sanpedro31 Posted August 10, 2013 Posted August 10, 2013 Hello and thank you in advance for taking a look at my question. I live in LA and I registered to take the EMT basic course at UCLA. Yesterday I got a mailer from the occupational school by my house that offered the EMT class for $110 vs the $1200 I am going to have to pay at UCLA. Question is does it make a big difference?? Does it make a difference when I go to get a job if they see I went to UCLA? I would like to get some feedback on this asap as I have to make a decision quick! Thank you!
Just Plain Ruff Posted August 10, 2013 Posted August 10, 2013 I would expect that you get what you pay for.
paramedicmike Posted August 10, 2013 Posted August 10, 2013 This isn't an easy question to answer without a lot more information... information that I'm not sure you have. What kind of certifying exam pass rates does each program have? What kind of student support over the course of the program, and after completion, do each program offer? What are the reputations of the programs involved? Does the UCLA program offer college credit? How about the tech school? Will the UCLA program lead into a larger degree awarding educational program? Does the tech school offer that? What are your goals for taking this class? There are times that a tech school training program would be completely appropriate. There are times when the university based educational program would be more appropriate. I'm inclined to think that the UCLA program would have more options and support available. I'll also admit that I'm probably making some assumptions when comparing the two. Please be wary of EMT mills. These are programs that simply take your money, teach you a minimum to pass the certification exam and don't really care if you pass or not. All they're interested in is your money. Buyer beware. While either program could fit that bill you do have the benefit of the reputation of UCLA to back up their program. Take that for what it's worth.
MariB Posted August 10, 2013 Posted August 10, 2013 $110 ? I live in a small town and took mine at a community college that has a lot of tech programs. We have a pretty good first time pass rate. I got 6 college credits, 150 lecture hours plus additional for skills and test days. Mine was around $1,000 and that was a pretty economical rate. Check into it like Mike said. It seems a little low.
medicgirl05 Posted August 10, 2013 Posted August 10, 2013 The EMT program I took was free. It was put on by a local hospital and the EMS supervisor taught it with help from other EMS personnel. 30 people started out in the class. I think 14 finished the course but only 2 of us passed national registry. Just realize money isn't everything. 1
island emt Posted August 10, 2013 Posted August 10, 2013 The books for a Basic EMT cost more than $110.00 Here the course costs vary from $700 - $900 plus national regisrty testing fees and state exam fees. !60 hrs didactic and 48 hrs clinicals.
MikeEMT Posted August 10, 2013 Posted August 10, 2013 While money may not be everything, in an area such as LA where EMT's are a dime a dozen I would be wary of any program offering "discounted" training. The first thing I would look at is are they certified to teach the course? I don't know about CA, but here in WA the State Department of Health has to certify a program and its instructors in teaching EMS courses. Failure to take a certified course and the State wont issue your certification, even if you pass the NREMT. Also, the NREMT may not let you take their test. Since CA likes to regulate everything, I would assume they regulate who teaches EMS courses. Second, why the cheap price? It costs money to teach these classes. The training materials are expensive and most instructors want to be paid. Additionally, there will be insurance and other expenses the facility would have. If this was say a reputable hospital such as Cedars Sinai I wouldn't be concerned. However, if this is a private school then it would concern me at the cost. Are they trying to recoup costs by selling stuff? Is the class going to be large? Are they even teaching EMT - Basic, or are they calling a first aid or first responder course an EMT course? I am sure there are reputable organization out there that teach discounted EMS courses and do it well. I can't see that being the case in a place like LA. Ultimately it is your money and your career. Do you want to gamble your career on a potentially bad course? As was said, you get what you paid for. My EMT course was $975 and while it didn't teach me everything it helped make me a good EMT and created a solid foundation that I can build on. I doubt a $100 course would do the same. 1
Just Plain Ruff Posted August 11, 2013 Posted August 11, 2013 Yeah, my emt course 20 years ago was 440.00 and it included lots of extras. I am REALLY REALLY skeptical of this 110 dollar course. Can you post which program this is so we can take a look at it?
sanpedro31 Posted August 15, 2013 Author Posted August 15, 2013 Big thank you to all who have answered. I did my cpr/bls class the other day and talked to the teacher and he said that the UCLA program is great! And while any program could be good this one has a great reputation and great resources. So I am sticking to the UCLA program! PS: The other one was at am Occupational school! 1
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