Anybody have any opinions/experience with Mid Plains Community College?

[KD1655]

I have been looking into accelerated EMT-Paramedic programs and I came across Mid Plains Community College 12 week paramedic didactic program. Does anybody have any experience with this school? I have always wanted to be a paramedic and am currently planning on taking a year off between the completion of my master's program (May 2010) and beginning a doctoral program (MD, PhD, or MD/PhD; trying to take the year to decide). I would like to complete paramedic training within that year but the local community college program is a 18 month to 24 month program and I do not want to delay beginning a doctoral program. I have read the posts on various forums decrying the accelerated paramedic programs for academic reasons. However, I think that I will be able to keep up with the speed of instruction. I have been an EMT for ~6 years with over 4 years of paid 911 experience. I will also have my master's degree in materials engineering with extensive training in anatomy and physiology, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. Any advice as to the overall reputation of this program or whether it is good for my situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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[Dwindlin]

While I have no personal experience with this particular program, in general accelerated programs (in my opinion) are a bad idea for medic training. There is an awful lot of information and skills required of a paramedic and cramming all of that into 12-weeks is a bad idea. Again, simply my opinion.

 

[MedicFL]

If you have several degrees and you are already a premed student why both getting your medic too? Just finish your prerec's and get done already. 12 weeks seems WAY too Short to do it in!!! According to their website you have to have your EMT-I already to be in the program.. My program was 1580 hours for paramedic plus another 300 or so for EMT. 12 weeks is only 2016 hours itself and that 24 hours a day 7 days a week..I mean even if you take a year off by the time you do this program get everything done and take your state test find a job and get cleared as a medic your only gonna end up actually working as a paramedic maybe 3 months total.