FireEMT2009 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 (edited) I know this technically isn't a true student EMS question but I think it fits; if not forgive me. I am going into my junior year of my Bachelors in science in Firefighter/Paramedic and I have been doing research for the last couple months about graduate schools. I have found that Eastern Kentucky University has two masters degrees in the same program (Safety, Security, and Emergency Management) the concentrations are Emergency Management and Fire and Emergency Services. The only difference in the two degrees are the 4 concentration classes in one and the 3 in the other. I figure that it would be far more resourceful to have the two masters with only that small class difference. I have also looked into Ph.D degrees and found one at Capella University in Emergency Management with a concentration in Fire Service Administration. I figure that this along with more experience in the Fire and EMS and leadership and officer certifications that I will be eligable to become a fire officer/administrator. I also would love to teach at the college level to teach the future EMS providers. I would just like to get some thoughts on these ideas. I am open to any and all comments and opinions. Thanks in advance. FireEMT2009 Edited to make it easier to read. Edited July 30, 2011 by FireEMT2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paramedicmike Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 You may have edited your post to make it easier to read but you still didn't ask any questions. Just what kind of information are you looking for? Based on what you've written I can see you're considering grad school. For what purpose? What do you have planned for whatever degree you could pursue? How do you think the degrees will help you? Why? If you want to teach, why aren't you going for a degree in education? EMS has plenty of instructors. That's a shame because what we really need are educators. You think you want to get into education? Pursue graduate level education degrees. And try to find a real brick and mortal school. Online and/or for profit universities aren't always your best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireEMT2009 Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 You may have edited your post to make it easier to read but you still didn't ask any questions. Just what kind of information are you looking for? Based on what you've written I can see you're considering grad school. For what purpose? What do you have planned for whatever degree you could pursue? How do you think the degrees will help you? Why? If you want to teach, why aren't you going for a degree in education? EMS has plenty of instructors. That's a shame because what we really need are educators. You think you want to get into education? Pursue graduate level education degrees. And try to find a real brick and mortal school. Online and/or for profit universities aren't always your best option. I wish to be a fire officer and possible administration, such as batalion cheif, deputy cheif, etc. I want to further my education in Fire and Emergency Services/Emergency Management. I plan on getting the Fire Officer certifications along with obtaining my Emergency Managers Certifcation. I want to have options in case something happens and I cannot do Fire/EMS for the rest of my career. I enjoy helping teach the new paramedic students that enter my program tips and things I have learned over time so they don't make the same mistake I have. I would like to become an educator and teach at the paramedic level but also teach Emergency Management, etc. I have thought about the education degrees and they are another thougght all together. Eastern Kentucky University is a brick and mortar school they just offer their masters online. I could attend it on campus but I plan to start working after I graduate with my B.S. And there are no schools in VA that offer Ph.Ds in the degree with the specialization that I am looking for. Oklahoma State has one, although I would have to move to Oklahoma to pursue it and that is out of the question and possibilities right now. This is more of an opinion post than a question post. Sorry for the miswording. Thanks for the comments. FireEMT2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireEMT2009 Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 Mike, What do you consider the difference between an educator and an instructor? To me an educator does not have to have a Ed.D or a Ph.D in Education. Anybody can be an instructor and tell someone how to do something, it takes and educator to teach them why they do something and the rationale behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paramedicmike Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Anybody can be an instructor and tell someone how to do something, it takes and educator to teach them why they do something and the rationale behind it. This is actually a big part of it. Most EMS instructors I've encountered teach the same way they practice medicine... by following a cookbook. This is a huge disservice to upcoming providers and the patients they'll treat. There is more but I don't have time to expand on this at the moment. Exams coming up this week. Give me some time and I'll explain a little more. Good question! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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