usapride2004 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 It tells you NOTHING about their courses, except for when the start and how much they cost. You'd think if they were truly educationally focused, and proud of their programmes, they'd talk a little bit about them, wouldn't you? Maybe a course outline or syllabus? Maybe tell us how long the classes last, and how often they meet? Maybe talk about the qualifications of their staff or any accreditations they hold? I dunno. Websites that are that vague just scream out "cheesy programme" to me. What makes you recommend them so highly? I took their EMT-Cardiac program (it's a RI thing... think of it as Paramedic Light). It was awesome. A lot of my colleagues have taken/are taking their paramedic program. I will probably be jumping into one of those myself in the next few months. The instructors were just great. The facilities are also phenomenal. They just opened a new location this past year (where my class was held), having seen several facilities in the state used for EMS education, I'd say that they have by far the best location around (the East Providence, RI location). Brand new equipment, wireless projector, and the 50" Plasma on the wall is a nice plus too. That of course, is secondary to their prowess as instructors. I know quite a few EMS educators in this area. I will never take a class with anyone but these guys, ever again, after having been through their program. I agree, they should add some instructor bios, and some more info about the programs, but the website is pretty low on my importance list. I've never heard a single bad word about them. And for the record, no, I don't work for them... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Cool. Glad it worked well for you. It's just that when somebody doesn't even know how to present their own programme to their prospective students, I have to seriously question if they are any more capable of presenting instruction. The skill is the same either way, so I would have to worry that they are simply poor communicators. If you talk to them, tell them that. They should know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usapride2004 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I will pass that along to them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Cool. Glad it worked well for you. It's just that when somebody doesn't even know how to present their own programme to their prospective students, I have to seriously question if they are any more capable of presenting instruction. The skill is the same either way, so I would have to worry that they are simply poor communicators. If you talk to them, tell them that. They should know. Dust as shocking as it may be I have to agree with you. I looked at that site and came away knowing nothing. As a student nothing about it instilled confidence that my money would get me a great education. Definitely don't expect flashy bells and whistles but should be able to get an idea of who they are, what kind of experience the instructors have, what kind of degree, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usapride2004 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Check it now. Educational Resource Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Thats better but still not sure it tells me all I need to decide if I want to consider them for my education. Length of courses. Clinical sites. Maybe some testimonials. What kind of degree will I receive? Accredited? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Thats better but still not sure it tells me all I need to decide if I want to consider them for my education. Length of courses. Clinical sites. Maybe some testimonials. What kind of degree will I receive? Accredited? Yeah, it's definitely prettier. I dig the old skool photos. But that's not exactly what I was looking for. It still gives me zero information about the educational content of the courses. It gives me zero information about the length of the courses. It gives me zero information about the accreditations or certificatons the student will be eligible for. Can you even qualify for National Registry with their training? It gives me zero information about the philosophy and mission of the organisation. What it does tell me is that their staff is too busy with their "love of golf" and firemonkey union politics to get themselves any formal education, which is a little ironic for a company that calls itself the "Educational Resource Group". I mean seriously... with all the time these three guys have in EMS, the best qualifications they can list for themselves are a love of golf and being a certified firefighter -- neither of which have any relevance whatsoever to the medical profession -- and the usual list of weekend merit badge cards? It takes education to educate. These guys have none. I wouldn't hire one of their grads. This goes back to the original point. That is, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And the impression that website gives is that these guys have no education themselves, no communication skills, and know nothing about professional education. Luckily, the Northeast is awash with wankers who know even less about EMS and professional education than the guys running ERG, and therefore are more than willing to drop a few thousand dollars on any avenue to obtain a paramedic patch, regardless of quality. That seems to be the lowest common denominator that ERG caters to. Am I wrong? I may be. I'm just telling you what that website says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usapride2004 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Yeah, it's definitely prettier. I dig the old skool photos. But that's not exactly what I was looking for. It still gives me zero information about the educational content of the courses. It gives me zero information about the length of the courses. It gives me zero information about the accreditations or certificatons the student will be eligible for. Can you even qualify for National Registry with their training? It gives me zero information about the philosophy and mission of the organisation. What it does tell me is that their staff is too busy with their "love of golf" and firemonkey union politics to get themselves any formal education, which is a little ironic for a company that calls itself the "Educational Resource Group". I mean seriously... with all the time these three guys have in EMS, the best qualifications they can list for themselves are a love of golf and being a certified firefighter -- neither of which have any relevance whatsoever to the medical profession -- and the usual list of weekend merit badge cards? It takes education to educate. These guys have none. I wouldn't hire one of their grads. This goes back to the original point. That is, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And the impression that website gives is that these guys have no education themselves, no communication skills, and know nothing about professional education. Luckily, the Northeast is awash with wankers who know even less about EMS and professional education than the guys running ERG, and therefore are more than willing to drop a few thousand dollars on any avenue to obtain a paramedic patch, regardless of quality. That seems to be the lowest common denominator that ERG caters to. Am I wrong? I may be. I'm just telling you what that website says. Yeah... It's a website. It's not exactly the be-all-end-all in EMS, now is it? You're reading WAY too much into the site. EMS education (at least in this area) is 100% word of mouth. I don't care what the site says, I care about what my colleagues have to say about the programs. The site is just an easy way for me to know what classes are coming up. What certs will the students get? I though that was straightforward enough, EMT-P/NREMT-P/ACLS/PALS. I've never heard of a medic class in this area that doesn't get you NREMT (in RI it's required), so putting it there would be a little unnecessary... Anywhoo... regardless of what you think of their webmasters HTML skills, the instruction is phenomenal. I'd much prefer a great educational experience with a crappy website than the inverse. I would like to see your idea of a good EMS education site though. (for the record, the change in this site was completely coincidental, I didn't get a chance to talk to the big guy about it yet... well... unless one of them read the forum... hey guys! lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usapride2004 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Thats better but still not sure it tells me all I need to decide if I want to consider them for my education. Length of courses. Clinical sites. Maybe some testimonials. What kind of degree will I receive? Accredited? Accredited by Mass DPH/OEMS Length: 10 months (Mon/Wed 6-10 pm, Sat 9a-5p) plus clinical/ride time Certificate program, inclusive of ACLS and PALS Clinical sites... oy... there's a lot of options there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Yeah... It's a website. It's not exactly the be-all-end-all in EMS, now is it? You're reading WAY too much into the site. EMS education (at least in this area) is 100% word of mouth. I don't care what the site says, I care about what my colleagues have to say about the programs. The site is just an easy way for me to know what classes are coming up. What certs will the students get? I though that was straightforward enough, EMT-P/NREMT-P/ACLS/PALS. I've never heard of a medic class in this area that doesn't get you NREMT (in RI it's required), so putting it there would be a little unnecessary... Anywhoo... regardless of what you think of their webmasters HTML skills, the instruction is phenomenal. I'd much prefer a great educational experience with a crappy website than the inverse. I would like to see your idea of a good EMS education site though. (for the record, the change in this site was completely coincidental, I didn't get a chance to talk to the big guy about it yet... well... unless one of them read the forum... hey guys! lol) The problem is with the content that fails to inform potential students what they offer and why they should chose them. It is not with the fanciness of the site. With your attitude me thinks you have an interest in the company beyond student, but I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts