How Rigorous is EMT-B Training?

[GoldenNeuron]

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How rigorous is EMT training? How much time do you spend a day studying? Is the work really difficult? Roughly how much does it cost from beginning to end for EMT basic.

 

[deleted6669]

depends on the format you do it in. it's 120 hrs or so. doing it in a condensed version is pretty challenging over a short period. most classes last a semester so it's only a few hrs/week. not too bad.
I spent minimal time studying and took it while a senior in high school. my course was free. I just had to buy the book. costs today range from free to a few hundred bucks for a standard course to thousands for the quickie courses.

 

[GoldenNeuron]

depends on the format you do it in. it's 120 hrs or so. doing it in a condensed version is pretty challenging over a short period. most classes last a semester so it's only a few hrs/week. not too bad.
I spent minimal time studying and took it while a senior in high school. my course was free. I just had to buy the book. costs today range from free to a few hundred bucks for a standard course to thousands for the quickie courses.

I just want to do it normally i'm in no rush.

 

[joeDO2]

its all relative. 120 hours is one work week for some. if you can complete high school level courses and put in a few hours a night you will pass no problem.

 

[GoldenNeuron]

its all relative. 120 hours is one work week for some. if you can complete high school level courses and put in a few hours a night you will pass no problem.

Ok thanks.

 

[frosted_flake]

Not difficult at all, I loved every minute of my EMT-B course... I would do it again any time. My course was free (minus my skills test and NREMT exam (~$200 total). Try to do it through a FD or your school.

 

[GreenBlade]

I took the Army's 7 week program (68W) and it was pretty rough. Lots of washouts.

 

[MrEbola]

I'm just getting down with an accelerated EMT-B training program. It was 8 weeks and extremely hard. Everything is so fast paced. But accomplishable.

This program in particular was around $1,100.00 but worth it.

 

[Novakaine]

If you've taken a Bio 101, A&P or even AP Bio your over prepared and will be able to get through very easily. However, you will need to study the 'EMS specific'/ non science stuff (BVM ventilation rates, medication doses, protocols etc). Oh and yeah, KNOW YOUR PROTOCOLS, it's literally getting sued vs. not.

If you've had actual EMS experience + academic experience (bio) you may never have to study once.

And remember DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.

 

[anichka]

My EMT class started with 17, ended with 11 or so passing. It didn't seem to rigorous to me, but it was demanding in terms of time (?? 8 to 16 hours week class time for 4 months, homework, one ED rotation, 10 patient contacts - for most people this meant at least two shifts of ride alongs). For people who had no other real commitments, it was not bad, I think. It was a balancing act for me between school, two paying jobs, and two volunteer jobs, but it wasn't hard.

 

[fez68w]

If you zero medical background & ure brand new to the EMS world, there will be a learning curve. It took me a while for things to click.

If you take a 6 month course (or 4 month, whichever), that's a safe pace to learn & digest information. My course was 6 weeks(Army crunches everythin') and it was challenging.

Even if people get past the course, the part that trips them up is the hands on (All Skills Tests).

 

[austintr]

As everyone else has said, it's not hard, just a little time consuming. We only had a few in my class that didn't make it through, and they were questionable to begin with. I probably spent a total of two hours a week studying, it was about a 10-week class, and it will be a lot easier if you have a decent instructor. Don't sweat it, if you have the insight and desire to pass enough to post on SDN about it, you'll do just fine! ;-)

If you zero medical background & ure brand new to the EMS world, there will be a learning curve. It took me a while for things to click.

If you take a 6 month course (or 4 month, whichever), that's a safe pace to learn & digest information. My course was 6 weeks(Army crunches everythin') and it was challenging.

Even if people get past the course, the part that trips them up is the hands on (All Skills Tests).

Sidenote: I work in Manhattan, and we have some 68W's that first respond for us, mainly in Ogden. Small world!

 

[CircadianRhythm]

Join a volunteer fire dept and have them put you through the course for free. The class I took cost $1200, but after books and other random fees it was probably closer to 2k. Besides you will need the 911 experience you get from a volunteer dept, so many of my classmates went to private interfacility transport jobs and lost all of their skills.

 

[bcurtis]

Mine was pretty difficult seeing as we had everything in just 8 weeks. We started with 24 people an took 6 to national registry.

 

[CuriousDrifter]

How rigorous is EMT training? How much time do you spend a day studying? Is the work really difficult? Roughly how much does it cost from beginning to end for EMT basic.

I'm currently taking an EMT-B class now through Training 911.... the cost is about ~$900 including the text book. I would definitely encourage you to volunteer first so your local rescue squad will pay for the course. It feels a bit out of place, as I am the only "civilian"/non-volunteer student in the class.

I think there has been a slightly bigger push towards EMT-B classes really grasping pathophysiology/A & P and utilizing it in trauma/medical situations....regardless the information you learn about the body systems, shock, 'when things go wrong' are pretty elementary..as the other poster said, if you are comfortable with high school level science courses you should be fine. That being said, you still need to study, and perfect your BLS training....it is essential....without a solid basis you're not going to be a competent EMT-B provider let alone ALS.

1) PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and PRACTICE some more. PRACTICE ALL your skills set until you can do it in your sleep.
2) Don't over analyze the questions, just answer how you've been taught. (When in doubt just go back to your A-B-Cs).
3) Practicing with your students after/before class never hurts.
4) If you get performance anxiety-find a way to combat it, because I guarantee it can really trip you up.

 

[NotAnOperator]

Got my EMTB through the military. We get 1 month of class/study time before we take the NREMT. There's about an 80% pass rate for the first attempt. I paid attention in class, never even studied once in my off time, and passed my first attempt. I had no medical background prior and would only consider myself slightly above average in school. EMT-B is pretty much the lowest level of healthcare. Anyone with common sense and an ability to retain some information shouldn't have trouble passing. LPN was a little more difficult and paramedic was pretty tough (since I neglected to study at home).