Classes After High School

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blterry

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thats a pretty big commitment. i just think itd be a better idea to take EMT-B first and then take a medic class if you want to later.

taking a medic class right out of high school seems like a pretty big leap of faith to me but idk i could be wrong.
 
No, absolutely not.

For classes after high school, I recommend general college courses and getting your degree. After you graduate, then do the EMS training as an adjunct to your main education.
 
A degree in what? EMS does offer a degree.

That program includes pharmacology and a&p with lab, it also counts in college credit hours, not hours of training.

I'm impressed with it, if not slightly jealous.
 
Don't bite off more than you can chew.

I'm assuming you're just graduating now, therefor little, if any college class experience. The first semester alone is a lot even for a seasoned college student. If you can do A&P, EMT, AND pharmocology, all at the same time, go for it. But I've seen many people struggle taking just one, let alone 2, of those classes at the same time.
 
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Sasha said:
A degree in what? EMS does offer a degree.
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A degree in whatever he would enjoy studying. If it's EMS, that's fine, but the PDF he posted makes no mention of getting a degree out of it. Many paramedic programs offer college credit, but only some offer an actual degree in EMS.

I'd recommend something broad that could be applied to various jobs (in case he decides EMS isn't for him OR he wants to do other things in addition to EMS). An EMS degree is fine, but with good pre-reqs and good paramedic program, you'll probably get what you need that way. Of course, there are definitely some attractive programs, like Loma Linda's which I would go for.
 
To me, it looks like a decent program. If he wants to be in EMS, go for it. Better to start early and find out it's not something you want to do than to start late when it's hard to bust into the job market.

It looks like a fantastic program, based on the flyer alone, to me, at least.
 
Linuss said:
Don't bite off more than you can chew.

I'm assuming you're just graduating now, therefor little, if any college class experience. The first semester alone is a lot even for a seasoned college student. If you can do A&P, EMT, AND pharmocology, all at the same time, go for it. But I've seen many people struggle taking just one, let alone 2, of those classes at the same time.
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You've also got to take in account, a lot of people who struggle with college courses are people who had been out of school for years and have forgotten how to study and even how to learn something new from a lecture, not someone fresh out of one school and in to another.
 
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That looks like a solid program. If you're commited to becoming a Paramedic and think you can handle that courseload, go for it.
 
Seems solid... however don't forget to check with your state, as most (if not all) require you to take the EMT-Basic class first and obtain NREMT and/or state certification as a Basic before enrolling in a paramedic program. Some schools require a year of field experience before starting paramedic too. Otherwise, I say go for it.
 
Sasha said:
To me, it looks like a decent program. If he wants to be in EMS, go for it. Better to start early and find out it's not something you want to do than to start late when it's hard to bust into the job market.
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Wait . . . if he realizes it's not something he wants to do he will have already spent whoever long on classes he might not need with money down the drain, then has to start over.

If he gets his degree first, he'll be set for whatever job he might like. He'll have dipped into various college classes, gotten a better idea of what he wants to do, and might even have time to work as an EMT for a bit to decide if it's what he wants or not.

Not knocking the paramedic program. Looks good. BUT don't put a specialty program before your college degree. Like you said, if the market isn't great, all he'll have is the cert. But if he has a degree, he can go get an number of jobs.

I believe that's solid advice for anyone coming out of high school.
 
What if he gets a college degree in something he doesn't like? Is the money not wasted then, as well? Also if he gets a degree in an unrelated field, turns out he likes EMS, then didn't he waste the college degree?
 
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Okay, maybe I missed something? Hmmm....nope didn't see anything solid about it. Appears to be a the normal standard Paramedic course to me. Also it is just a certificate level as no mentioning of an associate degree. I would presume there is another track to obtain one though.

The only difference I did see was A & P was required during or before Basic EMT. That was a smart idea.

I would hope it is a sound program but one cannot tell if it is simply by the recommended course studies outline. One should ask: is it accredited, what type of clinical areas will be available for EMS students, what level of education and experience does the educators posses also what type of success of passing the boards and license, and is any there job placement assistance available and percentage of graduates that are currently employed in EMS? All of those should be asked before considering entering any EMS program.

R/r 911
 
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Thanks for all the info

Thanks for all the info but this is the only EMT program this college offers and it says after you take the class you can sit in on the NREMT exam
 
Don't box yourself in to something right out of high school if you don't have to or if you're not absolutely sure it's something you want to do. A general bachelor's is never wasted, IMHO, because you can learn a lot, get all of the prereqs for a lot of different career options, and explore other areas of study that might interest you. You never know what else is out there that you might find fascinating.

Just an opinion from someone who's BTDT.

OTOH, if you are really interested in becoming a paramedic, go for it! It's only a year and if you later decide you want to do something else, you can check into going back to school.
 
Sasha said:
What if he gets a college degree in something he doesn't like? Is the money not wasted then, as well? Also if he gets a degree in an unrelated field, turns out he likes EMS, then didn't he waste the college degree?
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He wouldn't get a degree in something he doesn't like studying, because he would have time to decide while doing his general education. If it turns out, he doesn't like the jobs available in that field, his bachelor's will get him any number of other jobs.

The point of a college degree isn't necessarily to study for the job you're going to get. It's to get well-rounded, develop academic ability, develop critical thinking skills, life experience, show you have some intelligence, perseverance, and know how to learn. Those are the skills most employers want.

If he likes EMS, great. He'll be a well-rounded paramedic and be contributing to our profession. Field workers at my EMS company have degrees in biology, psychology, communications, history, international relations, English, etc etc etc.

If he doesn't go now, he also risks never going back to school full-time. Possibly missing out on financial aid grants if he ages out. And just life happening.

I can't count the number of adults who told me to make sure I get my degree FIRST before doing anything else when I was graduating high school. SO many people told me their stories about how once you're out of school, it's so hard to go back. (Get wrapped up in your job, making money, unexpected pregnancy, life expenses, promotion at work that makes you have to stay, lose interest, lose motivation, academic ability gets rusty, etc etc)
 
taking a medic class right out of high school seems like a pretty big leap of faith to me but idk i could be wrong.[/QUOTE]

I am just graduating high school this year. Graduation is on the 31st in 5 days. I did dual enrollment and will be able to do the national registry for my EMT-B licence is two weeks. I am looking at the paramedic program for this fall. My grades were great in my class, missed being the top by less than 1%. My final grade was a 100.55% I am very confident that I can make the medic program and do great in it. My local, volunteer, fire department just hired me and lets me ride on the ambulance. What are your views on taking the course of medic right after high school, with these conditions? I have been told to go right into it by some medics, and some medics tell me to wait 2-3 years before I even think about it. I have talken the Anatomy and Physilogy. This is all through Lansing Communtiy College. I have also meet all requirements for the paramedic program. Any ideas??? B)
 
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