Mr. Rawles,
I wanted to pass this along to you and the readers of your site. I’ve been looking to increase my medical skills and training and, I found these schools and programs. I intend on going to a few of them when I return to CONUS. Anyone considering taking any of these classes should account for all associated costs and time to attend. This kind of training isn’t cheap but it is well worth it.
The first is Deployment Medicine International (DMI). It’s been set up to augment military and contract personnel that are deploying overseas. As far as I can tell anyone can go and get trained. The courses they offer are: Operational Emergency Medical Skills, SOF Operational Emergency Medical Skills, Deployment Medicine Operator’s Course, Combat Trauma Management, Mission Performance at High Altitude, Basic Combat Trauma Training, Advanced Combat Trauma Training, and an Accelerated EMT-Paramedic Program.
A lot the course descriptions are the exact same thing after you get past the first two or three paragraphs wit some differences. The school is in Maine and is being used by some operators looking to broaden their skill sets. There program description say they are a benefit all who attend. I can see how they would be and I’ll be going there after I get my NREMT-Paramedic certification/license.
The next school is Tech Pro Services. They have EMT courses you can take online. You take the didactic (lecture) portions online and then in order to complete the certification process, you must travel to their location in Abilene, Texas and complete the Hands On Skills training, testing, clinicals, and ride-alongs.
Upon successful completion of all portions you receive a National Registry EMT certification at whatever level you’ve been working on. If your state, or Commonwealth, is a member of, and recognizes, the National Registry EMT system, your able to return to your state or Commonwealth and challenge the EMS governing body for reciprocity. Once you have reciprocity you would then be certified/licensed in two states.
At this time, Tech Pro Services is the only school to offer an online EMT program that will provide you with this certification. They offer other useful courses but, I’m focusing on the medical training only at this time. I’d recommend any of their classes as all of them are useful.
For those wanting another option for an accelerated EMT-P program, Tidewater Community College in Virginia has an accelerated EMT-P program that is five months long. The only prerequisite is that you already have an EMT-B certification/license. I’ve no idea if they are able to take out of state certifications or licenses.
As I understand it, this course can also provide you with college credits, if you attend their program in that fashion. Good luck getting in touch with them by phone or email though. It took me a few weeks. Why they didn’t answer their phones, return my calls after I left messages, or return my emails in a timely fashion is beyond me, but I’ll be taking their class prior to attending some of the more high speed classes with DMI regardless.
For those that didn’t catch it previous mentions, Medical Corps has some very informative classes that would be useful as well. I’ve spoken with one of the people there and hope to get there in a few years.
For those on a really tight budget you can start learning about some aspects of the EMS field by taking the free Independent Study courses from FEMA‘s Emergency Management Institute. You can download the books and files and test online. I’d recommend the first few courses such as IS-1, IS-3, IS-5.a, and IS-& for starters and then take the National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses. A lot of agencies require them to operate as an EMT.
Frederick Community College in Maryland accepts this training and will convert the classes into single credit courses. They are the only college in the country that will do so. They also have an AAS Degree in Emergency Management that these courses can be applied to. The cost of converting the courses to college credit used to be $60 per course. I don’t know if it is still the same or if it’s changed.
I’ve no affiliation with any of these schools, organizations, or facilities nor have I attended any of these classes or programs. This isn’t intended as a review of them. I thought this would be extremely valuable information to pass along for properly preparing for medical emergencies that will undoubtedly arise WTSHTF. Anyone who’s seen someone shot or unlucky enough to be near an IED when it goes off will truly understand why you must always have at least one medic on hand, and if possible, two with other personnel trained to assist. Good luck and God bless to all, – D. in Dubai