The 3-yr. old asks, "Why?"

[StickEm]

Why on earth would anyone go to a "school" that is not nationally accredited, and not have those credit-hours be transferrable to a decent college towards a degree?

Also, Why would someone get licensed to work in their state, and not be nationally registered?!? I know a damn good medic with over 15 years of experience who can't work anywhere other than THIS state because he is not nationally registered. He went on a vacation and raved about the state he went to, and their starting pay, but lamented the fact that he wasn't nationally registered.

I'm just curious: if it's available to you, and there are schools nearby that ARE nationally accredited, why wouldn't you go for it? I mean, here in GA, HOPE scholarships and PELL grants have paid my way through EMT-I, (books and all,) and will pay my way through EMT-P, and they WON'T for these "schools" like Medix that aren't nationally accredited.

-Why, daddy, WHY?

Any thoughts?

[MeekoBB]

Old topic. Use the search feature. Discussed, argued, and the answer we will never know like how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie pop center 8)

[Just Plain Ruff]

I know several medics who have tried to take national registry after they have been out in the field for many years. they failed each time because they didn't know the national registries standard for testing.

It's hard for someone who was not taught the national registry way to actually pass their test. You have a better chance passing it directly out of school than taking it 5 years or 10 years down the road.

I tried to get national registry about 5 years ago. I took the test after studying for a couple of weeks. I failed the practical in two stations.

I then went back and took a refresher course and a prep class for nremt and I passed on my 2nd attempt.

The national registry is geared towards people who have taken a cookbook class that taught them to pass the test and not for people who have been in the field for a long time.

Without a prep class I would not have passed it the 2nd time. Those medics I talked about above all went to the NR prep class that was held in a smaller town and they passed the NR test. Without the class and prep time they all say they would not have passed.

[Dustdevil]

Why on earth would anyone go to a "school" that is not nationally accredited, and not have those credit-hours be transferrable to a decent college towards a degree?

You need to clarify exactly what you are talking about by "nationally accredited." Do you mean National Accreditation as a paramedic school? Or are you referring to the REGIONAL accreditation that grants an college or university the authority to confer nationally recognised educational degrees? They are two separate and very different entities and processes. You can be a Nationally Accredited paramedic school without being a degree conferring college or university. And you can be a degree conferring paramedic school without being Nationally Accredited. I think you may be confusing or interchanging the terms.

Suffice it to say that there are some non-degree programmes that provide an education that is vastly superiour to that provided by many degree granting colleges. If that were the case in your area, then I believe it is totally reasonable to choose the superior education over the sheepskin. Not the optimal way to go, but certainly the best choice given the circumstances. And you should note that most degree programmes will give you credit for a tech-school medic education when you go there to finish up a degree, so in most cases you have not attended for no credit.

Why would someone get licensed to work in their state, and not be nationally registered?!? I know a damn good medic with over 15 years of experience who can't work anywhere other than THIS state because he is not nationally registered. He went on a vacation and raved about the state he went to, and their starting pay, but lamented the fact that he wasn't nationally registered.

What's to lament? You want it? Go take the test. There is one given somewhere in this country almost every day of the week. Take a couple days off. make the drive, and take the test. How hard is that? Don't pass? Study like Ruff did, and go do it again. If you bomb it the second time, it's not the test. It's you. The NR is not some gold standard mark of higher achievement. Those with NR are no better than those without. It's simply an ENTRY LEVEL test of your ENTRY LEVEL knowledge. Anybody who cannot pass the NR written after a couple of years of practice should seriously consider retaking their initial course. I would agree with Ruff though, that the NR skills exam is more about playing their game than actually knowing what you are doing.

As for your question, I can understand why somebody wouldn't go for NR if it wasn't required in their state. Hell, why would you pay for a licence in Alaska if you live in Kentucky? Same thing. Other than to pay money for the privilege of challenging yourself and your knowledge (not an unreasonable thing to do), what is to be gained? Better employers will require NR certification even if it isn't a requirement for their state simply because it does challenge their applicants to a standardised level of knowledge that they can objectively rely upon. But how many people actually move out of their state to take an EMS job? Damn few. It's not like EMS is one of those professions where you earn a degree and then market yourself to the world at large, then move off to earn six figures in another state. Most people join EMS because they want to work in their immediate community. So really, I can totally understand why those who are not required to have NR cert would not invest the time and money necessary to take a test just for the challenge of it.

[Just Plain Ruff]

A good friend of mine once told me this

He said "the national registry is simply a money making company for Rocco Morando, it does no-one any good other than make them spend their money on a useless certificate. Oh yeah, you get a neat patch in the mail too. " Not sure how true that is but I thought it was interesting at the time.

[MeekoBB]

Dust is absolutely right, why get it, if you don't need it?

I used to have my NR for basic (NR was used as the state exam for a VERY short while), but I let it lapse because I had no intention of moving to be able to work as a basic elsewhere.

When I get my paramedic, I do intend to eventually get my NR as I do want to move out of NJ, but I'm not in a rush for it, and few states do not recognize NR. For some, it may just be easier to go through the reciprocity procedures with the state instead of taking the NR test.

[Dustdevil]

A good friend of mine once told me this

He said "the national registry is simply a money making company for Rocco Morando, it does no-one any good other than make them spend their money on a useless certificate. Oh yeah, you get a neat patch in the mail too. " Not sure how true that is but I thought it was interesting at the time.

I would agree with that, with qualification.

The NR is indeed a profit making commercial venture, just like a private ambulance service. But the NR is not about the certificate. The NR is about the test. Certification is not their product. Their tests are their products. They are in business to provide a validated, entry level examination process to states and other regulatory subdivisions that standardises with the rest of the nation. They do that reasonably well. Unfortunately, since a lot of states -- particularly in the Northeast -- march to a different drummer, and want to do things their own crappy bureaucratic way, a portion of the nation is left believing that NR is something it is not.

If you are in a state that doesn't require NR, there are basically three reasons why you should take NR:

• 1. Your employer requires it.

2. You want to relocate to another state.

3. You want to challenge yourself and your knowledge to see if you are as good as you think you are, in comparison to the national standard.

• Otherwise, it is understandable why somebody wouldn't give it much thought.

I'm all for the concept of the NR, and think they do a reasonably decent job of it. But I think they need to chlorinate their gene pool and update their operation to the 20th century. Even with the Computer Based Testing thing, their questions and foci are pretty stale, confusing, and in many cases pointless. It seems that all the same "usual suspects" are always involved in the question validation process, and it shows. Time for some fresh blood and a progressive outlook.

[letmesleep]

Agree with Ruff as well, but I'm not sure how neat the patch is.....never seen it on any uniform around here! can't be all that great if peeps aren't willing to display the damn thing!

[Asysin2leads]

I haven't taken the NR paramedic test yet, but I'm going to get around to it. I did read through a NR prep exam however, and there wasn't anything mind bending about it.

Practical testing is always the b**tch. They don't test your knowledge or skill, but only how well you can memorize the sheets. I could make the procedure for making a cup of coffee difficult if I wanted to, it doesn't mean its a particularly difficult task. I think the majority of veterans who fail the practicals are of the "I know how to do that" mentality, and you know what, they're right, they do know how to do it. Knowing the NR's BS about when to reassess the distal vitals and maintaining of this and that, well, that takes some practice

I mean if a practical test was really a "practical" test, board and collaring would be something like 1. Maintain head stabilization. 2. Apply collar. 3. Move patient onto board carefully. 4. Strap down. 5. Fix any screw ups. 6. Transport.

Instead I think the skill sheet is like 10 pages long by now.

[JakeEMTP]

I've said many times in various threads that NC is one of the few states that isn't NR ( I believe there are 4 or 5). That being said, we can challenge the NR if we so desire. That is my intention once completing Medic classes.

Someone posted earlier that non-NR states don't teach to the NR test. I can't agree or disagree with that since I have only taken my program. We are educated according to DOT standards however. I don't know how there can be a difference.

I have heard rumors that NC will become a NR State in the near future. That way the State can pass the cost of testing onto us instead of funding it themselves as the do not charge for the State exam.