Palomar Community College Emergency Medical Education has an EMT course of study that offers students the necessary courses for certification from their EMT-Basic level on through to paramedic.
Palomar Community College is located in Escondido, California. The campus is located on East Valley Parkway, in between the Carousel Plaza Shopping Center and the Mission Village Shopping Center. Heritage Charter school is nearby as well.
Program Information
Palomar Community College’s emergency education school offers two training for paramedic programs per year. The application period for the program runs from September through October for the class that begins in January and from February through March for the program that begins in August.
The courses consist of two semesters. The first semester is didactic and consists of lectures and labs. Classes during the didactic semester meet four to five days a week. The second semester is the clinical portion and students will work in a hospital setting performing direct care for patients for the first four weeks. The rest of the semester will be spent shadowing a trained paramedic at a fire department or private ambulance service. This internship last approximately 3 months. Each paramedic student is assigned to a Paramedic Field Preceptor where they will work alongside trained Paramedics at fire departments and private ambulance services. This provides the necessary hands on field training and prepares students to take the National Registry EMT-P exam for licensure.
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 are just some of the courses.
In order to complete the clinical portion of the program, students may be required to have a flu and H1N1 vaccination, pass a background check and possess health insurance.
Once the Emergency Medical Education program is completed, you will be qualified to take the National Registry Emergency Medical Technician Examination (NREMT).
Program Prerequisites
In order to be eligible for the Palomar Community College Emergency Medical Education an individual must be at least 18 years old and a high school graduate or have a GED. Prospective paramedic students must be an EMT-B certification and have at least 6 months of experience in the field. Applicants must complete an approved anatomy and physiology course at the college level. Acceptance into EMS course of study is based on an application process that requires both a testing and an interview process.
Contact Information
Palomar College, Escondido Education Center
Emergency Medical Education Department
1951 East Valley Parkway
Escondido, CA 92027
For more information about the program, you may contact Mary Reed, the Academic Department Assistant. Her email address is mreed@palomar.edu. Her phone number is (760)744-1150 ext. 8150.