Ogeechee Technical College has an EMT paramedic training program provides students with the necessary courses for certification at the EMT-Basic level on through to paramedic.
Ogeechee Technical College is located at One Joe Kennedy Boulevard in Statesboro, Georgia. The college sits just off Highway 25/301. The road in front of the college is also 73. The campus can also be reached from Langston Chapel Road. The Bureau of Investigation and Sahara Smoke are located just down the road from the campus.
Program Information
The paramedic classes offered through Ogeechee Technical College provide a paramedic diploma program that consists of 79 credit hours. The program takes five quarters to complete.
These Ogeechee Technical College paramedic credit hours will include: anatomy and physiology, principles of microbiology, theory of patient assessment, management and operations assessment, theory of paramedic essentials to include airway management and ventilation, medical, OB/GYN, neonatal, behavior and trauma emergencies, and emergency medical services operations.
Program Prerequisites
In order to qualify for the EMS program that is offered by Ogeechee Technical College a student must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. The student continuing on to paramedic certification must also be certified as an EMT Basic in the state of Georgia and have a current CPR certification at the healthcare provider level.
Students that are accepted into the paramedic training program may have to submit a criminal background check, drug test, immunization records, physical examination, and proof of insurance before entering the clinical portion of the program.
Contact Information
The EMS Program Director at the college is Karen Beasley Grabenstein. She has been involved in the EMS field for several years and has been instructing new students in the field. She explains just some of the areas in need of trained paramedics by telling us, “As more and more emergency medical helicopters begin service around the state, the need for EMT training for individuals to work on the flight crews becomes a necessity. OTC is the first to offer this EMT paramedic training in the Technical College System of Georgia,” stated Grabenstein. Air Evac Lifeteam is one such service which now has emergency medical helicopters stationed in Statesboro and Vidalia, in addition to a number of other locations in Georgia and throughout the country. Air Evac has already hired a number of Ogeechee Tech paramedic graduates, but has had to send them to their headquarters in Missouri for the specialized EMT training needed to become a member of the flight crew. “Having the capability of hiring people with the special paramedic training already in place should be an advantage for Air Evac and other services,” stated Grabenstein. Another service, LifeStar, which is operated by Omni Flight, has helicopters in Effingham and Toombs Counties presently. “With access to advanced levels of EMS care being a vital component in the outcome of a patient’s care, the amount of time it takes to get a patient to the appropriate facility becomes critical. Working in conjunction with ground EMS units, helicopters can mean the difference in getting a patient to the level of care they need in time, or not,” said Grabenstein. She stressed that the critical care EMT training also benefits medics working on ground ambulances, not just air services. “The enhanced level of paramedic training is applicable to any situation, not just air transports.”
For more information about the program Ms. Grabenstein can be reached by email at kgrabenstein@ogeecheetech.edu or by phone at 912-486-7619. Her office is located in the Health Sciences Building on campus.