12 week accelerated program Versus 2 yr Paramedic course.

[Country EMT Girl]

I'm looking to start the Paramedic Class so as to further my skills. I was wondering, What is the best Course of Option here, Take Paramedic Classes 12 week accelerated program or go for 2 yrs? Thanks For the help!!!!

[DwayneEMTP]

I'm looking to start the Paramedic Class so as to further my skills. I was wondering, What is the best Course of Option here, Take Paramedic Classes 12 week accelerated program or go for 2 yrs? Thanks For the help!!!!

Hey Country! Welcome to the City!

No question that the 2 year program is superior in every way. If you had a biology degree then perhaps I would feel differently, but probably not. I was all lined up to take a 7 month AMR program when I joined the City and some here convinced me that I would be studying myself to the bottom of the food chain. I changed and went two year instead and have been so terribly grateful ever since.

Plus, there is just so much information. 12 weeks just isn't nearly enough time to absorb it all.

Many will make fun of your degree, but you'll find that those that laugh at it are losers that you won't respect anyway. Are there good providers without degrees? Absolutely!! But to choose a weaker option if you have a better option just doesn't make sense, right? Unless your ultimate goal is to be a fireman and medic is just your shortcut there..choose the path that will make you the best, strongest provider possible. Plus, from then on you can stop checking the "Highschool Diploma" option on applications and start checking "Degree."

Dwayne

[Emtpbill]

Absolutely no way, no how is a 12 week timespan enough to properly do a paramedic program. When I took my medic back in 96-97 it was nine months, but that was just didactic.

Would you want a doctor who went to Medical school for 8 years or did the abbreviated 2 year program?

[spenac]

Absolutely no way, no how is a 12 week timespan enough to properly do a paramedic program. When I took my medic back in 96-97 it was nine months, but that was just didactic.

Would you want a doctor who went to Medical school for 8 years or did the abbreviated 2 year program?

What do you call the 2 year doctor? Doctor.

What do you call the 8 year doctor? Doctor.

Honestly with the restrictions on Paramedics in most places really as far as how much damage vs good you can do the patient not much difference. Now as to what is best for your personal developement go for the degree. Plus then at aleast it will transfer if you decide to go into another field later in life.

[11outof10]

After I started my 12 month program I found a lot of information about accelerated programs. Honestly if the didactic hours are the same, and they don't skimp on clinicals... If you can do it, do it. There is a program that i believe is 100 days straight? 5 days of 12 hour classes and 2 days of 12 hour clinicals. It sounds like death to me, especially because there is no working during this time.

There is similar flack over the medic to RN bridge program. (which I'm considering within a few years.)

If I had time and money I would LOVE to take a 2 year paramedic degree program. But I am poor and rushed I don't feel like a shorter class makes a person any less of a medic. After all they still have to learn the material to pass right?

[DwayneEMTP]

After I started my 12 month program I found a lot of information about accelerated programs. Honestly if the didactic hours are the same, and they don't skimp on clinicals... If you can do it, do it. There is a program that i believe is 100 days straight? 5 days of 12 hour classes and 2 days of 12 hour clinicals. It sounds like death to me, especially because there is no working during this time.

There is similar flack over the medic to RN bridge program. (which I'm considering within a few years.)

If I had time and money I would LOVE to take a 2 year paramedic degree program. But I am poor and rushed I don't feel like a shorter class makes a person any less of a medic. After all they still have to learn the material to pass right?

This attitude is exactly why you shouldn't take this kind of immature advice. "If I can pass the test then I'm as good as everyone else, right?" No man, you're not. You've managed to pass the very minimum requirements to be allowed to call yourself a paramedic. And you should be ashamed of that.

Spenac following the whole "what do you call a man that graduated at the very bottom of his class at medical school? Doctor!" shit is just that, it's shit. It's what's holds EMS back as a profession and keeps people from getting paid. You'll find if you're here a few days that spenac loves to brag about how rich he's getting as a medic, what a superior education he has, how sage he is for the noobs, and yet you won't find him posting more than just a few lines in any forum that requires intelligent thought. Just keep that in mind.

If, like 11outof10, your goals don't extend beyond getting to giggle while running lights and sirens around town in your ambulance, then yeah, follow his advice.

If you want to make EMS your career, truly want to be a professional and do more than play 'mother may I' in the back of your fancy truck, really want to do medicine, then get a real education. At the VERY MINIMUM you need college level A&P. People will tell you it doesn't matter...but I've got to do some pretty friggin' cool things...most of them due to akflightmedic being my friend and opening doors...just take your 100 day medic cert to him and see how far that gets you.

Good luck to you...I would love to know what you decide.

Trust me, the National Registry Medic test? Most of us could have passed it straight out of basic class with the addition of a little A&P. It's simple, stupid, and a completely worthless way to judge the value of a paramedic education.

Dwayne

Edited to correct a formatting error. No other changes made.

Edited again to cross out the sentence above as after reading his next post I realized that I was being a way bigger shithead than necessary.

Edited March 11, 2011 by DwayneEMTP

[spenac]

Spenac following the whole "what do you call a man that graduated at the very bottom of his class at medical school? Doctor!" shit is just that, it's shit. It's what's holds EMS back as a profession and keeps people from getting paid. You'll find if you're here a few days that spenac loves to brag about how rich he's getting as a medic, what a superior education he has, how sage he is for the noobs, and yet you won't find him posting more than just a few lines in any forum that requires intelligent thought. Just keep that in mind.

At least I have an occassional intelligent statement and at that they are origional rather than parroting crap you have copied from others.

If you read the statement you so much chose to degrade me for you would see that I said they would be better for getting the degree. But I was also bluntly honest that EMS sucks so bad that no matter which way educated you will not be able to do anything to your patients in most services. If you are being honest you will have to agree with my opinion on that.

So when you pull your head out from trying to kiss your own rear start posting something of value w/o including attacks on others.

Edited March 11, 2011 by spenac

[DwayneEMTP]

At least I have an occassional intelligent statement and at that they are origional rather than parroting crap you have copied from others.

Holy shit! The exact sentence that I posted in one of your threads, right? Man...that is beyond pitiful.

...If you read the statement you so much chose to degrade me for you would see that I said they would be better for getting the degree. But I was also bluntly honest that EMS sucks so bad that no matter which way educated you will not be able to do anything to your patients in most services. If you are being honest you will have to agree with my opinion on that.

So when you pull your head out from trying to kiss your own rear start posting something of value w/o including attacks on others.

Good God..you are such a cry baby!!

You said that it would be better to get a degree because it would transfer over, and that is true enough. But you said that after you mentioned that if you can get your degree by sucking someones' dick then you might as well do that because you can't do anything anyway. What bullshit!

There are tons of services that do real prehospital medicine. The have long transport times, little access to flight, and their services have actual standards for the men and women that work there. So because you think EMS sucks, your advice to those coming behind you is that you might as well suck too, so that you fit in right from the start? Bullshit again.

When you are done wiping your tears from the horrible beating you seem to believe that I have given you (See, I'm convinced that the chicks here represent the major backbone of EMS. I can't think of a single one that would have blinked at the offending post, much less wept over it) perhaps you will be able to see that your post did in fact represent the very worst of the attitudes that exist in EMS.

Dwayne

And what was the thing about me kissing my own ass? I don't know what that means....

[paramedicmike]

How good is this going to get? Should I make popcorn?

[DwayneEMTP]

How good is this going to get? Should I make popcorn?

Not very...it never does. This will be followed by maybe one more post here, and then a few status updates about how life would be glorious if people just didn't attack other people for no reason...sniff sniff....That will be about it.

But what the hell...popcorn is good for you, right?

Dwayne