Program Purpose:
To further prepare registered paramedics who wish to pursue employment advancement opportunities that require an associate degree, such as management and teaching.
Program Explanation:
This program allows students who are enrolled in, or who have completed, the Paramedic Certificate (6309) program to earn an A.S. degree by taking General Education courses in addition to the required paramedic courses. The nonparamedic courses needed to complete the A.S. degree are listed below under General Education.
For more information, visit the Paramedic program’s Web site.
The paramedic program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org), upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions. [CAAHEP: 1361 Park Street, Clearwater, Florida 33756, (727) 210-2350]
Employment Types:
Registered paramedics are employed by emergency care providers, ambulance companies, hospital emergency departments and intensive care units, educational organizations and other settings.
Program Length:
73 credit hours (11 credit hours from the prerequisite EMT certificate program, plus an additional 62 credit hours)
Admission Requirements:
Applicants who are not already paramedics or enrolled in the Paramedic Certificate (6309) program should review the criteria for admission as outlined for Paramedic Certificate (6309) .
- Must complete all admission requirements of the College; have a high school diploma or GED diploma; and take the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) and place into college-level courses MAT1033 and ENC1101 .
- Must be a Florida-certified EMT or be eligible to take the Florida EMT examination. (EMT certification must be obtained before starting the program.)*
- Must hold current American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification at the Healthcare Provider level or American Red Cross certification in CPR for the Healthcare Provider/Professional Rescuer. One of these two hands-on courses is required; online courses will not be accepted.
- Students who are enrolled in paramedic courses must pass all clinical affiliates’ requirements for criminal background checks, drug screenings and health/immunizations before starting all classes.
*Students who are not yet EMTs may wish to enroll in the Emergency Medical Technician Certificate (B312) program to begin their progress in this field.
Program Application:
The Paramedic certificate program begins each Fall and each Spring semester. It is a limited-access program with a limited number of seats per class. More information is available on the program’s Web page (www.tcc.fl.edu/ems). Application procedures must be completed by the published application deadline. Applicants must submit both a general TCC application and a healthcare program application by the published deadline.
Students who have already completed all requirements for the Paramedic certificate program may take the General Education courses required for the A.S. degree at their convenience.
See important information in the Additional Healthcare Degree Requirements section of this catalog.
Academic Division:
Healthcare Professions, Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education
Contact:
(850) 558-4500 or healthedu@tcc.fl.edu
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