PPCC or Denver Medic program?

[Taylorrae33]

Hey all,
I'm a CO native but out of state for school. My school just recently discontinued its Paramedic program (so pissed still) and now I'm looking into other programs. I'm leaning towards going back to Colorado. I haven't heard much about the program at PPCC in Colorado Springs except for when I was back in high school, it wasn't great. Just wondering if anyone has any input on PPCC or any of the programs in Denver, I'm ultimately wanting to go onto Flight Medic so high call volume experience would be good. Thanks!

 

[COmedic17]

I don't know much about PPCC or anything else near the springs. I'd ask @Tigger

Denver health is an aggressive program, but difficult to get into unless you did some EMT there or have a rapport from many ride alongs, etc. they get many applicants and class size aren't large. I get students from AIMS, Front range, Redrocks CC and sometimes St A's.

Any of the "teaching hospital" programs ( Denver health, St A's) are going to be more aggressive, more expensive, and much more competitive to get into. They will favor applicants who are currently working as EMT's in Colorado.

As far as the other schools, front range students seem to be more proficient and confident then red rocks. AIMS is good too but I don't have as many students from there so it's hard to tell much..I can't speak from personal experience though as I didn't go to EMT or Paramedic school in Colorado.

Red rocks has this program where you can do a "paramedic prep" program which takes the place of experience so they are automatically accepted into paramedic school without needing EMT experience to apply. These students seem to ride the struggle bus a bit more then the other schools due to having no actual working EMT experience which is required for the other programs. I wouldn't recommend that route just from my experiences with those students.

 

[Tigger]

There are three well-known programs in Denver, Health One/Swedish, Denver Health, and St. Anthony's. All are affiliated with a community college so you will get college credit. Some of the other community college's have paramedic prep programs as alluded to above, that is not something that exists yet in the Springs.

There is apparently a program at Aurora Community College, I had no idea.

I recently completed the PPCC program and thought it was awesome. I got my BA a few years ago and the coursework was as well done and challenging as that was. The program coordinator has an actual education master's, and it shows. They have a really good NREMT success rate as well. AMR Springs is plenty busy for internship and there's options to go to slower places with longer transport times as well. Class size is 20 and we were full this year, but that is not normal apparently.

 

[Summit]

There are three well-known programs in Denver, Health One/Swedish, Denver Health, and St. Anthony's. All are affiliated with a community college so you will get college credit. Some of the other community college's have paramedic prep programs as alluded to above, that is not something that exists yet in the Springs.

There is apparently a program at Aurora Community College, I had no idea.

CCA has the most impressive simulation environment I have ever seen they literally every created an entire Street and houses for EMS simulation

 

[Tigger]

CCA has the most impressive simulation environment I have ever seen they literally every created an entire Street and houses for EMS simulation

Damn. We had a two bedroom apartment with a super legit sim mankin that was purchased this year. I actually got a fair amount out of the sim lab stuff.

 

[captaindepth]

If you truly want a high call volume experience than do everything you can to get into Denver Health's P-school. They offer both a year long program (didactic portion is 3 nights a week for 9 months with your internship being the final 3 months) and 6 month accelerated program (didactic portion is 8a-5p 5 days a week for 3 months and internship the second 3 months). Denver Health is a busy system and last year we ran 118,000 calls. Obviously there is a lot of inner/big city BS we run but in reality that is great stuff for paramedic students to learn on and practice assessments. Denver Health is also a Level 1 trauma center so no matter what (weather on your rides or in your clinicals at the hospital) you will see the "big/exciting" calls, i.e. Shootings, stabbings, MVAs, as well as good medical calls like cardiac arrests and really really sick patients. If you want to work at Denver Health as a new paramedic then going through their P-school is the best if not the only way to get in the door.