gbngosn

Is there such a thing at UC Berkeley? I recently overheard a stranger talking about EMT-basic certification, so I went online and did a bit of research. It sounds awesome. I'm not in it for any of the pre-med hype, (I don't even know if I wanna go that route), but it genuinely sounds like a niche I could get really involved in - both exciting and fulfilling at the same time. Just my thing.

Thing is, I have no idea about how to get training in my area (San Jose, California). I've heard "contact local EMS service" (huh? how?) or go to a local fire station or hospital. I've also heard that some unis offer classes, so I was wondering if Cal has one that I can take... if anyone has any info in general, it'd be greatly appreciated!!

tastyb33f

I did my EMT training at a private organization called Fast Response (http://www.fastresponse.org), which is located right next to campus. EMT classes are not offered through Cal, but the local community colleges - BCC and Merritt would be the closest ones - do. The problem with Fast Response is that it's quite expensive, but the teachers are really, really good - they all have many years of field experience, they're all enthusiastic about teaching the material, they all have good stories to tell, and the school does prepare you well for the cert (I didn't even have to study for my cert exam, the class was that good). Also, Fast Response offers a 4-week summer accelerated program, where you go to class M-F 8-5, structured as lecture in the morning, 1 hour lunch break, and field in the afternoon. (That was the program I decided to do because I had a free summer and wanted to do something with it instead of sitting around doing nothing.) But, again, the summer program is quite expensive, moreso than if you did the regular program. But I highly, HIGHLY recommend Fast Response if you're not too worried about money and want a positive quality experience. The Mass Casualty Incident that you get to do at the end of the program - we all go to the naval base...something...in Concord, we get to put on pretty gruesome makeup, etc. - definitely makes the experience pretty fun and amazing.

At the community college, it's much cheaper, and the quality of education is probably comparable, although I don't have first-hand experience, so I wouldn't know, but my friend who took the class at Merritt said she had a pretty positive experience. I also don't know if they have a summer accelerated course.The problem, then, is that Merritt is rather far away, and without a car, it would be a bit of a hassle to get there. And you won't get the MCI like you do with Fast Response.

Then, of course, you could look at your local Santa Clara County offerings: Training Programs - Emergency Medical Services (DEP)

Feel free to ask me for any more questions - I've gone through the whole process.

BlueElmo

How much did you shell our for Fast Response? I can't seem to find the info on their site.
Also, are you currently working as a EMT while attending school?

tastyb33f

Yeah, you'll have to call and ask directly. But for the accelerated summer program, it was somewhere around $1500, if I recall...yeah, it's pretty high, but worth it if you're into this kind of thing. The regular semester course will definitely be cheaper.

I worked for a little while but unfortunately the workload got to me and so I decided to stop working. I wouldn't recommend working and doing school at the same time unless you're willing to give up your weekends or something, mostly due to the 10-hr minimum shifts. It's a pretty big time investment.