friend offered to start a paramedics program TOMORROW. Bad idea? lookin for opinions!

[DigDugDude]

My friend is working and doesnt have a profile on here however i thought getting some advice from you guys would really help him.

heres the short story.

he is 27
did emt class 4 semesters ago passed with a B.
the 3 semesters after of community college gen ed schooling =
1st semester - AnP = 1 A
2nd semester - 2 humanities/arts classes = 1 B and 1 C.
3rd semester (the one that just finished)- anthro+eng 102 = all failed.

hes been working a new job as an ED tech for 3 months making 20/hr. Job security isnt there till probation period is up which is 6 months. Hes fulltime works 5X8 hour shifts a week.

Hes a smart guy and has a passion for EMS hes just not very organized.

He called a local paramedics school today they said he could drop into their program which starts tomorrow its 3500$ +books/uniforms. its 11 months. tuesdays and thursdays from 8am to 430pm + all clinical time.

He talked to job they said they could rearrange his schedule for this calendar then next scheduling period drop him down to part time.

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A few thoughts i had were -

i think its a little sheisty for a school to just be like "oh come right in tomorrow! bring your 3500$ we will work it all out!". i feel like its just gonna set him up to fail.

i also think its WAY too much too soon with ZERO time to prepare for such a big task.

i got a 3.3 gpa and have an awesome job and security with it and if this opp was offered to me personally wouldnt take it just because ive heard how intense paramedics programs are but my bud wants some other opinions.

he has to decide tonight.

and show up tomorrow morning at 8am to start.


SO EMTLIFERS!!!???? got any thoughts for my bud ?

 

[DesertMedic66]

If he wants to become a medic then he should probably take the course. $3500 is not bad at all considering some schools in my area cost $12,000.

 

[DigDugDude]

here the cost is between 3500-7500 depending where you go.

my concern is 12 hours isnt much time to completely rearrange your life to start a super intense program. just because something falls into your lap doesnt make it a good opportunity.

maybe im just a worry wort :rofl:

 

[unleashedfury]

maybe they are short a body to start the program? I know a lot of places won't start a class without the minimum amount of students to justify the course.

If its really what he wants and his job is willing to work around it, no kids no responsibilities nothing like that what does he have to loose except some money?

 

[DigDugDude]

indeed

well i guess theres not much to lose besides money, time, job stability.

- he could be let go at any point before his 6 months without a reason. (and dropping down to part time and having to rearrange shifts and the holes that may happen as a result may sway the job that a new hire isnt worth the trouble?)

- hes making much more money now as a tech in the ed than he would as a paramedic, unless he got a city fire department job. which the wait times are in the YEARS right now.

- having not ever been a fulltime student and working/living on his own then taking on a HUGE time and course load overnight just seems like a setup for failure.

ah well its his life.

thanks so far for the responses though guys!

 

[Angel]

Id be cautious. we had a school in the central valley (CA) that just up and close its doors one day and students were left with nothing. all their money gone, no clinical placement, no internships nothing. they were LUCKY to have other medic programs take them in to finish their schooling without having to start all over and pony up the cash.

he needs to see if the school is accredited and if/when their accreditation expires.

3500 is a lot to me so I would wanna do my research, nothing wrong with waiting. most people would kill for an ER tech job.

 

[MrJones]

No way I'd jump into a program on that short notice. If that program is a legitimate one, it and its $3500 tuition will be there in the future. If he really wants to be a medic he should be willing to bide his time until the next class rolls around if that's what it takes to achieve his goal. Use the time to get better as an EMT/ED Tech and prep for success.

 

[joshrunkle35]

If his grades are any indication, it could be a waste of money.

There are two generic types of programs in my area:

One type is really expensive ($10,000-12,000), but they have a lot of extra hours and "spoon-feed" you the material. If you fail a semester or quarter, you can restart that same semester or quarter in the future. The testing requirements to pass are consistently low: you need a 68-70% to stay in the course.

The second type is much, much cheaper ($5,000-7,000). You are not "spoon fed" any information. If you come early or leave late, the instructors are more than willing to spend extra hours helping you, but the class is fast-paced and the grade demands are high: get below an 80% and it counts as a failure. Fail more than one or two assignments and you're kicked out of school. There is no restart of quarters or semesters.

If your friend is in the latter type of school, a major issue he might run into is that in the future, when he gets bored or lazy, even for one day in class, he might have a few assignments due, and if it's the type of school with the strict standards, one day of sloppiness isn't tolerated. You always owe your patients 100%. He would be told that and removed from the program.

If, on the other hand, it's the type where you can fail over and over again, and restart quarters or semesters, he would probably be fine.

I went to the stricter type of school. I graduated with a 92% and probably had the lowest grade of the graduates, who were all by far, much better than me. Most people who started didn't make it through. I currently attend school at another school where I'm finishing my degree. They're the total opposite. They have very low standards, many people retake portions of the school (semesters) but in the end, they have a lot more graduates.

I'm not passing moral judgement on either type of school. Personally, I love where I went, and friends who went to the other prefer their system. What I am expressing is that your friend's academic history suggests that he should go to a program that allows for mistakes. It might take him 2 years to finish, but at least he won't fail out 10 months into an 11 month school.