calvair

ccmeddoc "I still have not heard a valid argument for working as a basic EMT first...Straight to medic is the way to go..." Is this coming from someone who went straight to medic without working as an EMT first?

It is more than just time. It is very obvious that you are not a degreed paramedic, or if you are, you did it after the fact. All the classes in a Degree program help the paramedic. Well you are right, I did get my AAS post Paramedic and the classes I took would have helped out incredibly with my Paramedic class. I am presently finishing my BAS in Public Safety Mgt and will be starting my masters (hopefully) in jan. When I said that I didnt expect it to be blown out of proportion like it did. I believe that a majority of the classes you take to get your degree are needed but there are some really retarded requirements that you have to do sometimes to get your degree, and therefore doing your time to get that piece of paper

CBEMT That was awsome.. touche !!!!

"Is a firefighter worth more if he has a degree? I think not. Every Firefighter I know of, regardless of degree, still attends the fire academy. " while this is correct firefighters with degrees get paid more to start and also get promoted faster in larger departments "so explain to me why passing english and creative writing classes makes me a better paramedic? I'd rather focus on my paramedic studies, than have to make room for all the other junk that a degree program offers. " Well those same classes dont help a nurse but having the degree, the piece of paper that says you did your time, Does.. Besides most degree programs i have seen require A&P 1 and 2 which is an incredible help as far as the paramedic curriculum goes. On the same note Paramedicine is a progressive field and requires as much education as possible just to keep with the curve

I agree with JakeEMT, you would be a fool to not get a degree as a paramedic, and I am starting to see some states mandate that. If we are ever to truly be treated as professionals by the medical community then we have to better educate ourselves by getting that little piece of paper. On a stranger note , I never considered 13 months the "fast track" If you look at most nursing programs they are as long as ours if you subtract the summer break they get. In our state they have fast track classes that are like 5 months.. That is insane! On a different note are there any other states that are doing that insta-medic program where you go from emt right into medic class even before you have your emt license? I hate that.....

as far as the classes go most, if not all states have a minimum requirement for hours as well as curriculum. As for what is the difference between hospital vs private instructor classes. I have found that in my experience the hospital classes tend to have better budgets and you get more experience also in most cases you can get college credit for them, but they can sometimes be very "clinical " in feeling. They do a very poor job of carrying on the tradition of the craft. To answer the second part of your question. Fire Academy's offer or rather mandate the EMT-B out of necessity. They do it so their guys can respond to calls as medical first response to increase their call volume. It is my belief that it takes a special kind of person to be a Firefighter and in most cases the same the type of person does not want to become a Paramedic or even an EMT for that matter. Hope that helped