RomeViking09 Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 I am starting a Upgrade to EMT-B from Wilderness First Responder in October and then Starting EMT-I/85 in January, I wanted to know how many medics had to do I before they started Medic School. The Technical Colleges here want 6 months on the street before you can start medic school and to work on the street in my area you need EMT-I (no BLS services). and is there anything to watch out for in EMT-I that can screw me up in medic school.
EMSGeek Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 I am a EMT-B currently researching medic schools who has had several friends recently finish critical care tech or paramedic so I've got a little incite. 6 months is the shortest amount of time I've seen for a field experience requirement. From what I've seen the best medics have a decent amount of time in the field as a BLS provider. Any medic worth their salt will tell you that good BLS goes before ALS so having good BLS skills is essential to becoming a good ALS provider. What I've been told by older medics for my own situation was that the best bet is to go from BLS to Paramedic in one shot.
spenac Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 It would be best if you could just go straight to Paramedic with no breaks. Get your experience while in school if possible. If you have to get your EMT-I go straight for it out of EMT-B. Then start Paramedic as soon as possible. There is no reason to stay a basic. Any good paramedic program will help you do your BLS skills better while giving you much needed education.
mobey Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 The only thing you need to take to Paramedic school from BLS experience is assessment skills and critical thinking. In my opinion that is the only justification for BLS at all, just a quick break in school to develop some skills that only come with experience.
akflightmedic Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 The only thing you need to take to Paramedic school from BLS experience is assessment skills and critical thinking. In my opinion that is the only justification for BLS at all, just a quick break in school to develop some skills that only come with experience. I disagree, the skills should come with your clinical time. Yes, clinicals are short but what skills are truly dveloped? Getting vitals and history taking are not that difficult. The other thing is, at what part of the EMT program are critical thinking skills taught or developed? It just does not happen. The course is not set up that way. Skip the break from school and dive right in. With any quality program, you will get all the experience you need and then you can form your own bad habits once you go out on your own.
Dustdevil Posted September 15, 2007 Posted September 15, 2007 The Technical Colleges here want 6 months on the street before you can start medic school... I'd be willing to bet that whoever is running those schools has very little education themselves. They certainly have no formal education on being an educator. They're living in the dark ages. If you can find a better school, do it. Who wants to be taught by people who know nothing about education?
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