California Institute of EMT

Just got hired onto an ambulance company after a year off! That’s a testament to the validity of their training and the lasting impression that they’ve left on me.
I took the accelerated 4 week night course in February 2015 along with working full-​time day job. It’s doable if you FULLY dedicate yourself to it. Be one with the assessment…
Their use of mnemonics, catchy jingles, call-&-response, and nauseous repetition is super effective at cramming large amounts of information in just a short amount of time.
Now, I’ve seen some crap online about people complaining that they’re mean, unprofessional, rude, blah blah blah… This is EMS. Not only are their stern guidance and harsh critiques beneficial towards helping you retain knowledge through stress, it also sets you up for the kind of stress that one will encounter on the field. Even if you’re doing this to be a PA or something else in the medical field, working through stress only makes you a stronger candidate and person overall.
But it’s not all stress and lecture (though it’s a lot) it was also a lot of fun. The info is interesting and relatable thanks to the instructors. It also shows their passion to teaching EMS and that they really do want everyone to pass and be successful. You just have to see through some of their cold, prickly exteriors.
TIPS: Get the book early. Never be late (TRASH). Study with all of your free time. Go in early and ask to work on Annie ;) Audio record lectures. Take pics of the trauma kit and O2 bag. Practice. Get to know your classmates and hang out. When you graduate, go do good.

This is my second time doing continuing education hours through CIEMT (the first time being two years ago). I did my initial EMT class in 2011 when I lived in Kentucky so when I moved to California I had to scramble to try and find a place to do my hours. My agency requires I maintain my National Registry credentials, which means 72 hours of continuing education every two years which can be very tough to come by, especially because my work situation in 2014 only allowed me to attend class on the weekend. CIEMT typically won’t do continuing education hours on the weekend but after asking very nicely and explaining my situation, CIEMT made an exception for me. I would not have been able to renew my license if it weren’t for CIEMT accommodating me.
I will say, Matt’s teaching style is similar to the Socratic teaching method, which is not for the faint of heart. it is incredibly rare you will find the Socratic method in a high school setting, possible in a college setting but depends on the department. However, his teaching style is very similar to what I experienced when attending training at a law enforcement academy. From what I can tell, if you show up to class on time and prepared, as in be prepared to answer any question he might throw at you regarding what you learned from previous classes, you’ll come out of the class ready to pass your National Registry exam. However, if you are late (remember, this is LA so there will always be traffic) and/​or you don’t study and pay attention to the lectures, you will struggle.

This class was out of control! My friend who is an EMT recommended it to me but warned me it was a tough course. The instructors nail you every single day on the material. Come to class prepared or else you will look DUMB and be lost. If you study everyday and keep up with the material the written final will be easy! Practice your skills! I mean PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS. The skills final is hard! But if you know all your skills you will do fine! The instructors made this class very fun and exciting but don’t forget CMS!

I just recently completed the 7 week course and passed my NREMT on the first try yesterday. This class is top-​notch and will make you feel prepared and confident if you take it seriously and put in the time and effort. I have a degree in exercise biology, and I was really impressed with how well the instructors at CIEMT presented and explained the information in a way that really made the information make sense, and helped me «put it together». The instructors here are better anatomy/​physiology instructors than many of my college professors were.
That being said, this class isn’t a walk in the park. You need to put in the time to read, study, make flash cards, get together outside of class, ect. They have very high expectations, but they are reasonably high expectations. I was nervous about the class after reading reviews about the militaristic type of teaching, but you will only get yelled at if you don’t know the answer to something that they taught you. The instructors are very passionate about their subjects, and very clear about what information you need to know, so there is no excuse for not knowing your stuff. While it sometimes can be intimidating, I always felt that they really did care, and they are just trying to give you a wake up call to how important it is to know your information and not be «mindless EMTs».
Tips:
–Bring a jacket. Matt and Garrett make it cold in there.
–Bring food/​beverage and eat it while they’re teaching so you can use your lunch break to study skills.
–Do NOT study just for each quiz. They expect you to know and remember ALL of the information even after you’ve taken a quiz on it. If you don’t know the answer after they’ve taught it to you and you get asked a question on the subject you will be put on the spot and it will not be fun for you.
–Review your all of your materials over and over. It’s a cumulative course, so you will thank yourself once you get to the written final.
–Get to class a half-​hour early to ask for equipment to practice with. One thing that I didn’t really like about this course is I felt like we didn’t have enough practice time for skills, but if you get there early and use your lunches to practice you will be fine.
–Do the review session with Garrett at the end of the course
–Bring beef jerky if you want to be best friends with Bourbon, the gentle giant shepherd dog.
All and all this was a great course and I feel very confident in my knowledge base and abilities. This is a very rewarding class and can be great fun if you put in the time and effort. Best wishes to anyone who signs up!

For the truth, consult the violated reviews on this Unilocal site. A teaching environment full of homophobia, bias, and miscogyny, an EMS provider does not make. Neophyte EMT’S, who haven’t been in the military, like myself, seem to be impressed. The so called ‘paramilitary’ drama, is nothing more than false posturing from a bunch of scrubs with low self esteem. It takes more than ‘yelling’ to shape one into a well rounded EMS provider. These comedian’s need a refresher course in ethics. Stop imposing on the naïveté of new EMT student’s.They don’t need to be part of a ‘reality’ TV show, to pass a national exam.

I just finished the 4 week night course and let me say it was one of the hardest classes I’ve ever taken in my life. This course takes a semester worth of information and crams it all in 4 weeks. Sounds impossible? Well, here at CIEMT the instructors are passionate about teaching and are willing to help you pass if you put in the TIME and EFFORT. The way they teach is unorthodox, but it works. You will be yelled at, if you don’t know the answer he asking for and you will also be yelled at for getting the answer right. Either or you’ll yelled at some point in this course. There is a dog there named Bourbon and he’s the school mascot, pet, and emotional supporting dog. I never made flash cards or recorded the lectures, because I thought it’d be easy, but I regretted that, so I suggest you do either of those and also form a study group or have a study-​buddy to practice vitals or quiz each other (you’ll take a quiz Monday-​Thursday).
There are 5 instructors that tests your skills on the last day, but there are 3 instructors that lectures and teaches skills
The 2 you will see often is Matt and Garrett. Matt is the head director of the school and he is the hyperactive one. He will have you repeat (more like yell) everything he says and he will quiz you on the spot in front of your other peers. If you get it wrong you’ll have a «redemption» moment to try again. Garrett is a lot more calmer compared to Matt, but just as difficult. He emphasizes on mastering your patient assessment, because it’s pretty much a formula for every patient you encounter. So I suggest you google it and try to get a little bit of that «seeds of knowledge»
The people that given this place one star are probably haters that didn’t pass, so they blame the instructors and play the race card to make themselves feel good. The class I had about 10 females and 26 males. All of them have been treated equally.
Tips
Bring food and drinks
Bring a jacket, because you’ll freeze your ass
Go to the bathrooms on your breaks because you can miss a lot of info in those 4 minutes
Master your assessment
Don’t memorize, but understand the information (put things together)
Study Study Study «the next four weeks your ass belongs to Matt»
Use flash cards
Record the lecture
study groups
Show up on time to practice your skills
Get your book early if you registered
CMS before and after (you’ll thank me later)
Master your CPR and AED standards and protocol from the American Heart Association
Don’t get tunneled vision
Lastly I want to thank Matt, Garret, John, and Vinny for everything.
Congratulations to the 8÷7÷15 night course

I signed up for an awesome instructor, Jeff Henry, to only have him part time. Jeff is the best EMT teacher (10 stars), Dani is an amazing anatomy instructor!!! This institute is taught in a militant style. No, sorry, working in the field is not like that unless you are going to work in combat in Afghanistan.
This place is a pig pit. The floor which you will be working on has piles of dog hair on it. My entire time there, I do not think the place was cleaned once. The microwaves where you will cook your food are broken and probably a health or fire code violation. One instructor brought his dog in which defecated on the floor, right where a group was to work on their skills that day.
If you want to spend a lot of money to practice your skills on a filthy floor, poor equipment, potential food poisoning from the kitchen, verbally abused then this is the class for you.
As with any job or school you should be on time anyway. So if you’re late & have to take out the trash, probably because they are to cheap to hire some cleaning company.
The mannequins are disgusting, broken down, missing & outdated along with the manuals & supplies. Go elsewhere now that Jeff isn’t there!!! I took the class just because I am an old EMT and wanted to get my certification again, which I did. I have no plans to work as an EMT.
If you plan to take this course 1) buy knee pads for day 1 & all skills days; 2) If you have absolutely no medical experience-​take a basic medical terminology course PRIOR to the course. There are courses available on-​line. 3) DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO DOGS. 3) try to obtain the book in advance so you can start studying before the course starts. 4) very few skills days.

I wanted to wait until I passed the NREMT on my first try to make my post a little more credible. And hey, I did it!
I took the 7 week day course (8am-​3pm) and found it to be the most torturous, yet most rewarding experience I have been through thus far in my life. Though 7 weeks sounds like a long time, you will hear from the instructors that even though you have a day in-​between classes, you really do not have time. It’s true. There’s so little time for you to take a breath of air between classes, quizzes, and skills days. That being said, I don’t regret my choice in taking this course for a second.
If you don’t have 7 whole weeks to spare, they also have a 4 week night course option. I can’t speak for that particular course, but I have had friends take the course and pass with flying colors, and who have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Like a lot of the reviews say, this course can feel pretty darn militaristic on the daily. We have been gifted with a passionate instructor, Matt, who likes to keep you on your toes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all. I felt that his role in the class was to provide students with a powerful reality check as far as what they’re actually trying to become when they sign up for the class. Being an EMT requires knowledge, grace under pressure, an ability to think of solutions on the dot, and inner endurance. Matt, Garrett, John, and the other instructors kept us accountable for just that. All of these instructors treated us like what we wanted to be: EMTs. They don’t baby you here, because when you’re actually out working in the field, you need to be absolutely prepared for anything. With everything that my classmates and I have been through in those 7 weeks, we came out stronger and more thoughtful individuals.
This class, though an awesome class, is not a walk in the park. It is hard. It takes a lot of work to keep up, and this can be said for most EMT programs in general. In order to get the most out of your time and money, you should put your whole self into the program at the time that you are taking it. A few of my former classmates absolutely did not take the class seriously, and at some point, they started to drop out. They realized that they weren’t putting in enough effort, and they weren’t up-​to-​date on the knowledge we learned in class. Sometimes we would come back from lunch break and I would hear the darned Hunger Games cannon go off in my head, because some people would just not come back. Don’t let this be you. The instructors here can only give you about half of what you need to be successful in the class; it’s about you bringing the other half to the table. People who are disgruntled and say this class sucks probably didn’t bring their share, and they were not able to get the most out of this program. There were some days when I knew I didn’t bring my A-​game, and I definitely felt it. It only motivated me to come back the next time more prepared and ready to go.
Because the class was so tough, I felt like the NREMT was a piece of cake. I actually kind of felt jipped when I took it, because it was so easy in comparison to the quizzes given in class. I’ve been chatting with some of my classmates who made it through the course, and they sound like they’ve been having a lot of success with the NREMT as well! Good news all around.
I think there’s definitely something for everyone in these classes. Our instructors have backgrounds in all sorts of professions that can stem from being an EMT. Matt can tell you what it’s like to be a paramedic, to work in another state (Nevada), and to run your own EMT school. Garrett has a ton of stories involving working with Fire. John has experience being a field medic in the military. I’m not sure what the other assistant instructors have been up to in their time, but at the very least they can give you insight on being an EMT.
To discuss concerns listed in previous reviews:
–I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone being discriminated against or sexually harassed in my class. I can’t speak for all classes, but I know that’s the way mine was. The class is equally hard all around, for everyone. I’m sure if you had an issue and wanted to voice it, the instructors would try to talk it through with you. They don’t intend for people to feel victimized by any means.
–There is a dog that roams the class often. A little pony, as Matt likes to call him, who is our class mascot. His name is Bourbon, and he’s ridiculously cute. If you’re allergic to dogs, it might be an issue, because he likes to make his presence known (or is caught snoozing in the walkway). It’s nice when Bourbon comes strolling through the aisles, ’cause if you’re frustrated in class, you can just pet it out. Someone mentioned him pooping on the carpet? Not sure if that actually happened, but he’s only about 2, so cut the poor puppy a little slack.
This is a great environment with excellent, caring instructors. Two thumbs up! Thanks, guys. :)

«Pretty exciting stuff today guys!!» Lol
Most crazy stressful chaotic overwhelming BUT rewarding experience ! Those that bash Matt for yelling and being harsh or picking on people, really? Look at the career path you have chosen. As an EMT you are responsible for people’s lives, Matt installs the fear of loosing a patient because you didn’t know your stuff and his teaching methods are definitely not like college professors but I’ve learned more in this past 4 weeks than I did my first 2 years in college. No one should take him yelling at you personally, in reality he’s such a cool guy and really funny. All the instructors truly want you to succeed and do all they can to make sure you actually understand the information. Big thanks to Matt John and Garrett !
How to succeed: arrive early, STUDY STUDY STUDY! Record the lectures and mark down the times of things you don’t understand so you can go back and listen, ask questions, PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS DAILY! Learn from your mistakes, get study groups going and practice on each other.
In the end you’ll be able to sit back and look at the HUGE accomplishment you overcame.
Congrats to the 7/​2/​15night class we did it !

I took the 4 week night course in Signal Hill. Let me just begin by saying that I have nothing but the highest regard for all the instructors and staff at CIEMT. I admit the methods used to teach here are far from conventional, however they truly do work.
I am incredibly glad to have been given the opportunity to take this program. That being said, this program is not for everyone. All the instructors will be tough on you. Please don’t take this personally. They want you to succeed.
I had a few programs I had in mind before settling on CIEMT. I can’t tell you about those others, but I can tell you that I definitely did not regret coming here. If you’re ready to learn what you need to be successful, then come to CIEMT — but when do, be ready to take it seriously.
A quick thank you to Matt & Garrett and all the amazing skills instructors :)

CIEMT is a great school! I took their night classes Mon-​Fri 4 – 11 pm. The amount I learned in this class and retained in such a short period of time is more than I learned and retained in two years of college. This class involves lecture days and skills days. Even though 4 – 11 may seem like a long time for a lecture to go on, you have to stay on your toes at all times. Participation is key in this class. The instructors will call you out and ask you questions, but these questions are based on stuff they already taught you. Not knowing when I might be called on forced me to study and stay on top of my stuff. It reminded me a lot of my high school chemistry teacher where she was hard and sarcastic while teaching but had a 100% pass rate on the AP exam. Obviously this teaching style is effective. It makes you strive to perform at your full potential. While teaching the instructors may seem a little intimidating but outside of class time they are extremely nice and will talk to you and take time to help you with whatever questions you have. This class was extremely effective. I just took the national registry and passed it no problem!
Thank you Matt, Garret, John, and all the other instructors! This class made me confident in my abilities to be an EMT.

I am currently enrolled here as a student, aside from other comments here these instructors are among some of the best I’ve had in my 22 years of the pursuit of knowledge. They actually GIVE A SHIT. They are going to hammer you until it’s so beaten into your head that you walk out and your still repeating things to yourself. I would recommend this course to anyone trying to be introduced to the medical field.

Let’s get one thing cleared up first. The reviews on Unilocal here seem to indicate one of two things. A) You are an individual with a passion for medicine and want to succeed in the medical profession (EMS) and won’t allow anything to stop you or B) you have a passing fancy for medicine and aren’t all that driven to pursue a life long journey that will enable you to help others. EMS as well as CIEMT are Para-​MILITARY organizations charged with the enormous responsibility of educating individual’s as well as society in order to assist and serve the general public at large. If you think, you can just buy your way into a 7 week intensive program and expect to waltz thru this course, my advice for you is to skip it, and re-​evaluate your priorities, because this course, let alone, profession is NOT for you.
My time at CIEMT, was educational, intense and life altering to say the least. I will admit, that at first, I had a hard time adjusting to Matt and some of the other instructors in your face attitude. However, NONE of the instructor’s were ever demeaning, mysogynist or even racist, as some have charged here on this site. Yes, you will be asked to recall information you JUST learned 20 seconds ago. YES, you will question as to why you want to even get in to this profession. YES, you will be put under a LOT of STRESS (simulated). This is to weed out those that can handle this kind of profession and those that can’t. It is because of this that Matt and the Instructors are very tough, yet fair to the students. After all, you have people’s lives in your hands, can you really afford to take this kind of thing lightly?
CIEMT prepared me for the NREMT. CIEMT’s written and skills final were so intense that the NREMT exam felt «easy» by comparison. Which says a lot, considering that nothing in this profession is easy. Trauma, Medical, Anatomy, patho-​physiology, drugs, etc., all of this and more is required BASE knowledge for the EMT-​B, and this course gives you that in as little as 4 – 7 weeks. If you are driven, if you have a passion of for emergency medicine, if you have the mettle to not let this kind of low level stress get to you, then CIEMT is for you!

Alright here we go, here we go, here we go… hey.hey.hey.guess what?
If you get offended by getting yelled at, can’t handle being exposed for your weakness and your inability to step up to a challenge, don’t go to CIEMT.
I am assuming most people people either become Paramedic/​Fire fighters if they want to get their EMT license. You’ll get yelled at and reprimanded on a daily basis, what do you really expect ?
I took the 1 month night course from 4 – 11 Monday through Friday.
It was intense as I am also a teacher and was working 8 – 3 as well, however, it was one of the most rewarding experience.
Here are some tips if you want to succeed in this class and you’re busy as hell:
1/​Record all the lectures on your phone:
The only time I studied was on my commute from work/​school/​places, I had Matt’s voice in my head ²⁴⁄₇. In class, at work, in my car, even in my nightmares.
2/​Practice your skills day in day out.
Run the scenarios like you had an imaginary friend. Practice the patient assessment out loud, not just in your head, practice speaking up! I have to stress that out, you’ll be surprised how your voice can crack when you’re under pressure and not used to speaking up.
3/​Do the tutoring at the end of the session
It costs 30 bucks the hour, big deal, this is basically an insurance that you’ll pass the skill test.
You don’t want to fail the skill exam and then pay another 900 dollars to retake the course. I felt 100% confident when I walked in during the skill portion of the test and made 0 mistake.
Passed the written, skill, registry on the 1^st try.
I’m not giving 5 stars because of the A/​C, I had to wear 2 sweaters and a jacket because it was cold as shit in the classroom. I guess it has to be an igloo to be conducive to learning at CIEMT.
Shout-​out to those who graduated on 2÷6÷2015.

It’s like being in military school super tough but their teaching methods really work. Learned a lot in a short period of time. Definitely recommend this school if you’re looking to get your EMT cert.
it’s super tough so be prepared to put all your time into studying. Matt is crazy but good teacher. Jeff also puts in the work and Don’t forget to study!!! When you go to class or you will regret it good luck to anyone who goes there and pay attention.

For those that gave this place a star or two, shame on you. For ya’ll just can’t handle your stress level well, and definitely have no clue what your job as a future «EMT» means. EMT ain’t flipping burgers or answering phone while doing your nails as a receptionist… It can be … hmmm. let me think… STRESSFUL…
Can’t handle the military style education and don’t like people screaming in your face? Stressing out? Want to quit? Wanna cry? paaalease baby cake, stress is the name of the game. Don’t play it, if ya got no balls, period. Go somewhere else and be the average EMT that are JUST doing their «J.O.B».
So, yes I ain’t gonna lie. Yes, the program is extremely brutal, but yes the owner and all the teachers are caring and really really really know their stuff inside out. I honestly read each chapter once or twice and only rely on the recorded lectures to be the main focus of my study (quiz and final). They are very good at making things «STICK» to your head… forever chanting phrases after phrases…
TIPS: 1) Do record the lectures, it will help you to learn so much better, that’s just my opinion, you don’t have to listen if you are not a big fan of recording lectures. Or you are too proud to record it 2) Do go back to imaginary play as if you are a cute little toddler, and practice the skills at home without any tools or real people. Yes, you might look like you are mentally retarded, but hey that’s what make you not just better, but the best. 3) Do not be late for class, or you will miss valuable information. Remember this is a acceleration course, missing few minutes means like an hour in a regular classroom at a junior college. Get your money worth, and be punctual, tardiness is NOT allowed. 4) Don’t be lazy, and procrastinate, and believe you can skip a day without studying and not being productive on your days off. you simply can’t do that, you have to actively study and engage it every step of the way. For what you choose to do in your spare time will ultimately dictate your personal success in class, invest your time wisely and you shall see your reward.
*Oh, one last thing, I picked this program, after I had reviewed more than 5 or 6 programs online… this place has one of the highest passing scores in the national registry and larger class sizes compare to other places… statistics don’t lie ookie… I did make the right choice, for sure for sure*
Update: ok… so here’s the truth and the result of the hard working peeps from ciemt…. Just took the national registry test at 8am today. totally brain fried and blurred in the morning… lol. Did ok at the beginning of the test, yet was totally confused at the end. I was like holy … Lol but again I’m always confused and have a loose screw somewhere in my head… long story short… passed the test first time around. 70 questions in 100 mins. (2 hrs was the time allowed, not sure how this works. and why it was ended prior to the 2 hour mark. and how this grading scale works.. but I believe it’s not based on # of correct answers…)…

Receiving my diploma from this program ranks among the most rewarding moments of my life. The instructors are genuinely passionate about what they teach and have a deep care for the quality of Emergency Medical Services in the field.
I took the morning class and let me say, Jeff Henry is a remarkable teacher. Truly one of the best teachers I have ever had at any level of schooling in my entire life. He is engaging. Blends humor into his lectures and manages to make 7 hour lectures an enjoyable experience. That is not an easy thing to do…
Above all, he transmits a sincere interest in his students well-​being. He wants you to pass. He genuinely cares about you doing well in his program and succeeding in the field.
With that said, this is not a cupcake course. This program is intense!!! It is a comprehensive, accelerated review of human anatomy, physiology and basic life support principles. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material you’re studying.
This program is not for the faint of heart and if you are not in it for the right reasons, you will be exposed. But those who pass will emerge better prepared than any of your peers who attended other EMT programs. This school is the very best at preparing you for a career in the field.
That is the virtue of CIEMT. Jeff creates a nurturing, supportive environment for students to learn. But he is not afraid to voice his anger when students are not taking things seriously. The man is 6’8 and can be intimidating when he needs to make a point. He will bring the thunder at times.
It’s for your own good though. By simulating the pressures faced in the field, you are better trained to recall information and act accordingly under stress when it matters most.
Program was comprehensive and rewarding. If you are committed to becoming an EMT, Paramedic, PA, or any other medical worker, this is where you start. Work hard and you will succeed.
And I promise, you’ll never regret it.

Matt and his staff utilize unorthodox teaching methods at CIEMT, but it is one of the most effective I’ve ever experienced. I’ve served in the military for 25 years and have my Masters in Public Health, so I have a great deal of experience in many civilian and military educational institutions.
The staff is fair, but firm. They are serious about what they teach and expect 100% effort from their students. Yes, they yell at you if you can’t answer questions that have been covered. You have to be able to verbalize your answers and not just recognize them on paper. If you are not comfortable speaking in public, you will be forced to perform and get out of your comfort zone.
I took the one month long, night course. It is intense because you really have to read and study everyday. Skills need to be practiced!! Bring a voice recorder and it will help immensely!!!
I passed my national registry the first time and so did everyone else (in my class) I spoke with so far… If you’re serious about LEARNING, then CIEMT is the place for you!

This course is effective and the instructors care about the quality of EMTs that they produce for the field.
Each instructor has their own style of teaching. Jeff and Dani seemed most effective. Matt has an old-​school drill instructor method and some of the other reviewers who complain about the instruction with adjectives like «abusive» or «condescending» are honestly weak people who are probably better off not working in a highly stressful environment where people are shouting around you as you try to save someone’s life but that’s just my opinion. All of the instructors have a good sense of humor and the class time passes quickly.
The school publishes it’s results for the NREMT which speaks for itself since their students pass at rates far above other institutions (including expensive institutions like UCLA). I felt very well prepared at the end of the course to pass the NREMT and did on my first try.
I’m confident that some of the best EMTs and Paramedics in SoCal have more than likely gone through this program.
My only warning is that the accelerated program is tough. Make sure you have time to study because there is a quiz every day and make sure to practice your skills. If you take the course as seriously as the instructors do you will succeed.

(for my sports fans) Matt Goodman is like Tex Winters (creator of the triangle offense) Jeff is Phil Jackson and the championship banners are all different fire department hats (where previous students work for now) that F-​I-​L-​L Matt’s office.
Tuition wasn’t cheap BUT well worth it! I took the August ’14 morning class. Class met T, Th (every other) saturday from 8am-​3pm for 9 weeks at the Long Beach location. Jeff was our main instructor but Dani (Danielle) did a few of our lectures. For those wondering if they can work while attending school, I was able to work full time while commuting 100miles roundtrip from the valley (wasn’t easy but it had to be done). Matt Goodman (program director) has found a formula that works! Creating an eccellerated program that pushes students to the brink of quitting (for some) while creating a stressful environment in class, helps to better prepare their students for the real world of EMS where you won’t have time to think only act.
the ONLY thing i didn’t like was how we had to bring a stamp to get our course completion letter mailed to us. tuition is $ 900 each class has roughly 30 students and they run 3 classes at a time. I am SURE a small stamp isn’t going to bankrupt this program. But as you can see i still gave this program a ⁵⁄₅ because of the quality of instructors they have.
The way they teach helps you retain information. It may seem corny like:
–LIG-​A-​ment =LIKE-​A-​bone
–whats the best part of a pig (ePIGlottitis)? Bacon, BACONterial (bacterial)
–PENMAN (Scene size up)
–BADPRLS (BAD PEARLS) (causes of pulmonary embolism)
–53 BASH (contraindications of administering nitroglycerin)
etc… But it works!
Getting called out in class bc you don’t know the answer sucks BUT the times I didn’t know I made sure I never got that answer wrong again (and I sure as hell didn’t) The time Jeff yelled, «DONT LET GO OF THE BOARD SIR!!! FAAIILLL!» I never made the same mistake again. So there IS a method behind the madness. And learn from other people’s mistakes!
Best of luck!