EMT/Paramedic
Paramedic Program Hours
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
Some Saturdays
Phone: 530-893-7532
Paramedic
Paramedics care for the sick or injured in emergency medical settings. People's lives often depend on their quick reaction and competent care. Paramedics respond to emergency calls and are responsible for patient evaluation and crisis intervention, team leadership, coordinating resources, effective communication and decision making, documentation and transportation while maintaining a cooperative working relationship with other agencies and responders in a culturally diverse working environment.
Fast-paced, loud, bloody and dangerous are just a few of the words that describe a typical emergency scene. Paramedics face immense pressure to arrive at the scene as quickly as possible so they can provide care to those who need it most. Clearly, this is not the field for everyone. But for those who can deal with these job elements, work as a Paramedic is quite satisfying.
The Paramedic is an allied health professional whose primary focus is to provide advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical system. This individual possesses the complex knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and transportation. Paramedics function as part of a comprehensive EMS response. Paramedics perform interventions with the basic and advanced equipment typically found on an ambulance. The Paramedic is a link from the scene into the health care system.
The Butte College Paramedic Program exceeds State of California requirements and is approved by S-SSV EMSA and CoAEMSP. Students who successfully complete the program will be able to evaluate and treat a wide variety of medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital setting. At the end of the course sequence, students are eligible to take the National Registry exam, which qualifies them to be licensed as a Paramedic in every state in the country.
Some of the features that separate our program from our competitors include:
- Excellent National Registry pass rates
- Small Class size (25 or fewer students)
- Local, faculty-scheduled internships (within 100 miles of Butte College)
- Low tuition fees, no preceptor fees
To be successful in this program, the student must be able to work with a wide variety of people, have a good knowledge of anatomy and physiology, have good math and English skills, be able to adapt to new situations, and be in good physical condition. It is also recommended that the student have experience as an Emergency Medical Technician, a medical corpsman, or have a background in other emergency medical services. Students who are still in high school and are considering a career as a paramedic should take courses in mathematics, anatomy, physiology, and first aid.
Minimum Expectation Goals: To prepare competent entry-level Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical Responder levels.
Prerequisites:
* Current Emergency Medical Technician Certificate or equivalent per Title 22
* Current BLS CPR card equivalent to the current American Heart Association Guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care at the Healthcare Provider level
The EMT prerequisites can be in progress at the time of application, but must be completed prior to the beginning of the program.
Selection Process:
* The EMT prerequisite may be in progress at the time of application., However, priority will be given to those candidates who have successfully completed the EMT prerequisite prior to the application closing date.
* If there are more qualified applicants than spaces in the program, the class will be selected by means of a computer lottery. Students who have completed the EMT prerequisite prior to the closing date of the application will be selected first, then students completing the EMT prerequisite prior to June will be selected second and, if there are still seats available, students completing the EMT prerequisite prior to the Fall semester beginning will be selected last.
* If there are not more qualified applicants than spaces available, individuals that applied prior to the closing date of the application will be placed first based on the lottery criteria above. Students applying after the closing date will be placed on a first come, first serve basis.
*Applications are available here or in the Health Occupations Office (AHPS 215, Main Campus) from December 1st through March 31st for the following Fall class.
Challenge/Advanced Placement into the EMS/Paramedic Program.
Currently, we do not offer advanced placement into our EMS programs.
Program Coursework
EMS 170 - Paramedic Theory
This course is the first of a program designed to provide the Paramedic student the knowledge and skills required to meet the state of California requirements for paramedic training. The course meets accreditation requirements of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (COAEMSP). The course follows U.S. Department of Transportation Paramedic National Standard Curriculum. Upon successful completion, in combination with successful completion of EMS 171, the student will be eligible to take the National Registry Exam required for licensure as a Paramedic in the state of California. Graded only.
EMS 171 - Paramedic Clinical and Field Internship
This course provides the Paramedic student hospital clinical and field internship experience required to meet the state of California requirements for paramedic training. The course meets accreditation requirements of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Program for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP). The course follows U.S. Department of Transportation Paramedic National Standard Curriculum. Upon successful completion, in combination with successful completion of EMS 170, the student will be eligible to take the National Registry Exam required for licensure as a Paramedic in the state of California. Graded only.
Additional Coursework for A.S. Degree
(may be taken before or after the program sequence)
Any Class G.E. - Area 4*
ENGL 2** G.E. - Area 1A*
HUM G.E. - Area 3
COMM G.E. - Area 1B
MATH G.E. - Area 2
Any Class G.E. - Area 5
Any Class G.E. - Area 6
Self Integration - Minimum 2 units from Self Integratin, Physical Activity Education or CTE Pathways Exploration
*Specified required GE courses.
**Completion of ENGL 2 with a "C" or better fulfills the reading and English Associate Degree requirements.
Program Outcomes for 2022
CAAHEP Accredited Paramedic Programs and CoAEMSP Letter of Review (LoR) Programs track and report outcome measures annually to the Committee on Accreditation for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).
The most current CoAEMSP Annual Report was for the calendar year 2022.
| Outcome | 2022 | 2021 | ___2020__ |
| Retention | 64% | 73% | 68% |
| NREMT or State Cognitive exam |
100% | 100% | 100% |
| Placement | 100% | 100% | 100% |
The Butte College 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 (CoAEMSP).
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 - 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775 727-210-2350
www.caahep.org
