Im planning to enroll in the sac state paramedic program starting fall semester. I had questions concerning how experienced most of the students are within the course. How many people applied to get into the program, and the level of difficulty of the entrance exam with example questions if possible. Any additional information is appreciated.
sac state paramedic program questions
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Aidey
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Some sort of clue as to what "sac" stands for and what state it is in would probably help.
bstone
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Aidey
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According to google it is probably Sacramento State, but who knows since the OP hasn't enlightened us.
Ewok Jerky
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From what I hear you will wait about 9 months for a preceptor. Unless you want to ride with city or metro.
cranialnerve
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I know a person that is actually a current Medic Student in California State University Sacramento's Paramedic Program.
Roughly, 35% of the Medic Students already have degrees and the rest have significant to minimal college courses under their belts.
You are required to have at least 6 months of active EMT work experience, or 1 year of past EMT experience.
I'm not sure how many applied to the program but 60 perspective students meet the required prerequsites and passed the Paramedic Enterance Exam allowing them to go through the interveiw process.
The Paramedic Enterance Exam is very similar to the NREMT-B exam. Study as you would for that test.
It is very difficult to get accepted into thier Paramedic School on your first attempt. Don't let that stop you as roughly 25% of those 60 will get accepted on their 2nd try for sure.
Of course, the more you have in you favor, the better your chances. For example: A College Degree, High Enterance Exam Scores, More work experience than the minimum required, A great interview suggesting you are committed, driven, have exceeded the prerequsites, and are professional.
If you are not already aware, this University plans to make their Paramedic School the first in California to offer a Bachelors of Science degree in Paramedicine. The talk as of last January was that it is only a couple years away from taking place. Another words, their BS program prepares you for the NREMT-P upon graduation. This is different from all other current EMS degress in California.
Roughly, 35% of the Medic Students already have degrees and the rest have significant to minimal college courses under their belts.
You are required to have at least 6 months of active EMT work experience, or 1 year of past EMT experience.
I'm not sure how many applied to the program but 60 perspective students meet the required prerequsites and passed the Paramedic Enterance Exam allowing them to go through the interveiw process.
The Paramedic Enterance Exam is very similar to the NREMT-B exam. Study as you would for that test.
It is very difficult to get accepted into thier Paramedic School on your first attempt. Don't let that stop you as roughly 25% of those 60 will get accepted on their 2nd try for sure.
Of course, the more you have in you favor, the better your chances. For example: A College Degree, High Enterance Exam Scores, More work experience than the minimum required, A great interview suggesting you are committed, driven, have exceeded the prerequsites, and are professional.
If you are not already aware, this University plans to make their Paramedic School the first in California to offer a Bachelors of Science degree in Paramedicine. The talk as of last January was that it is only a couple years away from taking place. Another words, their BS program prepares you for the NREMT-P upon graduation. This is different from all other current EMS degress in California.
Angel
Paramedic
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why not just go to ARC?
thank you for the information cranial nerve. How is sac state about getting their students through the program on time? I know other companies are having a bit of trouble connecting students with preceptors. I wasnt aware that they are going to be offering a bachelors program for paramedicine soon, I could always use another one.
As far as going to ARC for their paramedic program, i would do that as well, but im lacking some perquisites. If i do not make the cut for sac states, then i will have my perquisites completed and ready to apply for ARC next year. I hear ARC is rather difficult to get in as well due to many of the slots being taken by local fire department employees.
As far as going to ARC for their paramedic program, i would do that as well, but im lacking some perquisites. If i do not make the cut for sac states, then i will have my perquisites completed and ready to apply for ARC next year. I hear ARC is rather difficult to get in as well due to many of the slots being taken by local fire department employees.
UPDATE on the Sacramento State Paramedic Program. I attended and have finished the program but I would HIGHLY discourage people to attend there.
I heard things use to be ran very well, recently they made a lot of faculty changes and things have went down hill. They are extremely unorganized and unprofessional. After the Didactic portion is completed, you will have absolutely no help or assistance in completing clinicals and being placed in an internship, if you do not contact them and tell them what they need to do, nothing will ever get done and you will be forgotten about, especially since they have already gotten their money.
This isn't intended to bash the program, some of the instructors are extremely knowledgeable and have the best intentions for all of the students, unfortunately that cant be said for them all.
Check out NCTI, their students are not only completing the program faster, but they are coming out more knowledgeable, and with good things to say.
I heard things use to be ran very well, recently they made a lot of faculty changes and things have went down hill. They are extremely unorganized and unprofessional. After the Didactic portion is completed, you will have absolutely no help or assistance in completing clinicals and being placed in an internship, if you do not contact them and tell them what they need to do, nothing will ever get done and you will be forgotten about, especially since they have already gotten their money.
This isn't intended to bash the program, some of the instructors are extremely knowledgeable and have the best intentions for all of the students, unfortunately that cant be said for them all.
Check out NCTI, their students are not only completing the program faster, but they are coming out more knowledgeable, and with good things to say.
I'd like to provide some insight.
I'm currently enrolled in Sacramento State's Paramedic Program and I wouldn't have chosen any other school. They have definitely changed even since the guy above me, "millval", has attended. I'm set to finish didactic at the end of this week.
Instructors have changed, HR has changed, coordination staff has changed, all for the better. It's not as "unorganized" as it once was and they are expanding still. They are still looking to create a BS in paramedicine and my current class (14-2) is getting 30 semester units for attending here. We now are able to use the "sim lab" the nursing students have access too and we also have many other classes that are combined with the program (EVOC, PALS, ACLS, ITLS, ALMS, TERT, etc).
I thought about doing CRFA since I did their EMT academy but I'm glad I didn't go there for medic school.
As far as internships go, placement has improved. There are contracts with agencies all over CA and some out of state (I have 2 classmates doing theirs in WA). You are able to find your own preceptor (as long as they are indeed a preceptor, work in a 911 system, and Sac State has/or can get a contract with that persons agency). We now have an AMR contract for YOLO and Placer counties if you're an employee there.
Each "class" (ie: 14-2, 15-1, etc) has 1 main instructor throughout the course and misses no more than 1 day/week (main instructors are FT FF). The course is 22 weeks long (22 school weeks, 2 weeks off for Xmas in the winter).
I've enjoyed the experience and have felt this program has been the best "EMS" type program/education/class I've attended, especially since they will in no way lose their accreditation anytime soon. We even use our "sac state medic program" ambulance for skills practice. Days are broken down for the most part 8-1130am lecture, 1-5pm skills.
I'm currently enrolled in Sacramento State's Paramedic Program and I wouldn't have chosen any other school. They have definitely changed even since the guy above me, "millval", has attended. I'm set to finish didactic at the end of this week.
Instructors have changed, HR has changed, coordination staff has changed, all for the better. It's not as "unorganized" as it once was and they are expanding still. They are still looking to create a BS in paramedicine and my current class (14-2) is getting 30 semester units for attending here. We now are able to use the "sim lab" the nursing students have access too and we also have many other classes that are combined with the program (EVOC, PALS, ACLS, ITLS, ALMS, TERT, etc).
I thought about doing CRFA since I did their EMT academy but I'm glad I didn't go there for medic school.
As far as internships go, placement has improved. There are contracts with agencies all over CA and some out of state (I have 2 classmates doing theirs in WA). You are able to find your own preceptor (as long as they are indeed a preceptor, work in a 911 system, and Sac State has/or can get a contract with that persons agency). We now have an AMR contract for YOLO and Placer counties if you're an employee there.
Each "class" (ie: 14-2, 15-1, etc) has 1 main instructor throughout the course and misses no more than 1 day/week (main instructors are FT FF). The course is 22 weeks long (22 school weeks, 2 weeks off for Xmas in the winter).
I've enjoyed the experience and have felt this program has been the best "EMS" type program/education/class I've attended, especially since they will in no way lose their accreditation anytime soon. We even use our "sac state medic program" ambulance for skills practice. Days are broken down for the most part 8-1130am lecture, 1-5pm skills.
Angel
Paramedic
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CRFAs medic program is in limbo too? I remember none of their students could get internships and their fire academy recently got the axe as well.
That kind of sucks! for as much as CRFA charges id be pissed!
That kind of sucks! for as much as CRFA charges id be pissed!
Yea, their medic program has been in bad shape for a little bit. There's a student in my class at sac state who went through CRFA and he had to start over. Sac State did the best they could to try and take on some of the CRFA didactic graduates to try and place them in an internship so they could finish, I'm not sure how many they were able to place though. The problem that CRFA came to was from NR. They do 5 year audits/program visits to meet accreditation. Every student's coursework must be logged (IE: FISDAP), education must be kept track of, etc. A lot of "newer" programs that are starting up don't realize this and can operate for up to 5 years with no NR audit and don't keep track of everything as closely as they need. Then NR comes by for a visit and don't get the info they need/want and there goes the accreditation.
However, this is the first I'm hearing about CRFA's regional academy that's in limbo. A lot of my classmates went through their regional academy. I've only gone through their EMT program, which I enjoyed. It was pretty well organized and the content was sound. I had previously gone through a JC's EMT program a few years before so I have that to compare it too. CRFA's EMT cost was only $750 at that time though. It jumped up to like $1700 or something the class after mine lol.
However, this is the first I'm hearing about CRFA's regional academy that's in limbo. A lot of my classmates went through their regional academy. I've only gone through their EMT program, which I enjoyed. It was pretty well organized and the content was sound. I had previously gone through a JC's EMT program a few years before so I have that to compare it too. CRFA's EMT cost was only $750 at that time though. It jumped up to like $1700 or something the class after mine lol.
Angel
Paramedic
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right, thats what im saying, for the price (i think their medic program was on par with NCTI as far as cost) they shouldve had all that dealt with. I know/knew of students who could not get internships and had no prospects either because CRFA had no contracts, this could be old info since its been a while since ive been done but it looks nice to say i went to "metros" paramedic school, until they figure out it means NOTHING, in fact the are so bad off.
Itd be nice if sac state got their BS in paramedicine because id get it in a heart beat. (assuming it was FAFSA eligible)
Any idea on when? I know its been talked about for a while now.
Itd be nice if sac state got their BS in paramedicine because id get it in a heart beat. (assuming it was FAFSA eligible)
Any idea on when? I know its been talked about for a while now.
To the best of my knowledge (AKA: what I've been told during class by instructors/directors):
They're (medic school directors/main instructors/HR) pushing hard to get the B.S. thing going. Last I heard, ~1-1.5 months ago, with the new thing Obama is trying to do about making junior college free for certain amount of years and making it affordable for people to get technical skill certs/degrees (medic, nurse, etc) and NR hoping on board trying to ensure medics have some sort of degree (AS/BS etc), it is helping Sac State's medic program move forward in that process. I in no way have been following this new law/program so I don't know exact details on how it works.
Also, the thing that's been setting Sac State's program back from accomplishing the B.S. thing has been Sacramento State itself. A program of this nature has a lot of hoops to jump through and has to be tested and tried to ensure it's quality and authenticity. The program has been making big leaps forward in the last 5 years. 1st, they move from a random school off campus onto the main sac state campus. 2nd, the program became apart of the College of Continuing Education (CCE) and started to get more backing. 3rd, Sacramento State now gives students 30 units towards a degree. 4th, the newest addition that has come starting my class, actual "class names". Sac State now classifies the medic program as NURS 55 - NURS 70 [IE: NURS 55 is for clinicals (5 units), NURS 56 is for internship (10 units)]. This is a big step because Sac State is now fully grasping the program.
The next step in the process towards the B.S. goal is establishing a permanent classroom. The program is in talks with Sac State to try and move into the same building as the Nursing program and to be able to utilize their facilities. I can't say with certainty when that will happen or if at all, but I can tell you I'd be very surprised if the B.S. Degree isn't up and running in the next 5 years. Sure it seems far away, but they're further along in the process than any other college and they're the first one to offer transferable units into the CSU system.
Now the bad news. With the process moving towards the actual degree goal, costs must equate to a normal college degree. This means the student pays for the education by UNIT. A single unit in the CSU system is ~$390.
Monetary wise, Sac State isn't cheap. I just got the actual break down (The NURS 55-70 that I was talking about above) in an email today from the main HR person. I knew how much it was going to cost from the beginning but the email was in regards to the *new* class names and how they break down in cost/units. The total cost for the program is $11,700 ($390 x 30 units). The cost CAN increase. That increase is based on one thing, the organization in which you do your internship. For example, in the past, Sac City Fire charges students $2500 to intern with them (IDK if the cost is the same now but I wouldn't doubt it). So a potential student would pay $11,700 (didactic units, uniform, books, clinical units, internship units) + $2500 "internship fee" (pays for the preceptor/insurance to intern with the organization) for a grand total of $14,200. Not all organizations charge $2500. Metro doesn't charge their interns (remember, employees only) and I've heard of some companies charging their employees $1000.
Payment breakdown: You pay for the units that you're currently taking and they are due within 30 days of the start date of that section. They break it down into "semesters". Didactic is 15 units total. 1st "semester" (11 weeks) is 7.5 units ($390 x 7.5) and the second semester is the same. First payment is the cost of 7.5 units due within 30 days of the start date. 2nd "semester" (11 weeks) starts after MOD 3 in which another cost of 7.5 units is due within 30 days of the start date.
**HOW TO PAY**: People have a hard time grasping this and it's important to people who are considering sac state. Currently Sac State DOES NOT accept STUDENT LOANS for the program. If you are taking a loan out to pay for this, You MUST use a PERSONAL LOAN. This has something to do with how STUDENT LOANS work with CSUS. For some reason, CSUS has had trouble accepting funds through STUDENT LOANS so they stopped. I'm assuming this is because it currently isn't a "degree" program. As far as FAFSA, I am not familiar with it. I do know that the GI Bill will pay for all of CSUS's Medic Program for qualified candidates (veterans of course).
I am strictly a student and have no inside info or gain anything from this info. Different people like different things. I've enjoyed my time at Sac State and would recommend it to others. I have no place to "knock" other accredited colleges, I'm sure they have fine programs and they work for some people. I didn't expect to write this much but I figured some people may start asking questions so I decided to ramble on and try and hit the FAQs.
They're (medic school directors/main instructors/HR) pushing hard to get the B.S. thing going. Last I heard, ~1-1.5 months ago, with the new thing Obama is trying to do about making junior college free for certain amount of years and making it affordable for people to get technical skill certs/degrees (medic, nurse, etc) and NR hoping on board trying to ensure medics have some sort of degree (AS/BS etc), it is helping Sac State's medic program move forward in that process. I in no way have been following this new law/program so I don't know exact details on how it works.
Also, the thing that's been setting Sac State's program back from accomplishing the B.S. thing has been Sacramento State itself. A program of this nature has a lot of hoops to jump through and has to be tested and tried to ensure it's quality and authenticity. The program has been making big leaps forward in the last 5 years. 1st, they move from a random school off campus onto the main sac state campus. 2nd, the program became apart of the College of Continuing Education (CCE) and started to get more backing. 3rd, Sacramento State now gives students 30 units towards a degree. 4th, the newest addition that has come starting my class, actual "class names". Sac State now classifies the medic program as NURS 55 - NURS 70 [IE: NURS 55 is for clinicals (5 units), NURS 56 is for internship (10 units)]. This is a big step because Sac State is now fully grasping the program.
The next step in the process towards the B.S. goal is establishing a permanent classroom. The program is in talks with Sac State to try and move into the same building as the Nursing program and to be able to utilize their facilities. I can't say with certainty when that will happen or if at all, but I can tell you I'd be very surprised if the B.S. Degree isn't up and running in the next 5 years. Sure it seems far away, but they're further along in the process than any other college and they're the first one to offer transferable units into the CSU system.
Now the bad news. With the process moving towards the actual degree goal, costs must equate to a normal college degree. This means the student pays for the education by UNIT. A single unit in the CSU system is ~$390.
Monetary wise, Sac State isn't cheap. I just got the actual break down (The NURS 55-70 that I was talking about above) in an email today from the main HR person. I knew how much it was going to cost from the beginning but the email was in regards to the *new* class names and how they break down in cost/units. The total cost for the program is $11,700 ($390 x 30 units). The cost CAN increase. That increase is based on one thing, the organization in which you do your internship. For example, in the past, Sac City Fire charges students $2500 to intern with them (IDK if the cost is the same now but I wouldn't doubt it). So a potential student would pay $11,700 (didactic units, uniform, books, clinical units, internship units) + $2500 "internship fee" (pays for the preceptor/insurance to intern with the organization) for a grand total of $14,200. Not all organizations charge $2500. Metro doesn't charge their interns (remember, employees only) and I've heard of some companies charging their employees $1000.
Payment breakdown: You pay for the units that you're currently taking and they are due within 30 days of the start date of that section. They break it down into "semesters". Didactic is 15 units total. 1st "semester" (11 weeks) is 7.5 units ($390 x 7.5) and the second semester is the same. First payment is the cost of 7.5 units due within 30 days of the start date. 2nd "semester" (11 weeks) starts after MOD 3 in which another cost of 7.5 units is due within 30 days of the start date.
**HOW TO PAY**: People have a hard time grasping this and it's important to people who are considering sac state. Currently Sac State DOES NOT accept STUDENT LOANS for the program. If you are taking a loan out to pay for this, You MUST use a PERSONAL LOAN. This has something to do with how STUDENT LOANS work with CSUS. For some reason, CSUS has had trouble accepting funds through STUDENT LOANS so they stopped. I'm assuming this is because it currently isn't a "degree" program. As far as FAFSA, I am not familiar with it. I do know that the GI Bill will pay for all of CSUS's Medic Program for qualified candidates (veterans of course).
I am strictly a student and have no inside info or gain anything from this info. Different people like different things. I've enjoyed my time at Sac State and would recommend it to others. I have no place to "knock" other accredited colleges, I'm sure they have fine programs and they work for some people. I didn't expect to write this much but I figured some people may start asking questions so I decided to ramble on and try and hit the FAQs.
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Angel
Paramedic
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Are you sure its 390/unit? I feel like it wasnt that much when i went. I was considered full time and i think it was just ~3500/semester. I have to go look but that seems like a lot. But what would this mean for those of us with medic licenses and just want the degree? does that seem like an option?
In any case youve given me a ton more information than anyone else ive heard from over the years so thanks for sharing!
In any case youve given me a ton more information than anyone else ive heard from over the years so thanks for sharing!
I agree with you about the $390/unit. I was a little unsure about that because like you, my BA didn't cost more than $3,000/semester. I just did a quick google search and saw that the cost per unit seems to vary by school. It also seems to vary by how many units you're enrolled in. For example, "All students enrolling at the CSU pay the systemwide Tuition Fee which is currently $5,472 per academic year for undergraduate students enrolling in more than 6 units per term and $3,174 for undergraduates enrolling in 6 or fewer units." this is from the Cal State EDU website: http://www.calstate.edu/sas/costofattendance/
*EDIT* BETTER INFO: The actual sac state site: http://www.csus.edu/faid/financial aid basics/Cost of Attendance.html states $6,648 per year. Which breaks down to $221-277/unit (30 units/yr:24 units/yr). So the 390$/unit is a little inflated however, there are extra classes the program provides which include tuition (not including uniforms, shirts, books, etc). Those classes are:
*EDIT* BETTER INFO: The actual sac state site: http://www.csus.edu/faid/financial aid basics/Cost of Attendance.html states $6,648 per year. Which breaks down to $221-277/unit (30 units/yr:24 units/yr). So the 390$/unit is a little inflated however, there are extra classes the program provides which include tuition (not including uniforms, shirts, books, etc). Those classes are:
- Human Cadaver Lab: In partnership with the UC Davis School of Medicine’s body donation program and the Sacramento County Coroner’s office, students attend a four-hour human cadaver dissection lab as well as a tour of the coroner’s office.
- EVOC: In partnership with the Sacramento Regional Driver training facility, students are trained and receive a certification in Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC). This is a highly desirable qualification when applying for employment as a paramedic.
- High-Fidelity Simulation Lab: In partnership with Sacramento State School of Nursing Simulation Learning Center, students train in a state-of-the-art simulation lab with high-fidelity mannequins that mimic live human responses.
- All Certifications Included with Tuition: American Heart Association CPR, ACLS, PALS, ITLS and AMLS are all taught during the course.
- TERT: In partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), students are sent to Anniston, Alabama (after didactic and before clinical) as a cohort to attend the 40-hour Technical Emergency Response Training (TERT) class.
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In response to your question about getting a BS in paramedicine after already graduating. I too am interested in this. I am doubting that we'd be able to return to get another B.S. degree. I tried to add on a minor late in the game and CSUS said "once you graduate, you graduate. You cannot return to get a minor". I am ASSUMING it falls under the same category but I am not entirely sure. I sure hope it's possible though.