the P-card might come in handy.


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[DesertMedic66]

I'd be very lucky to land my 1st nursing gig in ICU or ED. If that happens, I agree with you that having a P-card is redundant. But if it doesn't, I'll have to try and fight for a spot, and that's where the P-card might come in handy.


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Is your area not hurting for nursing staff? My girlfriend got picked up as an ICU nurse as a new grad with her BSN. One of our local ICUs is still hiring nurses without a BSN and with no prior experience.

 

[Qulevrius]

Is your area not hurting for nursing staff? My girlfriend got picked up as an ICU nurse as a new grad with her BSN. One of our local ICUs is still hiring nurses without a BSN and with no prior experience.

LACo. I have both my significant other and my mother working as ICU/PICU nurses in 2 different hospitals in LACo, and painting a pretty gloomy picture.

You're in Riverside, correct ?


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