Paramedic

A paramedic is the team leader of the emergency medical services system team, delivering out-of-hospital emergency care under the direction of an emergency physician. Paramedics direct and manage the patient care aspects of the emergency response team. This team is commonly composed of public safety and community service agency personnel that respond to traffic accidents, fires, explosions, cave-ins, emergency rescue calls, and other life-threatening situations. The paramedic’s primary responsibilities are to safely care for victims of accidents or sudden illness by stabilizing the patient’s condition using advanced life support skills and equipment and safely transporting the patient to the hospital emergency department. The paramedic performs these duties in various settings in conjunction with other emergency service providers, including law enforcement and fire department personnel. Paramedics also assist in patient care in hospitals and doctors’ offices, with specific instruction and supervision. The actions of a paramedic can often mean the difference between patient survival or death. Successful completion of the prescribed courses and the awarding of a certificate of completion will provide eligibility to take the state of Florida Paramedic Examination or the National Registry Examination for certification.

Program Description

The Paramedic program is a three-semester sequence consisting of four components each semester: lecture, lab, hospital clinical, and EMS clinical. Students are expected to demonstrate competency in advanced emergency medical care skills and to display a professional attitude. This is a limited admission certificate program that requires that each applicant first be admitted to the College and meet pre-admission requirements. Applicants with the best qualifications are selected during the summer of each year to begin work in the fall term. Admission requires current certification as a state of Florida Emergency Medical Technician. This is an intensive 1,200 contact-hour program that requires careful planning of school, work, and home schedules to accomplish. During the hospital/field phase, the student will use a special calendar, which is not identical to the college’s published calendar. Students must attend program activities as assigned. Students are advised to contact the program director for additional information and scheduling details. The program is offered in the daytime on an alternating (week-to-week) schedule to accommodate students who work a 24-on, 48-off work schedule. Students who score below the required levels on state-mandated placement tests in English, reading, and mathematics must enroll in and complete the appropriate college preparatory course(s) before being admitted to the program.

Admission Criteria

The following are minimum requirements for consideration for admission to the Paramedic Certificate program. Applicants are admitted once a year and are limited to individuals selected by a selection committee.

Students must gain acceptance to Polk State College as credit-seeking students, with all required admission documents on file.
At the time of application and admission to the Paramedic program, students must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 or higher.
Students must complete all college preparatory courses in reading and writing, as well as MAT 0012, if necessary.
Students must complete EMS 2010 or BSC 1084C or BSC 2085C and BSC 2086C.
Students must hold state of Florida EMT certification.
Students must submit a complete and accurate application for the Paramedic Certificate program to Student Services by the application deadline for the incoming fall class.

Applications are available in Student Services. Applications must contain all the above listed requirements in order to be sent to the selection committee. Therefore, it is imperative that a student wishing to be considered for a position in the Paramedic program meet with the program director to assure compliance with the above requirements.

Additional Program Requirements

Additional requirements that are completed after the selection process has been finalized include:

Physical examination and essential functions
Immunizations and communicable disease screenings
Current CPR certification (ARC or AHA)

The program director will provide information regarding the completion of these additional admission requirements with the acceptance letter.

Selection Criteria

Admission to the Paramedic Certificate program is based on the following criteria, with maximum points for each criterion indicated:

The evaluation of a student’s GPA in prerequisite courses is worth 30 points.
The evaluation of a student’s GPA in the AS degree general education courses (indicated below) that have been completed is worth 10 points.

ENC 1101: College Composition

HUM 2020: Introduction to Humanities

PSY 2012: General Psychology

The student interview with the selection committee is worth 40 points.
A student’s demonstrated experience in EMS is worth 20 points. Experience in EMS may be obtained as a volunteer or employee. The hours must be documented and will be verified by the program director.

Selection Process

The selection committee selects candidates for program admission based on the total points earned in the selection criteria, as indicated above.
The most qualified applicants are selected.
When selected for a position in the Paramedic program, the applicant must enter at the designated time or lose his/her position. Unclaimed positions will be given to alternates. Previous selection does not mean automatic selection for a later class, as a new application is required.

Click here to see the Paramedic Certificate curriculum.

Gainful Employment

This is a gainful employment program. Visit the Gainful Employment page for gainful employment programs’ placement and on-time completion rates, median loan amounts, SOC codes and estimated program costs.

Gainful employment programs include only training programs of at least one academic year that lead to a certificate (credit programs requiring 16 or more credit hours and clock hour programs requiring 600 or more contact hours). These programs prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.