Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic, CSC

Length: 25 credits

Purpose: This program is designed to provide knowledge and skills to prepare selected students to qualify as practitioners of emergency medical services in a variety of health service facilities.

Employment Objectives: Employment opportunities for the Paramedic include pre-hospital EMS agencies, municipal fire departments, emergency departments in hospitals, nursing homes, physician’s offices, clinics, industry, and home health agencies.

Potential Certification: After successful completion of the Paramedic Career Studies Certificate, students will be eligible for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Paramedic (NRP) Certification examination.

Program Learning Outcomes: A student will be able to:

• demonstrate ability to apply concepts and skill required to practice as a Paramedic level provider;
• demonstrates required clinical skill competencies to deliver appropriate client care;
• administers medications within the scope of practice as a paramedic provider;
• demonstrate acceptable workplace skills, attitudes, and behaviors;
• appropriately interpret ECG readings and provide ALS intervention; and
• demonstrate competency identifying human organs and listing specific functions of organs that make up organ systems.

Special Admission Requirements: The applicant must meet the following requirements for admission to the EMS Education program. Interested students should contact the EMS Program Director for academic advising.

1. Be accepted as a student to the college.
2. Graduation from high school or satisfactory completion of the GED. Verification of high school graduation or GED is required by Virginia OEMS for this level of certification. Submission of official transcripts or GED scores is mandatory for all applicants.
3. Completion of Virginia Placement Test unless appropriate college level English or math courses have been successfully completed or multiple measures confirms competency. If any developmental courses in English or math are needed as indicated by student’s scores, these courses must be successfully completed before the student can enroll in EMS 151 - Introduction to Advanced Life Support . Failure to successfully complete pre-requisites for enrollment in EMS 151  will delay program progression in the EMS curriculum by one academic year.
4. A cumulative college grade point average of 2.0 or better in all related and general education requirements completed before admission into the EMS Education program is desired and will be given higher priority for admission into the program.
5. Students must possess current Virginia EMT Intermediate certification to be accepted into the program.
6. Submit an EMS Program Application form along with required paperwork, i.e. high school transcripts, college transcripts, current EMS certification, etc. during the specified EMS Education program application period.

Functional Abilities required for the program include:

• Verbally communicate in person, via telephone and telecommunications using the English language;
• hear spoken information from co-workers, patients, physicians and dispatchers and in sounds common to the emergency scene;
• ability to lift, carry, balance up to 125 pounds (250 with assistance)
• ability to interpret and respond to written, oral, and diagnostic form instructions;
• read road maps, drive vehicle, accurately discern street signs and address numbers; read medication/ prescription labels and directions for usage in quick, accurate, and expedient manner; communicate verbally with patients and significant others in diverse cultural and age groups to interview patient, family members, and bystanders;
• discern deviations/changes in eye/skin coloration due to patient’s condition and to the treatment given;
• document, in writing, all relevant information in prescribed format in light of legal ramifications of such; perform with good manual dexterity all tasks related to advanced emergency patient care and documentation;
• bend, stoop, balance, and crawl on uneven terrain;
• withstand varied environmental conditions such as extreme heat, cold, and moisture.

After admission to the EMS Education program, the prospective student is provided with an EMS Physical Examination form that must be completed by a physician prior to enrolling in the clinical or field internship classes.

Upon admission, all students are required to undergo mandatory drug screening. Students must have a negative drug screen in order to begin the clinical or field internship classes.

Please NOTE that any prospective EMS student with a criminal conviction needs to speak with the EMS Program Director prior to enrollment at PHCC. Certain convictions will prevent the person from being certified as an Emergency Medical Services Provider in Virginia. Students must produce a satisfactory criminal background check to the standards of all clinical agencies used by the college for experiential learning prior to enrolling in the EMS program.

To remain in the program, a student must have a “C” or above in all courses.