Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Technology

Accreditation

Tallahassee Community College's Emergency Medical Services Technology and Paramedic Certificate Programs are offered at the Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education and are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP) and is approved by the State of Florida, Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

Commision on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
1361 Park Street
Clearwater, FL  33756
Phone: 727-210-2350
Fax: 727-210-2354
Please contact mail@caahep.org if you have general questions about CAAHEP.
Website: http://www.caahep.org

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

An emergency medical technician (EMT) performs all emergency care procedures which are not restricted to physicians or paramedical personnel. This emergency care should take place in many settings although the emergency vehicle and the emergency department of a hospital are commonly thought of as the primary work settings of an EMT. Many job positions make use of the emergency techniques performed by persons trained as emergency medical technicians, such as firefighters, law enforcement personnel, nurses and others. Average salaries range from $20,000 to $45,000 annually.

Completion of the EMT Applied Technology Diploma Program at Tallahassee Community College qualifies students to sit for the registry exam as an EMT. Once licensed, you may wish to launch your career at this point, or you may wish to build on this foundation by proceeding to apply for paramedic training to become a registered paramedic.

Paramedics

Registered emergency medical technicians are eligible to enhance their career in emergency care by completing the paramedic training. Since EMTs have already been providing medical care, they are often familiar with the work of a paramedic. Specifically, the paramedic is a professional in emergency medical care who is competent in recognizing and assessing medical emergencies as well as in rendering care at the scene of an emergency, in an advanced life support ambulance, and in other appropriate settings such as hospital emergency departments and intensive care units. Average salaries range from $25,000 to $60,000 annually.

The paramedic program offered by Tallahassee Community College consists of classroom work, discussions and demonstrations, as well as laboratory practice, supervised clinical instruction and practice, and supervised on-the-job performance in an intensive care vehicle. The program of instruction in the paramedic courses (minimum of 4 semesters required) totals approximately 1260 clock hours and awards 42 semester hours of credit. Upon satisfactory completion of the 42 semester hours, the student is eligible to sit for the State examination to become a registered paramedic.

Tallahassee Community College offers two options for individuals pursuing the career of a paramedic: the certificate program of 42 semester hours or the Associate in Science degree program. Persons who earn the degree are prepared for employment as manager and other positions within the emergency medical services career ladder.

Criminal Background Checks

Area health care agencies require that all students participating in clinical rotations at the agencies must have criminal background checks including fingerprints. These background checks will be completed and reviewed before acceptance into any EMS Technology program is granted. The cost of the background checks is the responsibility of the applicant. See the program application for more information.

Drug Screens

Area health care agencies are drug free places of employment and require a satisfactory (negative) drug screen of all healthcare program students that will be in clinical rotations at their facilities. This drug screen test will be performed by a designee of TCC and will be done prior to final acceptance into the program. Students with a positive result on the drug screen will be given an opportunity to explain the confirmed positive test result. If the explanation is unacceptable and/or cannot be satisfactorily documented by the applicant's Physician, the applicant shall not be accepted into the program.

Physical Examinations

Should you be accepted into the Paramedic Program, you will be required to have a complete physical examination with the results reported on forms which will be provided to you with your acceptance letter. You must also show proof of required immunizations and current TB screening. See the program application for more information.