Paramedic Certificate (EMS)

Overview

The Paramedic Certificate program prepares students for advanced prehospital care, focusing on assessment, treatment, and transportation of patients. This accredited, hands-on program combines classroom instruction, lab simulation, and clinical/field internships to prepare graduates for the NREMT exam and careers in fire services or emergency medical services

Program Prerequisite Courses

All candidates must currently hold a valid IDPH EMT-B license.

Accreditation and Licensure

The Morton College Paramedic program has been issued a Letter of Review by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). This letter is NOT a CAAHEP accreditation status; it is a status signifying that a program seeking initial accreditation has demonstrated sufficient compliance with the accreditation standards through the Letter of Review Self-Study Report (LSSR) and other documentation. Letter of Review is recognized by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) for eligibility to take the National Registry's Paramedic credentialing examination(s). However, it is NOT a guarantee of eventual accreditation.

To contact CoAEMSP:

214-703-8445

www.coaemsp.org

All students are eligible to challenge the NREMT after successfully completing the program requirements.

Clinical Requirements

Students are required to participate in clinical experiences that meet both accreditation standards and graduation requirements. These clinical experiences take place off-site, and students are responsible for their own transportation and any costs associated with participation. Before the start of clinical internships, students are required to complete a background check, 10-panel drug screening, physical exam, and other health requirements. A Social Security number is required to comply with the criminal background check.

Admission

The Paramedic Program admits students each fall semester. Admission is selective, and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Complete applications that satisfy program criteria and are submitted by the application deadline are reviewed based on program capacity. Candidates are then required to take a written exam and a practical exam. All scores are calculated, and the candidates with the top scores are selected for the opportunity to be admitted into the program. Provided all the above requirements are met.

For the most current information on admission requirements and the application process, applicants should visit the Paramedic Program webpage. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to meet with their Student Success Coach before applying. Once admitted, students are expected to comply with all policies and procedures outlined in the Paramedic Program Handbook.

Readmission

Students may be readmitted to the Paramedic program only once, and readmission is not guaranteed. Each student must reapply and challenge the entrance exam.

Essential Functions

In accordance with the ADA standards, Morton and the Academy adapt and implement the following technical performance standards for all applicants and students. To qualify for certification and/or licensure, the student must complete a State-approved and CoAEMSP-accredited paramedic program. Students must achieve competency in each of the psychomotor skills. In addition, the student must achieve a passing score on the NREMT written certification exam to obtain an Illinois paramedic license.

Technical performance standards, which are different from academic standards, consist of the minimum physical, cognitive, and emotional requirements to provide reasonable assurances that students can complete the entire program of study and participate completely in training and practice. Acquisition of competencies is a lengthy and complex process and can be compromised by significant limitations on a student's ability to fully participate in the spectrum of experiences required in the program's curriculum.

The Morton program considers the well-being of patients with whom the student will come in contact, both before and after graduation, of the utmost importance. This well-being must never be compromised by any policy of the program. Quality of patient care is the benchmark for established requirements for the physical, cognitive, and emotional capabilities of applicants and students. Students must demonstrate the physical and technical capacity to perform all the essential functions of the paramedic profession during the program.

Students/paramedics must have somatic sensation and functional use of the senses of vision and hearing. Students’ diagnostic skills will be lessened without the functional use of the senses of equilibrium, smell, etc. Additionally, students must have sufficient exteroceptive senses (touch, pain, temperature), sufficient senses (position, pressure, movement, vibratory), and sufficient motor function to permit them to carry out the activities described below. Students must be able to integrate all information received by whatever sense(s) employed, consistently, quickly, and accurately, and must have the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze, and synthesize data.

Candidates for the EMS professions must have the following abilities and skills: observation, communication, motor, intellectual-conceptual, integrative, quantitative, and behavior/social attributes. Technological compensation, with documented ADA reasonable accommodation, can be made for disabilities in certain areas, but candidates should be able to perform in a safe, independent manner, with or without accommodation.

The following are considered Technical Performance Standards that are expected to be performed by the student throughout the program for the paramedicine profession:

To make proper clinical decisions, students/paramedics must be able to interpret written, oral, and diagnostic form instructions, other graphic images, and digital and analog representations of physiologic phenomena, such as ECGs with or without assistive devices. The functional use of vision is necessary.

This curriculum provides students with the foundational knowledge needed to pass the Paramedic licensing exam in the state of Illinois, as well as the ACLS, PHTLS, AMLS, and PALS courses. Course work will cover the human body systems, healthcare delivery, handling emergency medical situations, and the Emergency Medicine Services protocols and procedures.