Long drawn out short courses

[Outbac1]

I don't quite get it. If your EMT-B is a minimun 110 hrs long and I gather most are under 160hrs. Why are so many dragged out for months and semesters? I can understand to a point that some people want to take a night course and keep their day job. But it seems that many who post here want full time work when they finish. A 120 hrs is only 3 x 40hr work weeks and 160 hrs is 4 x 40hr. I would think that if I wanted a full time job I would want to take a full time course, get it over with and go get a job. So why drag it out. Are there no full time courses?

 

[JPINFV]

Which sounds cooler, going to school for 3 months or going to school for 110-120 hours?

 

[EMTDON970]

Which sounds cooler, going to school for 3 months or going to school for 110-120 hours?

Depends on the days and times and etc.

 

[Ridryder911]

What sounds cooler going to school 3-4 months, 120 hours, or going to get an education? One that should emphasize obtaining a thorough course, to be able to absorb and master each and to master each skill so it becomes a a secondary habit. That one has mastered all objectives to be able to perform to all standards necessary.


R/r 911

 

[mycrofft]

The hours are the hours in the classroom.

If you do one hour of class a month, 110 hrs would take 110 years.
And if you think passing a class makes you a master, good luck with that. It lets you out of the dugout and up to the plate. You never master this, the field changes, we change, and Murphy will always be glad to throw you a curve in the form of poor pt hx, dead batteries, snow, etc etc.
(Hey, I didn't mix my metaphors!)

 

[firecoins]

If you do one hour of class a month, 110 hrs would take 110 years.
)

No. If I took 1 hour a month it would take me 110 months, not 110 years.

 

[John E]

I think...

that most EMT classes are the way they are because most of them are taught at community/junior colleges that are based on some sort of semester system.

Simple tradition.

I also think that the longer schedule makes for a better program. With the luxury of a longer amount of time the students can theoretically take more time to practice their clinical skills, do their ride-alongs, hospital rotations, etc.

Some of them might even take the opportunity to study...;^)

John E.

 

[triemal04]

that most EMT classes are the way they are because most of them are taught at community/junior colleges that are based on some sort of semester system.

Simple tradition.

I also think that the longer schedule makes for a better program. With the luxury of a longer amount of time the students can theoretically take more time to practice their clinical skills, do their ride-alongs, hospital rotations, etc.

Some of them might even take the opportunity to study...;^)

John E.

This assumes that that the amount of time they will spend in clinicals or riding will increase.

Guess what...it doesn't.

 

[mycrofft]

Augh! But I didn't mix my metaphors!

This IS september isn't it? Good!

 

[apagea99]

The course I'm taking is 213 hours of lecture/practicals + 64 hours of clinicals over a period of 9 months. I'm actually very happy that it's taking that long because I need the study time on top of being able to work full time. Without the full time job I wouldn't be able to pull this off.

 

[firecoins]

My first EMT class met 2x a week for 5 months. It was aimed at volunteers which is why it was drawn out. It was 160 hours. It didn't make it any better. At the time, I thought it didn't really prepare me for being an EMT. I happened to be riding one 12 hour volunteers shift a week as a third during the course which was amounted to 16 shifts on top of the entire one shift I was required to do in an ambulance and one shift in the ER. I did not however understand why at that time. I never actually ran calls until I finished the class. That was when the real learning began.

My second EMT class took 3.5 months. It coincided with the cllege semester since it was offered at a community college. It was for 8 credits and about 175 hours. I also did volunteer shifts during class. This class also was unsatisfactory. But I had 6 years as an EMT-B previously.