The real story behind the 12 week medic McCook NE

[CMCSNRP]

I recently read a forum about a 12 week paramedic program in McCook Nebraska and the replies that I saw we're shocking. "EMS Professionals" ridiculing a program that they have never attended and know nothing about. I attended McCook's accelerated paramedic program and one thing that I can tell you for certain is that it is not for the faint of heart. Not everyone will be cut out for a program like this because it is very fast paced and you have to be self motivated. However if you have the stones to make the grades it can be an awesome way to achieve your goals. The didactic portion is 12 weeks, after that you go back to where you live and work with your department or a department of your choosing to finish your clinical hours. The required hours are 400 I believe, but with everything that is required of you most people end up having closer to 800 or more. I also left the program with ACLS, PALS, AMLS, and PHTLS. The days were long, the schooling was tough, but I passed with a 4.0 was able to establish myself at a level 1 trauma center and I am so thankful to Kathy Dernovich, and Bob Molcyk for everything that they do. Kathy likes to bolster that the program does not need defending because people talk trash and their rosters are still full. However, EMS as a profession is changing and not everybody needs a two year program. Many can be successful without dragging it out. So ladies and gentlemen, before you post your comments and tell me how my associates degree is worth less than your associates degree because I did not spend two years on mine, all I will ask is that you keep the comments professional. It wasn't easy to accomplish what I did, but I was successful and so were many others.

 

[Medic Tim]

So you got an ems associates degree from this 3-5 month program?

 

[UnkiEMT]

You realize you sound like a shill, right?

I don't know if you are, nor do I particularly care, but somewhere around when you start listing off specific people by first and last name, I stopped giving any weight to your arguments.

That plus the fact that you registered to make two posts, both of them defending the same program.

Yeah, I don't trust you.

 

[CMCSNRP]

If you want the AAS you have to have basic prerequisites. Math, Psych, English, A&P. The course makes up for the rest. It is a great program. I understand that people will probably always butt heads on the topic however, it doesn't take much to be a :censored::censored::censored::censored:ty medic and there were plenty of bad medics before accelerated programs. What nobody seems to grasp is that the 12 weeks is JUST THE BOOK & LAB PORTION. You still have to do clinicals.

 

[MrJones]

I don't agree with the concept and wouldn't personally enroll in a 12 week program, but in their defense they are accredited by CAAHEP so they must be meeting at least the minimum requirements.

 

[BoonDoc]

I don't agree with the concept and wouldn't personally enroll in a 12 week program, but in their defense they are accredited by CAAHEP so they must be meeting at least the minimum requirements.

+1

The bottom line is that they are getting to sit the NREMT exam isn't it? Sure the Medic 1 paramedics in Seattle will have a much better programme but they sit the NREMT exam too don't they?

I wouldn't choose to do a 12 week programme myself but then again I am far too lazy to not have any time off in three months.

 

[chaz90]

+1

The bottom line is that they are getting to sit the NREMT exam isn't it? Sure the Medic 1 paramedics in Seattle will have a much better programme but they sit the NREMT exam too don't they?

I wouldn't choose to do a 12 week programme myself but then again I am far too lazy to not have any time off in three months.

The bottom line we're arguing is that the current standards are far too low. Just because the NREMT allows someone to take a doesn't mean it is appropriate. NREMT certification is nothing more than a bare minimum, and the fact that people are able to fly through the didactic portion of a paramedic "education" in 12 weeks is just more evidence for that point.

 

[Medic Tim]

+1



The bottom line is that they are getting to sit the NREMT exam isn't it? Sure the Medic 1 paramedics in Seattle will have a much better programme but they sit the NREMT exam too don't they?



I wouldn't choose to do a 12 week programme myself but then again I am far too lazy to not have any time off in three months.

The nremt tests for minimum competency. I think we should be striving for much more. I get a lot of flak because I am a US medic working in Canada . I went through a very good and respected program. It was deemed equivalent to Canadian standards ( with some extra work on my part) Yet I am judged by these boot camp programs. It isn't just other countries that judge us it is other medical professions. Whenever I hear of these programs the first thing that come to mind is "ambulance drivers" . I can't wait for the day when that changes to clinician.

 

[BoonDoc]

Hi Chaz and Tim,

I agreed completely. Minimum is not the best option.

In the UK Ambulance Technicians have to have 750 hours of clinical placements. The followon Paramedic programme also requires 750 hours.

Therefore UK Paramedics have at least 1500 hours and two years of training before they can register.

Is this something that you would suggest for NREMT Paramedics?

 

[Angel]

people who want to get by doing the BARE MINIMUM says a lot about the type of person they are and the type of medic they will be.
I will never understand why people are so content to be lazy, that mindset it why EMS is a trade and not a career.

 

[mycrofft]

Having lived in NE (Bellevue, Lincoln and Omaha)

I see the impetus for seeding more techs in NEbraska because the rural ("Outstate") service can be very thin.

However, they also need to make sure adequate control and infrastructure exist to allow safe and prudent practice. A paramedic with perfect grades and able to start a central line in a moving vehicle on railroad tracks blindfolded is performing assault and aggravated battery (or murder) unless he or she is part of an accredited EMS system.

If the Associate Degree program meets standards and graduates meet all criteria, fine. But they will also/still need a system to work within.

OP, how are things back there? More hospitals opening outside Lincoln/Omaha?

 

[Handsome Robb]

So how do you get an AS with 4 gen ed classes and an accelerated paramedic program? How does that work? Where's the supporting sciences? Bio, chem, micro are three important ones.

 

[BoonDoc]

So why attack the 12 week course? Why not change the minimum requirement?

Are these 12 week wonders not getting jobs?

Aren't these newby medics working under a senior medic for the first 120 hours anyway?

Military medics get the very basic fighting skills and medical skills to be proficient but their true training starts once they are at their units. Isn't paramedic training the same? They need the minimum standard and then the get 20 years of clinical experience as they work?

 

[Handsome Robb]

That is the exact wrong attitude. Why is it that many countries around the world require a degree to work on an ambulance, often with a lower scope of practice than American paramedics?

My FTO time for my agency after having my certification was ~240 hours. That time is for learning the system and operations, not for learning how to do the job and to learn the base knowledge.

 

[mycrofft]

McCook CC's page about it:

http://www.mpcc.edu/health-occupations/accelerated-paramedic-training
Be sure to read the materials at the very end of the application section.

I'm sending for a copy of the curriculum.

A Google shows this is not a new curriculum and not a new subject to EMTLIFE either.

I am in favor of cutting away deadwood (like the week we spent learning to make beds and wear uniforms and read diet slips/check meals at bedside in a baccalaureate-aimed nursing program). I am not in favor of turning out disoriented medical techs. The absence of related community issues after years of this program are in its favor.

PS: how long does it take to produce a military medic or med tech?

 

[Medic Tim]

So why attack the 12 week course? Why not change the minimum requirement?



Are these 12 week wonders not getting jobs?



Aren't these newby medics working under a senior medic for the first 120 hours anyway?



Military medics get the very basic fighting skills and medical skills to be proficient but their true training starts once they are at their units. Isn't paramedic training the same? They need the minimum standard and then the get 20 years of clinical experience as they work?

The problem with experience is that it is only as good as your experience. I am not knocking experience as it is very important. I just find it is relied on too much sometimes. In an ideal world the experience should build upon your base knowledge and continue to grow. This can be hard if you just did the bare minimum academically.

There is a push for increased education but there is also an even harder push to keep the status quo or even lower it.
A majority of ems providers in the US are volunteer Emt with aprox 200 hours of training. ( in some states it is an elective course in high school) Communities and fire departments are scared of losing or having to pay for ems services as fewer people would be able to maintain or meet the requirements.

There are also many places were ems is a minimum wage job. In other first world countries it is a true profession with excellent pay and respect .

 

[BoonDoc]

Fair one, mate.

I guess it is different here in the EU where paramedics have a career. Irish Paramedics make €35k and Advanced Paramedics make €55k. In the UK it is a bit lower but still able to live well and buy a home and car.

A lot of UK paramedics are choosing to quite the NHS and work in the Industry for twice the pay. Not a bad way to go.

Aren't there similar oil, gas and security jobs for US and Canadian Paramedics?

 

[Medic Tim]

Fair one, mate.



I guess it is different here in the EU where paramedics have a career. Irish Paramedics make €35k and Advanced Paramedics make €55k. In the UK it is a bit lower but still able to live well and buy a home and car.



A lot of UK paramedics are choosing to quite the NHS and work in the Industry for twice the pay. Not a bad way to go.



Aren't there similar oil, gas and security jobs for US and Canadian Paramedics?

Pay can greatly vary. My first ems job was in Maine (USA )I made 7.50 an hour (2007) My first job in Canada as a BLS medic I started at 18 an hour. The starting pay is now 25 or so. In other parts of Canada it can e as high as 30-35. As an advanced care medic you can make a bit more.
I work in a medical clinic in the northern Canadian oil fields . An advanced medic usually clears 120+k a year as a base salary plus benefits, flights and expenses. We are usually in the same pay band as RNs.

 

[sir.shocksalot]

The required hours are 400 I believe, but with everything that is required of you most people end up having closer to 800 or more.

According to their website they have 430 required clinical hours. My internship alone was more than the total number of clinical hours required by this program. Most of us really object to programs like this because our current education is already woefully short. The last thing we need is to accelerate and cut out parts of our education that is already way too short.

The argument that everyone takes the same test is trite. NREMT is the bare minimum to certify someone as a technician, regardless of the cute little title changes they make. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of physiology and disease and how they apply to what we do are what begins to change us from technicians to clinicians. You can't teach or learn that in a 12 week didactic program, or a 4 month one (as my program was), or even 10 months. Paramedic needs to turn into a 2 year long process if we want to move forward as a profession.

 

[mycrofft]

The tail end of their application online:

AND I QUOTE:

"Upon completion of the in-class (didactic) studies, students are required to complete a minimum of 230 hours in a Clinical environment and 200 hours of Field training. Once successful completion of all three training components, the student will then be eligible to sit for the National Registry Paramedic Exam.
Clinical/Field Training components are not part of the 12-week Accelerated Paramedic program at McCook Community College. Clinical/field training placement is the decision of the students. Students are encouraged to use our clinical training facilities and field service affiliations to complete their training. If a student opts to return home to complete their clinical/field training the college will work diligently with their chosen affiliations to attain training contracts, but there are no guarantees these agreements can be secured.


Read more: http://www.mpcc.edu/health-occupations/accelerated-paramedic-training#ixzz2uwWM8ihh"