UT San Antonio B.S Paramedic Program
- Thread starter Fish
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I haven't personally done it, but went through the school that puts it on and know a considerable bit about it. Whaddya need, señor?
I hope you love the program as much as I did. Back then, (I am old school and one of the first few classes), the program was very well organized and tough. You couldn't be a slacker ever. I'm glad I graduated from this school and wouldn't trade my education there for anything. When I graduated, Mt. Sac was most certainly the best and perhaps the most difficult program in Ca, perhaps the U.S. and I hope it hasn't changed.
As opposed to Daniel Freeman back then which graduated just about any goofy firefighter who wanted to play paramedic. LOL No Offense
Anyhow, I can only go by my experience back then and the invaluable clinical knowledge the program gave me, especially in areas of cardiology and assessment skills.
Lane could be a bit moody though.
I don't think that in today's medical world, a BS in Emergency Medicine is going to get your very far-maybe into management which is a major grind and boring as hell.
As opposed to Daniel Freeman back then which graduated just about any goofy firefighter who wanted to play paramedic. LOL No Offense
Anyhow, I can only go by my experience back then and the invaluable clinical knowledge the program gave me, especially in areas of cardiology and assessment skills.
Lane could be a bit moody though.
I don't think that in today's medical world, a BS in Emergency Medicine is going to get your very far-maybe into management which is a major grind and boring as hell.
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LoL I think you're thinking of a different program, Grant 
Fish, UTHSCSA isn't as heavy on management as some of the other Emergency Management degrees. It focuses more on the actual medical aspects: Advanced Pharm, patho, flight and critical care, that kind of stuff. Instructors are pretty good. The course is nice because you can pretty much work it at your own pace. However, if you're looking for more of a Management degree, there's much better ones out there.
Fish, UTHSCSA isn't as heavy on management as some of the other Emergency Management degrees. It focuses more on the actual medical aspects: Advanced Pharm, patho, flight and critical care, that kind of stuff. Instructors are pretty good. The course is nice because you can pretty much work it at your own pace. However, if you're looking for more of a Management degree, there's much better ones out there.
LoL I think you're thinking of a different program, Grant
Fish, UTHSCSA isn't as heavy on management as some of the other Emergency Management degrees. It focuses more on the actual medical aspects: Advanced Pharm, patho, flight and critical care, that kind of stuff. Instructors are pretty good. The course is nice because you can pretty much work it at your own pace. However, if you're looking for more of a Management degree, there's much better ones out there.
Well now I am at a Fork, because I want those courses but I also want the Management.
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The entire thing can be done online. And for the clinical, I believe you just get a site near you cleared with the program, and do it there.
Hmmmmmm, I do not know of any....... around me.
I wonder how well I would do with an online program. I know I could have never done well taking the Paramedic Course online.
I've done some university courses by distance. It's ok for stuff without a lab component. Especially some of the introductory courses where you might be sitting in a classroom with 500 people in a traditional setting. With really large classes the difference between distance and traditional delivery diminishes.
The problem occurs when you deal with courses with a lab or clinical component. In principle, it should be just as possible to learn clinical material as, say calculus, by distance. For me, it just feels like a classroom setting is better. I think it's because these areas have psychomotor components that need labs, and that a lot of the time you learn important details from the instructor when they go off on some random tangent about a time they got beaten by an atypical presentation, or made a mistake. Like most people, I've always liked to file those away and try and learn from someone else's mistake, before doing it myself.
Another issue is that a traditional university schedule forces you to do the work. You have set days you have to be in lecture, no matter when your last night shift was. It's a pain to organise your schedule around, and sometimes the two end up conflicting in a way you can't resolve. But at the end of 13 weeks, you've completed 5 courses. You might find it makes you work harder than normal. On the other hand, typical schedules compress a lot of information into a short time period, and then give you a relatively long break over Christmas and betwen the last classes in spring, and the first classes in Fall.
I think the eventual decision is made by the circumstances. If you can't afford to take the time off work, or aren't willing to make the necessary sacrifices, maybe distance is the best option. I think, in most situations, there's going to be a better quality of education in a traditional setting. But, if that's not an option, distance delivery is a lot better than nothing.
It also depends what you want to use the degree for. If you just want a degree for general self-improvement / interest, etc. then take whatever's interesting. If you need a degree for a promotion or job competition, and it doesn't really matter what it's in / where it's from, then distance sounds great. If you're planning on Harvard Medical School, you might want to take another option.
I think the fact that I am already a Paramedic will help with the distance issue, seeing as I already have a great grasps on A&P, Pharm, and Cardiology. So any classes tha further my education in this should come fairly easy wouldn't you think? Even if it is online.......
I work 160hours every 2 weeks and the school is hours away from me, so physically going to the classes is not an option.
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I am currently doing a BS in Public safety administration with a concentration in EMS online through university of maine fort kent.
If you're interested in management with an eye towards eventually moving into a administrative role then I would suggest the following:
1. Go for the undergrad degree at UTSA
2. Follow that up with a graduate management certificate
A certificate usually ranges from around 9-18 hours, and while that might sound like a lot it'll look great on your resume if you're seeking to move into management. Just about all well-known public and private universities now offer graduate-level certificates and degrees via online delivery. For example, George Washington University offers both a MS (33hrs) or a certificate (18hrs) in Emergency Services Management.
Here are some other options in the healthcare field:
http://www.geteducated.com/profiles...Search by Level > Online Graduate Certificate
By the way, geteducated.com is a great tool for anyone looking for online education options from reputable universities. Degreeinfo.com is another one.
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Do you have a link to the Curriculum?
And how was it?
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I'm paying close attention to this thread. My next step is a bachelors in something, preferably related to paramedicine/EMS management but like you Fish, a traditional classroom style wont work due to work constraints.
Like systemet pointed out it all seems great and dandy until you get to science classes with lab components.
Like systemet pointed out it all seems great and dandy until you get to science classes with lab components.