Emergency Medical Services, AAS

Program Description

Code 239 - 70 Credits

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program at Kellogg Community College prepares students to enter the field as an EMS worker in this high demand industry. Students completing the program work in a variety of fields; industrial, safety, ambulance, fire, and hospital. It may be used as a prerequisite for physician assistant programs and medical school. The KCC EMS Program offers several levels of study allowing students to meet their future needs including EMS Instructor-Coordinator, Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport, Medical First Responder; Basic Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic Certificates of Completion, and Associate of Applied Science Degree in Emergency Medical Services.

The EMS program includes a rigorous curriculum of classroom, lab, simulation, and clinical education experiences at ambulance services, hospitals, and other health care facilities to prepare the students for success on the national certification exam administered by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) https://www.nremt.org/.

EMS workers respond to patients suddenly sick or injured in a variety of environments. EMS practitioners may be required to work around the clock. Work responsibilities include diagnosing, treating and transporting patients. There are unique physical demands to be met. For more information consult the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm.

Accreditation and State Board Approved

The Kellogg Community College EMS Program is accredited by: The Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs http://www.caahep.org/.

The Kellogg Community College EMS Program is approved by: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services EMS Section http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/Education_Program_Sponsors_list_for_website_2014_453819_7.pdf.

Admissions

Paramedic Certificate/Associate Degree Programs

The requirements for admission to the Paramedic certificate or associate degree programs are:

1. Application and acceptance to the College.
2. Current Basic EMT license.
3. Application to the Paramedic Program.
4. ACCUPLACER® placement testing and minimum proficiency scores of 76 in writing, 63 in reading, and 85 in elementary algebra.
5. Admission meeting with EMS Program director or designee.

Guaranteed Admission Policy for Paramedic Program

Students who apply to the Paramedic Program during the fall or spring semester in which they are completing their Basic EMT training at KCC are eligible for guaranteed admission. These students will have a place reserved in the fall Paramedic program based on the following conditions:

1. Successful completions of the MDCH BEMT licensure exam prior to the start of the Paramedic program.
2. Available positions within the Paramedic program (students will be admitted based on the order in which completed files are received).
3. Completion of the above admission requirements prior to the end of the first year spring semester.
4. Admission priority will be given to students who successfully complete BIOL 105 or 202.

Clinical Education Access Requirements

Students formally accepted to participate in Allied Health, Emergency Medical Services, or Nursing programs are required to comply with clinical access requirements prior to, and potentially during clinical education placement in a hospital, outpatient clinic, or other clinical education provider. The Program’s Director or Coordinator will provide students with detailed direction and timeline for completing all clinical access requirements.

• Students are required to undergo a physical examination*, immunizations, a drug screen and criminal background check.**
• Students are required to secure and maintain CPR certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) from American Heart Association or Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers from American Red Cross throughout their clinical education participation.
• Students are required to maintain professional liability insurance according to College policies as required by clinical education providers. The College ensures students are covered with professional liability insurance with the cost collected through lab fees.
• Students are required to adhere to the uniform and personal appearance standards according to program policies determined by clinical education providers.

* No student or patient is discriminated against due to a past or present history of infectious or blood-borne pathogen disease. Training in blood borne pathogens and infectious diseases will be given at the beginning of the program.

** It should also be noted that the State of Michigan requires a criminal background check prior to obtaining a health professions license (effective October 1, 2008). Students who have been convicted of a crime may have difficulty obtaining state licensure.

Clinical access requirements are determined by the College according to the policies of clinical education providers.

Clinical education providers reserve the right to impose additional requirements at any time to ensure the safety of patients, employees, and students.

Students participating in clinical education are not employees of a clinical education provider or of the College, and therefore are not covered by Workman’s Compensation insurance. It is highly recommended that students maintain personal health insurance while enrolled in an educational program.

Compliance and cost of clinical access requirements are the responsibility of the student.

Latex Environment Statement

Students participating in Allied Health, Emergency Medical Services, or Nursing courses are likely to have contact with latex throughout their educational experience. Due to the broad range of equipment, manikins, materials and supplies used in the College’s practice and simulation laboratories, and within a vast number of hospitals and other clinical education facilities, students with latex allergies considering any of these programs should direct questions to their physician prior to applying to the program to ensure safe participation in a latex environment.