West Coast EMT- EMT School

Long story short: Took evening emt class here. Started with 48 students, after the written final there were only about 10 students left. Failure rate of 75%! This class takes a lot of outside studying and I’d only reconstruction if you have prior EMS experience or medical background. Very tough class,
From the first day of my EMT Evening class, I had high hopes. I had recently taken the BLS CPR class which was outstanding. Our class was a full ⁴⁸⁄₄₈ with 3 on the waiting list to get in. The instructors, Blaine and Denise, were professional and definitely knew what they were talking about.
However, when the first test came, I was shocked. A lot of the material on the test was tough as the questions often asked: «which treatment is the MOST appropriate» and the choices would often have multiple correct treatments, just one that was slightly better than the other. Half of the time I felt prepared for the questions, while the other half I felt that I wasn’t instructed on how to discern the «MOST appropriate treatment» and the material we were provided with didn’t have the answers. This probably explains why the average scores on tests for our class floated around 68%.
I understand that some college classes can have a huge curve, making 60% an A but that is definitely not the case for this class. To be eligible to take the final you have to have an 80% in the class. Tests count for 60% of your grade, online quizzes for 30%, and the rest of your grade is composed of projects. This is an incredibly high standard, especially when a majority of the students are taking the Evening classes because they’re busy with other activities like school or work.
I was able to get an 84% in the class by the day of the final which was pretty good for my class, probably top 10. However, not everyone else was as lucky. On the day of the written final there were only about 16 students left, the failure rate of the class was already at 66%. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, ESPECIALLY A CERTIFICATION CLASS COSTING $ 900 THAT FAILS AT LEAST ²⁄₃ OF ITS STUDENTS?
I took the final, 175 questions, and went home hoping that I passed. I got the call that I didn’t pass. Looking back, that final was brutal. Obviously I understood that it’d be cumulative but I wasn’t prepared for the types of questions thrown at me. The study guide given to us was extremely vague, and with a 1,000 page book and countless presentations to go over, I’d expect some general direction towards which aspects of EMT care to study. I know for sure that me and 4 others failed the written final bringing the course failure rate up to at least 75%.
What we were told before the written final is that our test would be even harder than the NREMT. While I agree that taking a test harder than the one you’re preparing for is a great way to get ready, I didn’t pay $ 900 to take a harder class than what I was preparing for and fail it. Having spent $ 900 for, and $ 100 on uniform and $ 100 on a book, I would much rather be a little bit underprepared for the national test and have to study more after my class than be over prepared and not even pass my certification class.
If you have no outside obligations and have some prior experience in the ems field or prior medical knowledge, this is the best class you can take. If you have some hesitations or don’t have a completely free schedule just get your EMT certification somewhere else like a community college.

Such a great program! They taught me so much in such a short amount of time. Denise, in particular, went above and beyond what was expected of her as a teacher. She stayed after hours, off the clock, to mentor us and help us with skills. It was hard work and time consuming but I feel very prepared to work as an emt.

1) I completed this program on Friday, took the NREMT exam Tuesday and absolutely destroyed it. I can’t even explain how well this course prepared me for the National exam it was ridiculous. I was consistently the slowest test taker in class and I finished the national exam with 70 mins to spare. Crazy.
2) Robbie, my class instructor is 100% the reason I enjoyed this program as much as I did. I took the Full Time Course which is 8 hours of lecture a day, Mon-​Thurs for 5 straight weeks. That much time in a classroom with 50 people gets old really quick, not to mention there’s only one bathroom which makes relieving yourself a tactical decision. The material is difficult and dry to process so the instructor definitely makes or breaks the course. Robbie’s random jokes and dry sense of humor were helpful in creating the light but serious mood throughout the program. I hope you’re able to take this course with Robbie as your instructor, if not, good luck with that.
3) Make no mistake this is fast paced and requires NIGHTLY STUDYING. A few people in my class incorrectly assumed that just showing up to class was enough for them to do well on exams. You must go home after class and review key terms and read chapters in the book in order to pass weekly quizzes and exams. You need an 80% average in the class in order TO TAKE THE FINAL. Let me repeat that because people don’t seem to understand, you must have an 80% in the class to be allowed to take the final. This means you cannot slip on one exam at all, you need to constantly do your best day in and day out. If this is too much for you take the night class which is only 4 hours a day and gives you more time to learn.
4) Man up, if you’re getting crushed on exams thats your fault not the instructors. If you go to parties on the weekend and go drinking instead of studying, you deserve to fail. I’m a smart dude and I had to study every night and every weekend in order to make sure I was prepared for the exams. People would come in Monday morning running their mouths about all the cool shit they did on the weekends and yeah I was salty about it. But when the dust cleared those people got dropped for grades. Point is, it’s only 5 weeks so man up and study. The clubs, beaches and mountains will still be there in 5 weeks, but the 1,000 $ you paid for the course won’t.
In summary West Coast EMT is a solid program and I’m glad I decided to go here for my training. Completing this course gave me the confidence to do well on my National Exam as well as my interviews for EMT jobs.

I took the 4 week course last summer with Robbie as my instructor. It is A LOT of work crammed into 4 weeks but is very doable if you stay on top of the readings and study every night. I passed the class and took the NREMT about a month later (without touching a textbook since the class final) and passed it quite easily. I think this speaks highly of the education I received at West Coast EMT.

I took the Sunday Hybrid class with Denise and it was an amazing experience. Denise is strict but its because she cares so much about her classes and wants people to be prepared to work as an EMT. Denise is willing to help out any student who is willing to put in the work even though she is extremely busy as well. When I last checked at least 6 of the 6 student who took the NREMT already passed. I would recommend West Coast in a heartbeat to anyone looking to take a course.

I recently graduated from their full time course (usually four weeks, in our case 5 weeks due to the holidays). Overall, I’m very happy with the education I received from the program.
The positives to this program: Robbie was a good instructor to have, the program is very structured and the staff takes the program very seriously. The learning atmosphere is good and you’ll learn a lot. The coursework thoroughly prepares you for the National Registry of EMT’s (NREMT) that you have to take after the class. I only received 70 questions on my NREMT exam, which is the minimal questions on the adaptive test, which means you did extremely well. I passed with no problems and I credit that to the training and instruction provided by the program. Another outstanding thing about this program that just started with our class is a working partnership with Care ambulance, which is one of the best ambulance companies in Orange County. Skills testing is conducted in conjunction with Care and they offer on-​site interviews immediately after the skills testing; it’s a great way to get your foot in the door with a great ambulance company.
I knew it’d be a lot of work being a full time class, but what I didn’t know is the full time class is actually considered accelerated. I would have never of guessed I’d been pulling literal all nighters and sleeping 2 – 3 hours a night some other nights in order to maintain a high grade in the class. I wish they would have provided more information regarding this prior to the start of the program. We were also loaded with orientation information the first day of class, such as refund policy, schedule, and attendance policy, that I feel they should have provided before the course actually started. My other complaint is some of the equipment, such as roller bandages and triangle bandages were so heavily used, you couldn’t even use them properly, some of the backboards were missing straps, and some of the mannequins did not work properly. It’d cost the company maybe $ 20-​$ 30 to buy new bandages for each class and wouldn’t cost much more to keep their equipment in tip top shape, but they don’t.
The full time program is tough and is a lot of work, we started with about 50 people and only finished with about 25. That being said, this is probably the best place in the area to get your EMT training. You’ll come out very knowledgable and will have no problem getting your NREMT certification, which is required to work as an EMT. Many of the other programs in the area have very low NREMT pass rates, which means you take the whole class, fail the NREMT, and you wasted your time because you can’t be hired and have to take the whole class over again.
In summary, I’d highly recommend West Coast EMT, just be prepared to work hard and study and you’ll do great.

I took the day class EMT cert here
And I was very impressed. Although the classes were a bit slow I got a great grasp of the material and would feel comfortable going in to the field.

I recently had the opportunity to tour the facility and meet some of the staff members at West Coast EMT school. I was very impressed by the organization and structure this program has to offer all of its students. The uniforms are very professional and they hold you accountable for things future employers look for. I’d definitely consider taking CE’s here after my visit.

West Coast EMT does an amazing job at making sure you get the best EMT education and training possible. Robbie is an extraordinary instructor, and I really enjoyed his teaching style and humor. The four week long class was very fast paced, but Robbie does everything he can to help you pass, and it is very doable. They take care of scheduling your ride a longs, getting you your accreditation, and proctoring your skills tests for you, so all you have to do is focus on passing the class! My friends and I passed the NREMT on our first try, and we really owe it all to Robbie!

I took the EMT course from August to September 2015. Robbie was a great instructor and kept the class engaged with his informative yet easily palatable lectures. The intermittent jokes kept the mood light and he was always willing to answer queries during and after class.
The class itself is a lot of material condensed in a duration if a month and will warrant hard work. However I took the NREMT 2 days after giving my class final and passed easily, which speaks to the quality of education.
The other staff at west coast emt were very friendly as well. Krista scheduled our ride alongs and she also helped me secure a spot in the class (by placing me on a wait list and keeping me updated if someone dropped out) as I was late registering.
At the end of the class, Robbie handed out a self made packet which contained instructions on how to obtain your State and county accreditation (which is way more convoluted than you might imagine) and it helped immensely.
All in all a very fun learning experience and I am glad I selected west coast emt to prepare me for the NREMT.

I recently just finished taking the full time EMT course in Orange with Robbie finished on the 4^th of August. It was probably the most stressful month I’ve had in a long time, but it was well worth it. I would highly recommend this program to ANYONE who is serious about getting the EMT course completed. It’s really hard to not pass if you come to class, study, and retain the key concepts. As long as you do those three things you’re set. Robbie also knows how to keep it light at times, but when things need to be serious he knows how to transition pretty fast. All in all I’d recommend this course especially if you have Robbie as an instructor he’s funny and he knows his stuff. I accidentally posted the same thing to the CPR course as well.
P.S Robbie also has been helping me figure out how to get all the licenses that you need in order to work. This I believe is the most confusing part of the whole process.

I just completed the hybrid online course and I am very happy that I chose West Coast. If you’re looking for an easy spot to get your cert, this is not the place for you. However, if you want to know your stuff and be successful on the NREMT, look no further. A good portion of my class did not pass, but the ones that i spoke with admit that they did not put in as much work as the could have. West coast gives you all the tools you need to be successful.
My skills instructor was Denise. She was extremely helpful and knowlegeable! She did a phenomenal job at making sure we were prepared. She also had a lot of field experience so she was able to distinguish theory from actual practice. She had tons of interesting stories. Furthermore, she sacrificed a lot of her free time to help students who wanted further skills practice or study sessions. That was a major part of my success!
Overall, if you need your cert or if you’re just looking for a stepping stone into the medical field, I highly recommend West Coast!

Working full time always makes it hard to continue education or learn new skills.
I recently completed the Sunday Hybrid EMT Course and I have to say that I was so thankful that I had chosen to do so through West Coast EMT. Our instructor, Denise, was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure to learn from, and you could really tell that she was very knowledgeable and loved her job. She would take the time to answer any question we had, and make sure that we all on point with our skills. Even if it meant giving up one of her days to take extra time with us away from our normal Sunday class, she would do her best to make sure we could do ours.
Thank you Denise and West Coast EMT for the wonderful course.

I recently had to re-​certify my EMT due to a lapse. From start to finish the experience was a breeze. The staff was always understanding, helpful, and compassionate. After being in the health care industry for the past six years those attributes are hard to find in a school. Densie and Ryan thank you!

I passed the full-​time accelerated course at the Orange location in March. Robbie was our instructor, he was always patient and really knows his stuff. Always willing to listen and answer questions. But don’t get me wrong they don’t make it easy for you, they want you to know the material and want you to be successful for the NREMT so they will make you know the book, and they will definitely not baby you like you will find in some college classes. I thought of it like a boot camp for my mind. You will be frustrated at times and you might cry. However, I was completely happy with my experience and fully recommend this course. Be prepared to study full time out of class. I would say at least 15 – 20 hrs a week extra. You won’t have much spare time for fun outside of class time. It is not for the weak and you will have to work hard to keep up. My advice to you is study the power points, and don’t slack. Also, get to know your class and work together, form study groups for the block quizzes and exams, help each other out as you will all need the support as a unit. It will be rewarding to see other’s success as well. You will find yourself frustrated at times but don’t give up, and don’t let anyone else give up, crossing the finish line with your class who worked hard with you is so worth it.
I left with some awesome friends and I’m so happy I did this. I struggle with test taking and the tests are real tough, so it was discouraging for me at times but I kept pushing through. I took the NREMT a couple weeks after and passed on the first try. I was even cut off early because I did so well! They definitely prepare you for it! I also feel prepared and confident to work on the field.
If you want to commit to being successful in this, just go for it! Highly recommend this to anyone interested. It’s a great group of guys and like I said, on that final day when you cross the finish line with your new friends it will be worth it!
Also, huge thanks to everyone at West Coast EMT and Robbie!

So this is a late review. I passed the class back in October of last year. This school gets five stars because of two reasons; I passed the class and got my cert, and got my license with ease soon after. That is the reason this program exists, it is the reason I went to it, and I got what I paid for and studied for. The program did what it was suppose to do. So five stars.
Now the experience… eh 4 stars. I took the 1 month accelerated. It’s easy, we’ll for me because I have previous experience and have been exposed to ems. For someone who has no background in this field trying to take this class, study hard, there is alot of information that the instructor will go over. I’m not saying the layout of the course is bad, but there is room for improvement. My only complaint from this program is, it is all POWERPOINT, so lectures tend to be a little dry (yes you are informed of course layout).
Other then that, the personnel tend to be pretty professional, the class environment is positive, the class size is average (and round 30 if I remember correctly), food and restaurants all around the campus, plenty of parking, clean facility, punctual instructors, punctual grading, instructor stays after to help you if you don’t understand something, great about answering questions, and the instructor is experienced in the ems field. Like I said, power points are dry, but it’s quick and straight to the point.
All in all, I got what I payed for and I learned what I needed to learn. 5 stars.

Riverside location
I finished my five week class about two weeks ago, and took my National Registry (and passed on the first go!) a week after. The class was great, and Robbie is a fantastic instructor. He gave plenty of opportunities to learn and practice the material and skills, and was always super helpful when we had any questions. He also gave great examples of his experience in the field to resonate with the information we were going over to help it stick. So, yay Robbie! He rocks!
As many other reviewers have said on here, if you can’t dedicate the whole five weeks to taking the accelerated course, go with the night class or hybrid course. This class is fast, and you need to spend at least part of your time outside of the class reading the book and filling out the very helpful study guides. If you feel like you won’t be able to spend any time outside of the class reviewing, take a different course that leaves you with more time.
For me, the accelerated was perfect, and it was great having so much time in the classroom to learn with my classmates and practice the skills that we will be using as EMTs in the field. Spending all day, four days a week, focusing on becoming an EMT really makes you stoked for the future job.
Whatever class you take, I have a few tips:
1. Do the study guides. They help, and you can often look up the information in the book and it’s only a few paragraphs of reading. The things present on the study guides will be what are on the tests, and what you will need to know as an EMT.
2. When the instructor gives you time to practice skills, do it. It may seem repetitive, but the more you practice, the better you will get, and the easier it will be to pass the skills tests. Plus, those skills are important to being a competent EMT, and there’s a reason you need to practice them a lot before you use them on the job.
3. Listen during the lecture. Don’t zone out. There will be lots of hints and tips that you don’t want to miss.
4. Take time to get to know your classmates. It makes the class a lot more fun. My classmates were awesome and we had a blast together.

I completed the accelerated course during the summer of ’14 at the Riverside location. It can be challenging to handle the amount of coursework that is thrown at you through the five weeks that you are enrolled in the course, and you should expect to study further outside of class time. But this is to be expected from an accelerated course.
Despite the course load, I have to say I greatly enjoyed my time in the classroom. My instructor Robbie was clear, concise, and would go the extra mile to help us acquire the knowledge to be successful as EMT’s. He peppered class time with activities, projects, and videos that helped to alleviate the monotony of lectures and assisted in solidifying the info in our minds.
Prepare to eat, sleep, and breathe EMT if you take the accelerated course, but West Coast EMT and instructors like Robbie will ease the process, help you retain the knowledge, and provide you with an enjoyable ride from start to finish.

I just finished the September to October full time class and it was not easy! But it is accelerated and you have to put in a lot of hours studying after class and on the weekends to keep up and to maintain at least an 80% to be able to sit for the final exam. Even though it was ridiculously hard and some days I wanted to cry cause there was just so much to do but now that I’m done I realized it was all very much worth it! (definitely think about it first if you wanna do the full time course, a lot of my classmates who had other obligations struggled to keep up in class and you don’t wanna waste your money because you didn’t have enough time to put in).
I wanna say thank you to my teacher, Bryan, what an amazing guy!!! He really cares about his students and is always there for you if you need extra help and he pushes you to do your best. I learned SO much in a matter of 4 weeks and Bryan set us up to become successful to pass our written final and gave us enough time to practice and work on our skills so I passed everything the first time! Thank you Bryan for everything! :)
I had an amazing experience at west coast EMT and I would highly recommend this class!

I took the weekend course from January to April and I passed. Robbie was our instructor and he was pretty good. He is a cool dude and made class fun. He sent us a lot of study material before the final and even stayed late the weekend before the final to go over extra study material with us. This class should not be too difficult to pass, just read the book, study, and practice the skills and you should be good.
Only thing i had a problem with was the ride alongs, it would of been nice to complete the ride alongs before class ended but i guess they had trouble scheduling them and now i have to do my last one while the class had already ended.
Overall it was a great experience and i would recommend others to take this class. #SpinalCord