I recently went through a B to P class. Even now I am still being evaluated to become a Paramedic in charge or PMIC. My class was over a year long and we did a lot of basic EMT skills just to review. When we took the National Registry Paramedic exam, it seemed heavy on basic skills also. The instructor always said that he wanted us to be good EMT's first. Remember that even as a Paramedic, you won't always have your gear with you or drugs. In those cases your no better use than a basic EMT (not taking anything away from EMT-B's).
Point being, I think that the B to P class is the way to go. I believe that if you go the B to I mode, you don't get as much out of clinicals when you eventually take the I to P class. I see a lot of EMT-I's kind of rolling their eyes at having to do clinicals all over again.
I also make this observation from seeing what my wife had to do in a B to I class she was in and had to drop. And seeing what she is currently doing in her B to P class. B to P class is more in depth with anatomy and physiology, one of the hardest modules statistically.
My two cents.
Good luck either route.
Remember, Paramedics save lives, EMT's save Paramedics.
One more comment or suggestion.
I probably would not have done well at all if I had not recorded most of my classes. I read somewhere that one of the "Ivy League Schools" were giving iPods to their freshmen classes to help them get more from their lectures and this gave me the idea to obtain a recorder for the iPod. The iPods just give you the advantage or having all of your lectures at your finger tips. I have a years lectures on my iPod and now my wife is doing the same. You can do it with a regular recorder, it's just more convenient with the iPod.
