Darton College

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Emergency Medical Services Certificate

Patricia P. Hotz,
RN, NREMT-P, MN, MMSc
Program Director
Building J, Office 258
Phone: (229) 317-6845
1-866-775-1214
Fax: (229) 317-6682

Applications
EMT-I
Paramedic

The Emergency Medical Services Program is designed to provide paramedic instruction at the certificate and associate degree level for emergency medical personnel who have been certified as emergency medical technician.* The program is based on the revised Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic: National Standard Curriculum (EMT-P NSC). Graduates of the three semester certificate program who achieve an overall grade point average of 2.0 are eligible to take the certification exam offered by the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT). After passing the paramedic level certification exam, NREMTParamedics are licensed to practice by the Emergency Health Section of the Georgia Department of Human Resources and are allowed to perform advanced life support techniques under medical direction in Georgia. Students may elect to take additional prescribed college courses to complete their Associate of Science degree in Emergency Medical Services.

For consideration for admission to the EMS Certificate Program, students must take the University System of Georgia COMPASS Test and score a minimum of 78 on the Reading. Scores of 71 on English and 30 on math ensure unconditional admission to the program provided the other requirements are met.

Additional Admission Requirements:

  1. Verification of EMT certification. (exception: FAST-TRACK applicants)
  2. Recommendation by EMS director, if applicable.
  3. Evaluation on an individual basis by the EMS Admissions Committee.
  4. To comply with the requirements of cooperating clinical facilities, the Allied Health Division requires students to submit a completed immunization form and TB screening form. These forms must be completed before clinical rotations commence.
  5. To satisfactorily complete the curriculum and to develop the skills required for an entry level practitioner, the student must have:
    1. Visual acuity (with or without corrective lenses) to identify cyanosis and to perform patient assessment, to accurately draw solutions into a syringe;
    2. Auditory acuity (with or without aids) sufficient to accurately use an aneroid sphygmomanometer, to detect breath and bowel sounds, and to accurately obtain a patient's medical history;
    3. Physical ability to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, to lift and transport patients and heavy equipment items;
    4. Speaking ability to communicate with patients to obtain medical history, to effectively transmit vital information over radio;
    5. Manual dexterity to correctly use syringes and initiate intravenous lines.

*FAST-TRACK PARAMEDIC PROGRAM
Students without previous EMS experience, who have exited Learning Support Courses, may take additional courses concurrently with the first and second semesters of the EMS certificate program. After successful completion of the second semester, FAST-TRACK students are eligible to take the National Registry EMT-Intermediate certification exam, which would qualify them for entry in to the EMS job market in Georgia. After successful completion of the third semester, FAST-TRACK paramedic students are eligible to take the NREMT Paramedic certification exam. After passing the exam, NREMT paramedics are licensed to practice by the Emergency Health Section of the Georgia Department of Human Resources and allowed to perform advanced life support procedures under physician direction in the state of Georgia.

EMS Courses listings from the 2007-08 Catalog
EMS Technician Course Listing from the 2007-08 Catalog

Responsible Department: Allied Health - Emergency Medical Services
Program Contact: Patricia Hotz
Contact: Anthony Williams (web representative)