Why didn't I become an EMT-I before going into Paramedic School?
Lets look at some education guidelines...
For an EMT-B the education requirements are as follows....
"In addition to the required 110 hours of instruction, this course requires that the student have patient interactions in a clinical setting."
that is per EMS.gov National Standards Cirricula
For an I-85(the intermediate level in New Hampshire)....
Okay...I searched and searched, and I can't get a straight answer out of anywhere about the hours of education and clinicals. The number of hours I typically saw was somewhere in the range of 200 or so for classroom time and clinicals, as well as a certain amount of IV sticks and intubations(where applicable). I guess in the range of 10 or so each. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
For my paramedic program...
So, let's visualize this...
Finally, I found an interesting passage on pages 18-19 the DOT national standard curriculum for Paramedics(pdf file!) in regards to being a basic as a pre-requisite for Paramedic Education:
EMT-Basic
It has been a long held tradition to use EMT-Basic certification as a prerequisite for more advanced EMS education, and this curriculum continues that tradition. It is important to note that some educators have questioned the practice of using EMT-Basic as a required certification prior to enrollment in Paramedic education. In fact, no studies have been able to verify EMT-Basic certification or experience as a predictor of success in paramedic education. Of course, paramedics are required to be competent in all of the skills and knowledge of and EMT-Basic, and this knowledge base and skills competence should be verified during paramedic education.
Although this curriculum identifies EMT-Basic as a prerequisite, we have done so in the absence of empirical data suggesting that this is appropriate. We encourage flexibility in approaching the issue of EMT-Basic as a prerequisite to paramedic education. We also recognize that it may be possible to incorporate all of the material of an EMT-Basic class into a paramedic program, eliminating the need for it as a prerequisite. Clearly, more research is needed.
I guess I have confidence in my abilities and knowledge to complete the program and I thought going through with becoming an Intermediate first would just be a waste of my time and money. i feel like Paramedic Education goes so far above and beyond the intermediate level that any advantage would be overshadowed fairly quickly. Please comment if you agree or disagree.
If you aren't paying and enjoy where you work, then becoming an intermediate first makes sense
ReplyDelete