HOW DO I FIND OUT PASS/FAIL RATINGS OF A PARAMEDIC PROGRAM?

[BLUESKY]

I'm hoping to compare the schools in my area but I have searched without any luck. It would be preferable to find out first time pass/fail ratings as well. I'd be appreciate any help, thanx! I obviously need to add that the rating I'm most interested in is for the national certificatioin exam.

[Dustdevil]

Wow, I opened this topic for sure expecting it to be in all capital letters!

Anyhow, great question. I'd like to see that too. I'm afraid I don't know a source right off. I would recommend calling NREMT and seeing if they make those statistics available.

Of course, although interesting and potentially valuable, statistics do not necessarily tell the whole story, so I would hope that you are using more than those to make your choice from.

A couple of good resources to use in your search are these lists of nationally accredited schools. Not all medic schools are accredited. And because of variations in staff quality, not all accredited schools are excellent. But again, using these lists to narrow your choices down is a very good idea. Schools that are accredited have at least demonstrate a serious commitment to excellence and meeting a national standard.

http://www.coaemsp.org/accreditatedprograms.htm

http://www.caahep.org/programs.aspx

If a school is not on that list, I would ask them some very serious and in-depth questions about the quality of their program and staff before I applied there. If they say they are interested in accreditation and are in the process of being evaluated, that's a very good sign. If they try to convince you that accreditation is meaningless and they don't care, RUN. If they don't care about their own accreditation, then they probably don't care about yours either.

Good luck!

[AZCEP]

You might consider contacting the program director or management directly.

Accreditation is a good sign, but it means nothing if the program is using that piece of paper to wallpaper the men's room.

What area are you in? If you want to know first time pass numbers, you might want to consider what degree of importance to place in that one criteria. After all, if someone graduates last in the class, and takes 3 attempts to pass NR, they are still a paramedic, right?

[Ridryder 911]

As other have posted, I would also consider contacting State EMS Director Offices. They should be able to direct you to the training director that will have the information in your area.

Here is a link to state EMS directors http://www.nasemsd.org/

Good luck !

R/R 911

[UMSTUDENT]

Pass/Fail rates don't mean a whole lot really, especially if the program is teaching more than just how to pass the NR exam. A lot of programs expect you to be able to pass the exam on your own utilizing the education you've received and the knowledge you've obtained in your clinical. They may not spend months or the entire curriculum on just trying to get you to pass the exam.

I would check out accreditation first, especially since this requires some effort. An accredited college or university is also a decent bet if you're looking for a degree. The two together, one from the COAEMSP and another from a accrediting organization of colleges is even better.

Look at the facilities, the equipment and the quality of the instructors. Are the instructors reasonably educated? Are they professors, instructors, etc? How long have they been doing it. If they're at a university, are they tenured? Are they prevalent on the lecture circuit and have they published in peer reviewed journals? Was the research useful? Do they hold national registry certification? If they practice, do they still hold licensure (this doesn't necessarily take away from their knowledge)? Where are their clinicals?

Finally, ask around the area or country and see what people think of the graduates. If they are generally held in high regards, then you should be set.

[PRPGfirerescuetech]

Pass fail ratings just mean that the facility has produced students to meet the minimum standards of the accreditation exam.

Id be more concerned with finding which organizations produce stellar students, performing at their peak. This is something you can find through reputation, not percentages.

Spell checked, one mistake found, not corrected because I dont give that much of a s*%t

[UMSTUDENT]

Pass fail ratings just mean that the facility has produced students to meet the minimum standards of the accreditation exam.

Id be more concerned with finding which organizations produce stellar students, performing at their peak. This is something you can find through reputation, not percentages.

Spell checked, one mistake found, not corrected because I dont give that much of a s*%t

I agree. Find a paramedic program by reputation. While the field is young, it is not immune to reputation.

[Dustdevil]

Word. Pass rates are not entirely meaningless. I would certainly be very concerned about a school that had a very high failure rate. But conversely, I would not be overly impressed with one that had an exceptionally high pass rate.

But you also have to be careful with the whole reputation thing too. Get the opinions from employers, not medics. Almost every medic will tell you his school was the best, when in fact, he has no way of knowing since it's the only school he's ever been to.

Texas Womens University had a big reputation around here because they supposedly had the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state. Everybody was always raving about how great their school was (especially the students). Yet having worked with lots of new TWU grads in the ER, I was completely underwhelmed by them. They were functionally illiterate. I don't know what TWU was teaching them, but it wasn't how to be a good nurse. But hey, they sure had great pass rates! So again, don't put too much weight on any one factor when choosing a school. Get the big picture.

[Ridryder 911]

I agree with the others. If you can find an accredited program, the chances are they will have a high pass rate as well. Although, it is true, you must pass your test to practice, there is definitely more than the test.

I have a couple of medics that I know, that had a horrible experience in medic school. They self taught themselves, and passed the NREMT/ P with high scores.. so do let the test intimidate you.

Good luck,

R/R 911