EMT-B?

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So I need two filler classes for next fall to max out my financial aide. The EMT certification for my community college is only two courses - is it worth getting the cert? The other two classes I'm taking are government and architecture.

I think I want to work in the ED (though I'm waiting until clinicals to make up my mind). Just looking for opinions :)

Thanks in advance!!

Specializes in Emergency Room, CEN, TCRN.

At least out here on the west coast -- and by baccalaureate, I mean ANY undergraduate degree, not just nursing. If you took two years in high school you could get a waiver at many schools.

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I just took the EMTB class. Its an 8 credit class plus there is special Operations class you have to take with it, which is 3 credits. I took these with a math class. I had a great experience but I will tell you, it is not a "filler class" I dont know if it was just my school (OSU-OKC) but you aren't allowed to take more than one other class in conjunction with the EMT classes. With those two classes and my math I was at 14 credits. There is A LOT of info to learn along with clinicals. Its a great feeling when you finish though. I just found out that I made the highest grade on my final (brag moment! :) ) Would I recommend taking? Yes. Do not underestimate with time and learning involved though.

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I just took the EMTB class. Its an 8 credit class plus there is special Operations class you have to take with it, which is 3 credits. I took these with a math class. I had a great experience but I will tell you, it is not a "filler class" I dont know if it was just my school (OSU-OKC) but you aren't allowed to take more than one other class in conjunction with the EMT classes. With those two classes and my math I was at 14 credits. There is A LOT of info to learn along with clinicals. Its a great feeling when you finish though. I just found out that I made the highest grade on my final (brag moment! :) ) Would I recommend taking? Yes. Do not underestimate with time and learning involved though.

I didn't mean filler as in easy, I meant as in creating a full schedule.

Thanks for bringing up the concurrent classes, I'll have to check that out for sure.

Thanks again for all the input! I really appreciate it!

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Specializes in Emergency Room, CEN, TCRN.

Are there any other electives or humanities you can take that your school gives points for taking? For instance, my school didn't require chemistry but if you took it you got extra application points. You mentioned that you had CNA experience, so if your school gives points for medical experience the EMT-B courses might be extraneous. Further, my institution didn't give us points just for taking a EMT or CNA class, it gave us points for actual hours worked with the certification.

Some of the skills are directly translatable to your BSN program (assessments, for instance), but the EMT model is a little different than the nursing model and I'd probably want to use my time on courses that I know the institution I'm applying to rewards in consideration points if those are available. I also did my upper division requirements before I started my program that you might look into taking. Sure, I lost out on a couple of dollars of financial aid but I consider it buying away the stress a lot of my cohort have trying to juggle our nursing courses with upper division elective courses.

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No, they don't. My BSN program looks at your overall GPA, your math/science GPA and your TEAS score. They don't care about volunteer work, experience, any certifications, or any extra classes. I thought it would be a good certification to have if I wanted a summer job in the ED as a tech, or for hiring purposes later down the line. It's not meant to help me in school, but in life. I realize that nursing and EMT skills are very different, as I've worked in the medical field before (though that was 20 years ago), directly with EMS and Paramedics. I have time to kill and getting the full amount of financial aide is crucial. I thought doing this would be a good way to learn additional skills, get my BLS certification and look great on my resume, as I've been out of work for over 11 years taking care of my kids, and adding anything on there would be helpful.

Also, it sounds fun.

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Specializes in Emergency Room, CEN, TCRN.

If it knocks off a couple of things you need (BLS certs/work experience/skill development) and there's no other requirements your school has left for you to do, go for it.

There are definitely some advantages I had coming from an EMS background when starting my BSN program. A lot of the core skills like taking vital signs transfer over -- the biggest was having patient assessments and history questions down pat.

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