Planning to become an EMT

kseries

kseries

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Hi Guys! I'm currently attending OCC ( SoCal ). I have couple of questions before enrolling.

Recommended program prerequisites

q Biology 221: Human Anatomy and Physiology

q Allied Health 111: Medical Terminology

q ESL completion (helpful if student is not a native English speaker)

[] EMT 100: Emergency Medical Care

Biology 221 has no prerequisites, in other words I can go straight into that class without taking any other BIO. But heres the problem... I never took BIO in high school I stopped at life science. And i've asked a couple of people who are becoming nurses and they never took BIO and they just went straight into Anatomy. Did you guys do the same? Do you guys recommend me taking Basic BIO before going into Anatomy?


Thanks,
Kevin
 
Wow you have to take Bio in Cali? Thats rediculous! (Although I did take Bio and Anatomy in HS and EMT 110 at PCC which is a First Responder class.) Come here to AZ and you can jump right into EMT 100 ;)
 
Cohn said:
Wow you have to take Bio in Cali? Thats rediculous! (Although I did take Bio and Anatomy in HS and EMT 110 at PCC which is a First Responder class.) Come here to AZ and you can jump right into EMT 100 ;)
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So I take it you are an advocate for maintaining a low standard in education for EMS Professionals? Nice... Education = Ridiculous? Someone is having the worst day of their life (at least in their mind) and feel the need to call 911... how confident they must feel knowing that the people sent to help them have a huge 120 hours of training without any medical education...

OP: Peronally I would jump right to A&P. But that is just me.
 
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In CA you do not need to take Biology to become a EMT-B. All you need to do is enroll into the EMT-B program in your area get your CPR/AED card from AHA(American Heart Associatin), get a TB test done thats six months current, An up to date immunization card. Atleast in San Diego thats what i needed. Anatomy and Physiology are pre req's for Medic school but would be benefical to you as a EMT-B. Its always a good idea to have a better understanding of the human body. It's a very interesting class and if you feeling the EMS world fits you give it a try see if you like it enough to make it a career. Good luck!
 
emtstudent04 said:
In CA you do not need to take Biology to become a EMT-B. All you need to do is enroll into the EMT-B program in your area get your CPR/AED card from AHA(American Heart Associatin), get a TB test done thats six months current, An up to date immunization card. Atleast in San Diego thats what i needed. Anatomy and Physiology are pre req's for Medic school but would be benefical to you as a EMT-B. Its always a good idea to have a better understanding of the human body. It's a very interesting class and if you feeling the EMS world fits you give it a try see if you like it enough to make it a career. Good luck!
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The state may not require it... the local EMSA may not require it... but if the school requires it than that is a good thing. Too many would-be-emts view it all form the standpoint of "how fast can I do this" rather than viewing it from the standpoint of the patient. As a patient would you want to the person coming to help you be a "graduate" of a 3 week 120 hours course or would you hope that they (despite still being a lowely EMT) spent several semesters in school learning not just a standard EMT class, but A&P, bio, chem, basic cardiology, basic psychology, pre-paramedic, and other (not-required but) educationally enlightening classes that add to a greater medical education? Kudos to schools that require other classes or mearly strongly suggest them.
 
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Mountain Res-Q said:
The state may not require it... the local EMSA may not require it... but if the school requires it than that is a good thing. Too many would-be-emts view it all form the standpoint of "how fast can I do this" rather than viewing it from the standpoint of the patient. As a patient would you want to the person coming to help you be a "graduate" of a 3 week 120 hours course or would you hope that they (despite still being a lowely EMT) spent several semesters in school learning not just a standard EMT class, but A&P, bio, chem, basic cardiology, basic psychology, pre-paramedic, and other (not-required but) educationally enlightening classes that add to a greater medical education? Kudos to schools that require other classes or mearly strongly suggest them.
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I agree learn as much as you can. You'll be a better EMT for it.
 
Wow you have to take Bio in Cali?
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You say it like it's a bad thing.

And i've asked a couple of people who are becoming nurses and they never took BIO and they just went straight into Anatomy. Did you guys do the same? Do you guys recommend me taking Basic BIO before going into Anatomy?
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From an educational standpoint, take both semesters of general biology first. Throw in general chemistry, biochemistry, pathophysiology and a physics class and a course on ethics and you've got yourself at least a basic education for the health care world.

From a practical standpoint, you probably could pass anatomy without it, but a stronger academic foundation is never a bad thing.
 
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My anatomy professor strongly encouraged the bio pre-req, as he did a bit of research and found that something like 70% of students who had not taken Gen Bio failed his anatomy class.

The nice thing about Gen Bio is it is a slow, gentle way to introduce you to college lab work, which is a whole new game to those who have yet to experience it. It is the first course of this variety that many students take in college, so instructors expect that and teach to that level, and show you the ropes. Most Anatomy/Phys instructors assume (or hope) you have this background, and don't spend time getting you acquainted with it.
 
Do you have a link to the school's website? That seems like a lot for an EMT-B class (which isn't a bad thing at all).
 
It would appear you are.
 
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