Entrance/Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

1. Attendance at a program information session or call 410-777-7310 for schedule. Detailed information regarding program, profession, admission and academic requirements and selection criteria will be discussed.
2. Submit a completed program application to Florestano Building Room 100.
3. Take the Arithmetic Placement Test and receive a score of 27 or higher within 7 years of the date the application is submitted or enroll in MAT 005  and complete it with a grade of C.
4. A grade of C or better in prerequisite courses.
5. Must have a minimum adjusted grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 at this college.
6. Affiliation with Maryland Emergency Medical Services (EMS) jurisdiction.
7. Foreign educated students: must have college transcripts evaluated by one of the following credential evaluators: ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators) at www.ece.org, WES (World Education Services) at www.wes.org or SpanTran: The Evaluation Company at www.spantran.com.
8. Foreign educated students: must successfully pass the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum score of 550 (213 is the equivalent computer score and 79 is the equivalent Internet based score) OR must have completed the ENG 101  /ENG 101A  and ENG 102  course sequence with grades of C or better prior to applying to the Paramedic program. Anne Arundel Community College’s code for TOEFL is 5019.
9. Submission of current American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR certification card.

Selection Criteria

Students will be admitted to the Paramedic course sequence each August and March on a rolling admission basis. Students will apply for the Paramedic program only after meeting all academic and admission criteria. Once the applicant’s admission criteria have been verified, that student receives conditional acceptance for the next available seat. Applications will be rejected if incomplete. Incomplete applications will be sent back to the student and can be resubmitted once they are complete. Students need only apply once to the program, providing their application is complete. A future seat will be slotted for them once the student meets the criteria for admission.

To be considered for conditional acceptance, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• First consideration will be given to candidates whose resident address is in Anne Arundel County for at least three months prior to the date the application is submitted.
• Must satisfactorily complete all academic and admission requirements.
• Length of EMT certification and active affiliation with an EMS jurisdiction.
• Final acceptance into the program shall be contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal background check, health examination record, urine drug screen, and submission of current American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR certification card by designated deadline. Information and deadline for completion will be sent in the applicant’s conditional acceptance packet. These are not to be completed prior to acceptance notification.

Technical Standards

Students who are conditionally accepted to this program of study will be required to submit a Health Examination Record completed by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant validating that the student meets the technical standard of good physical and mental health as established by the School of Health Sciences, and verifying that the student is free of communicable diseases as evidenced by required immunizations/titers.

CPR

Students must successfully complete the American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR certification course by designated deadline.

Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening

This program requires the satisfactory completion of a criminal background check and drug screening. For complete details, see the Health Sciences  section of this catalog.

Enrollment Restrictions

Limitations of health care facilities for clinical and field rotations necessitate enrollment restrictions.

Students enrolled in the Paramedic course sequence must comply with all Maryland Advanced Life Support Protocols and Regulations and maintain current certification as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I). Students who fail to maintain current EMT and/or EMT-I certification or are decertified will not be eligible to continue in the program.

Program Readmission and Completion

Certificate-seeking students who have not been consecutively enrolled in the Paramedic curriculum must meet the curriculum requirements in effect at the time of application for graduation. Please refer to graduation requirements  in this catalog.

A Certificate in Paramedic will only be granted to those students who have completed all EMT certificate courses at this college. (The BIO requirement can be transferred from another accredited college.)

Students must complete any interrupted coursework within two years from last enrollment or all Paramedic courses must be repeated.

Other certificate and A.A.S. degree program requirements regarding re-entry after a lapse in program attendance are available from the EMT department.

Articulation Agreement

Students may transfer up to 60 credits to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Emergency Health Services curriculum and up to a maximum of 64 credits to the Towson University Allied Health program in pursuit of an advanced degree. For information call the EMT department at 410-777-7310.

Certificate Graduation Requirements

See Academic Regulations on Graduation Requirements .

Paramedic Certificate Course Sequence

Note: All prerequisite courses require a grade of C or better.

Prerequisites 5 credits

• ACA 100 - Student Success Seminar 1 credit hour

• Certificate seeking students must consult an academic adviser or program coordinator for specified math eligibility requirements.

• OR  evidence of completion of 27 academic credits with a cummulative GPA of 2.0

• AND

• BIO 230 - Structure and Function of the Human Body 4 credit hours OR
• BIO 232 - Human Biology 2 4 credit hours OR

• (BIO 231  is a prerequisite for BIO 232 .)

• BIO 234 - Anatomy and Physiology 2 4 credit hours

• (BIO 101  and BIO 233  are prerequisites for BIO 234 .)

Certificate Requirements 40 credits

Must be taken sequentially. 

• EMT 115 - Introduction to Paramedic 2 credit hours
• EMT 118 - Paramedic 1 13 credit hours
• EMT 119 - Paramedic 2 13 credit hours
• EMT 215 - Paramedic 3 5 credit hours
• EMT 270 - Paramedic Capstone 7 credit hours

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Define the roles and responsibilities of a paramedic within an EMS system.
2. Communicate effectively using appropriate medical terminology.
3. Communicate in verbal and written form treatment plans for patients experiencing medical emergencies and traumatic injuries.
4. Communicate effectively as team leader proper extrication and treatment modalities.
5. Use a variety of advanced life support equipment.
6. Identify text-based and electronic information resources for research.
7. Discuss current health issues and preventative measures as they relate to self and medicine.
8. Investigate causes/consequences of stress.
9. Implement a treatment plan for patients experiencing medical emergencies and traumatic injuries.
10. Solve drug calculation problems and administer the correct dosage of medication.
11. Apply professional ethical and legal frameworks to their work in the profession.
12. Apply acceptable standards of practice within the scope of paramedic practice.
13. Provide quality direct patient care for a culturally diverse group of patients.
14. Integrate pathophysiological and psychosocial principles to adapt the assessment and treatment plan for patients facing physical, mental, social and financial challenges.
15. Integrate pathophysiological and psychosocial principles to adapt the assessment and treatment plan for patients from diverse backgrounds, age groups, ethnic and religious origins.
16. Apply knowledge of disease pathophysiology in the Prehospital arena.
17. Perform advanced life support procedures.
18. Evaluate role playing exercises.
19. Summarize the pathophysiology and treatment plans for patients experiencing medical emergencies and traumatic injuries across the age spectrum.