Traditional vs. Accelerated EMT Courses: A Paradigm Shift

Introduction—According to the National EMS Education Standards, the length for an EMT course is estimated to be approximately 150–190 hours. These courses traditionally span several months, but accelerated EMT courses are becoming more common. Anecdotal evidence suggests many in the EMS community believe students are more successful in traditional-length courses. This project was designed to determine whether there is a difference in student success in traditional vs. accelerated formats. EMS program directors could benefit from this information to guide course scheduling, and students could benefit with help deciding which type of course they enroll in.

Hypothesis—EMT students are more successful in traditional-length courses.

Methods—A retrospective review of an EMT program that offered both traditional and accelerated courses was conducted. The program offered traditional courses spanning four months and accelerated courses spanning seven weeks. Both courses consisted of 200 hours of training. Five years of student data was examined retrospectively to determine student success. Indicators of student success used in this study were course completion and score on the written state certifying exam.

Results—A total of 432 student records were examined. Of those, 312 students (72.2%) were in the traditional format, and 120 students (27.8%) were in the accelerated format. Of the 312 students enrolled in the traditional format, 131 (42%) did not complete the program. Of the 120 students enrolled in the accelerated format, 35 (29.2%) did not complete it. When comparing completion rates of both groups statistically, the Z-score is 2.45 with a p-value of 0.014, making the result statistically significant (p<0.005). Student state certifying exam scores were compiled and compared with a t-test. Students enrolled in the traditional-format course had a mean score of 78.10 on the state certifying exam, while students enrolled in the accelerated format had a mean score of 79.54. The t-value was 1.38 and the p-value 0.17, making this result not statistically significant (p<.005).

Conclusion—The hypothesis was disproved. Students enrolled in a traditional class were less likely to complete the course, and there was no statistical difference in scores on the state certifying exam.