Views on full-time EMT courses

Eefr

I did the EFR a few years ago and enjoyed it greatly. Like many I've thought about upping to EMT level through going the private route. I'm no stranger to study and I know the pros and cons of going private over a voluntary org, but I've always wanted to do it and have some time on my hands at the moment.

Has anyone any experience of doing a full-time EMT course (four weeks) with one of the recognised institutions, and if so did you find it possible to absorb everything in that time period or was it intense? Did you find the PHECC exams tough or were you happy that you could get through them with what you'd learnt?

I will probably have to return to the vols to maintain CPC and use the skills as it's kind of pointless if you're not using it or pay privately to do some of the new CPC courses emerging just to stay on the register.

Any info/thoughts appreciated.

kingfisher76

There are a lot of people doing it privately but unless you intend on either working with a CPG approved organisation (Privates or Voluntaries) there is absolutely no point in doing it. From what I hear on the grapevine with changes being implemented by PHECC, they will be looking at the loophole that allows EMTs to be registered even though not privileged by any CPG approved org which is a great thing to hear as there are way too many unattached EMTs out there advertising services off grid.

From personal experience, the people who work their way up through the voluntaries tend to be better practitioners from get go after doing the EMT. The private trained, unless they've been working in the field previously, have very little to no patient experience and the practical skills need a lot of work as the course has been crammed into a short space of time. Most voluntaries will have a rule that a private trained EMT joining them will have to do at least 30hours alongside another EMT before being left off as clinical lead on a crew.

So it's all down to how well you think you can absorb the info in a short space of time and then what you intend doing afterwards, the voluntaries do require some level of commitment and you need to be willing to do it.

Personally, I would join the voluntaries as an EFR (get upskilled if you need to), do a few months out on duties and then decide if you want to go on to the next level before spending a lot of money on something you may not then use.

Hope that helps.

Eefr

kingfisher76 wrote: »

There are a lot of people doing it privately but unless you intend on either working with a CPG approved organisation (Privates or Voluntaries) there is absolutely no point in doing it. From what I hear on the grapevine with changes being implemented by PHECC, they will be looking at the loophole that allows EMTs to be registered even though not privileged by any CPG approved org which is a great thing to hear as there are way too many unattached EMTs out there advertising services off grid.

From personal experience, the people who work their way up through the voluntaries tend to be better practitioners from get go after doing the EMT. The private trained, unless they've been working in the field previously, have very little to no patient experience and the practical skills need a lot of work as the course has been crammed into a short space of time. Most voluntaries will have a rule that a private trained EMT joining them will have to do at least 30hours alongside another EMT before being left off as clinical lead on a crew.

So it's all down to how well you think you can absorb the info in a short space of time and then what you intend doing afterwards, the voluntaries do require some level of commitment and you need to be willing to do it.

Personally, I would join the voluntaries as an EFR (get upskilled if you need to), do a few months out on duties and then decide if you want to go on to the next level before spending a lot of money on something you may not then use.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Kingfisher, that helped.

Re: privileging. I would hope they won't just do it for EMTs, as there are quite a few "state registered paramedics" operating off the grid as well in my experience, popping up in workplaces and at events. It's poor practice and it's something I always hate as someone with a vol background as it takes duties off us at times.

Previously I did the EFR with a vol, but didn't up-skill in the past two CPG editions which have changed things a bit. I have a good five years of first aid practice from that assisting practitioners on duty, etc. at both small and big events so have had a fair share of patient contact at Responder level.

I've no problems with vols, enjoy the craic and would be eligible to take the EMT as I've done the time, but they tend to make any PHECC training a very, very slow bureaucratic process vs what's available in the private sector imo.

Decision really seems to be down to a quick fix vs slow and steady.

Mycroft H

Train with your volly org. I've heard some good things about private EMT courses and then some really questionable things.