Program Description

The Medical Center Campus Paramedic Certificate Program is a college credit certificate that is a 3 semester course of study requiring 42 credits. Before entry into the Paramedic Certificate Program, students must also complete training as an Emergency Medical Technician and hold a current State of Florida EMT certification/license.

The Paramedic Certificate Program provides learning experiences that enable the student to acquire and assimilate the necessary technical competencies to function effectively as a supportive health care provider in the pre-hospital environment. In keeping with its mission and goals, and in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Medical Center Campus promotes an environment of respect and support for persons with disabilities and will make reasonable accommodations. Please see the ADA Standards listed for this program.

This program is highly demanding, and students are therefore more successful if they do not work while in the program. If students must work for financial support, the program strongly recommends a limit of 20 hours of employment per week. Students should also consider family responsibilities before committing to a full-time accelerated program.

To facilitate the clinical portion of the program, students are assigned to a clinical facility within Miami Dade County. Students are responsible for their own transportation to the campus and to various agencies in the community to which they are assigned for clinical experiences.

Testing

Students applying to the Paramedic Certificate Program must complete the Computerized Placement Test (C.P.T.). The Testing Department at the Medical Center Campus is located in room 1303. Please call the Testing Department at 305-237-4375 for a testing schedule or contact any of the Testing Departments at any of the MDC campuses for their testing schedule.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or G.E.D. Students who have earned an A.A., A.S., or higher degree or have acceptable scores from the SAT or ACT-I are exempt from the C.P.T. Test.

For the Paramedic Certificate Program, the acceptable scores that are required are:

READING - 83 or higher

ENGLISH - 83 or higher

ALGEBRA - 72 or higher

Requirements

To be eligible to apply to the Paramedic Certificate Program, you must complete the following steps:

1. You are 18 years old and have earned, or will earn at the time of enrollment into the program, a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma (GED).

2. If you have not been enrolled at Miami Dade College during the past 12 months, complete an Application for Admission or Readmission to College Credit Courses.

3. Register for and complete the Computerized Placement Test (C.P.T. ) through Testing Services, Room 1303, Medical Center Campus, 305-237-4275, or through the testing center at any of the other MDC campuses. Get Bursar Authorization form from the Admissions Office or an Advisor.

4. Hold a current State of Florida EMT certification.

5. Complete the Program Application process by submitting an application for Program Admission according to established deadlines for each semester

6. Be enrolled in or successfully  complete BSC 205 and BSC 2085L - Anatomoy and Physiology Part One
7. Provide proof of a current BLS CPR card (submit copy with application)
8. Successfully complete the criminal background check through the School of Justice at North Campus (documentation must be submitted with application)
9. Complete the student health record (complete record must be submitted with application)

Classes meet according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department shift schedules from 8:00am - 9:00pm

Medical Center Campus          Medical Center Campus     Medical Center Campus

A Shift, 8:00am - 9:00pm        B Shift, 8:00am - 9:00pm    C shift, 8:00am-9:00pm

Summer Semester                   Fall Semester                       Spring Semester

OR

Classes meet Mon & Wed from 5:00pm - 9:00pm for lecture, Tue & Thr from 5:00pm - 9:00pm for clinic and
Sat. from 8:00am - 4:00pm for laboratory

APPLICATION DEADLINES
SEMESTER	SHIFT	DEADLINE
Fall Semester	B	July 26
Spring Semester	C	November 1
Summer Semester	A	March 15

Where Do I Send My Application Materials?

You may send your MDC application to any admissions office located on any of the six campuses of Miami Dade College . Applications for admission may also be filled out on line at http://www.mdc.edu.
Note:  You have to be connected to the Internet to access this web site

You must also send the following:

1. Application fee (check or money order - no cash)
2. Official high school transcript and official college transcripts (if available) to the Admissions Office.
3. Submit the completed paramedic application packet to the EMS department at the Medical Center Campus.  ONLY COMPLETED APPLICATION PACKETS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR ENROLLMENT INTO THE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM.

ADA Standards Americans With Disabilities Act

In keeping with its mission and goals, and in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Medical Center Campus promotes an environment of respect and support for persons with disabilities and will make reasonable accommodations. The definition of individuals with disabilities are those who currently have, have a record of having, or are regarded as having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. Major life activities include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, breathing, and working.

Individuals applying for admission, progression to clinical courses, and graduation from a program in Nursing and Allied Health Technologies must be able to meet the physical and emotional requirements of the academic program. In addition, students admitted to the programs in Nursing and Allied Health Technologies must possess the following qualities:

• he emotional maturity and stability to approach highly stressful human situations in a calm and rational manner.

• The ability to make clinical judgment using critical thinking

• The ability to adhere to ethical standards of conduct as well as applicable state and federal laws

• The ability to provide effective written, oral, nonverbal communication with patients and their families, colleagues, health care providers, and the public

• The ability to successfully complete all requirements needed to receive ACLS certification as defined by the American Heart Association

An individual who poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or themselves may be denied admission, progression or graduation. The college's determination that a person poses a direct threat will be based on an individualized assessment that relies on current medical evidence or on the best available evidence to assess the nature, duration, and severity of the risk and the probability that the potential injury will actually occur.

In order to fulfill the requirements of the Paramedic Certificate Program at Miami Dade College , students must be able to meet the physical demands associated with the profession. Examples of these requirements include but are not limited to the following:

Code: F = frequently O = Occasionally NP = Not Present

For specific Performance Standards associated with the Paramedic Certificate Program, please contact the Program Coordinator.

Because of the unique responsibilities involved in all Allied Health professions, each department reserves the right to require that the student who appears to be unsuited for any program therein withdraw from the program and be guided into another curriculum of study at the college.

Curriculum

Students are admitted to the Paramedic Certificate Program each semester. Course content is sequential, and students should plan to enroll in all Paramedic courses in the order and during the terms indicated in the following curriculum outline. The Paramedic Certificate Program is offered on the Miami Dade County Fire Department shift schedule (A shift, B Shift, C Shift)

** DENOTES COURSES THAT MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO ENTRY INTO PROGRAM

PARAMEDIC CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Ratio of Credits to Contact Hours

In order to practice safely as a Paramedic, students must complete a predetermined number of classroom or "contact" hours. For this reason, the number of hours you spend in class will be greater than you might expect. A two-credit clinical laboratory course might require a commitment of six hours of class time per week. The required ratio of credits to contact hours is spelled out in detail below.

Contact hours for theory courses are the equivalent of one contact hour per week for 16 weeks for each credit.

Contact hours for clinical laboratory courses are the equivalent of three contact hours per week for 16 weeks for each credit. Science lab courses meet 2 hours per week per credit.

If courses are taught in less than 16 weeks, the total number of required contact hours will be divided by the number of weeks the course is offered.


Approximate Costs

As of August 2005, the cost of tuition is $68.94 per college credit for in-state students and $228.76 per college credit for out-of-state students. Here are estimates for total tuition, based on 42 credits at these per-credit rates. In-state students: $2,896.00 Out-of-state students: $9,608.00 Tuition is due at the beginning of each term and can be determined by multiplying the number of credits by the cost per credit hour. Additionally, over the course of the program, students should expect to pay approximately $350 for books, $125 for name tags, uniforms and footwear, $15.50 for malpractice insurance and $10.50 for health insurance annually. Most laboratory courses have an additional fee between $20.00 and $125. All costs are subject to change.

Financial Aid

All students at the Medical Center Campus should apply for financial aid, which includes the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work Study, and Federal Subsidized loans. The Campus also offers emergency short-term loans and a variety of scholarships.

Application can be made in the Financial Aid Office (Room 1201) on the Medical Center Campus. Those who apply before April 1 st for the following academic year are given priority. Only courses in which students have registered before the 100 percent refund date qualify for financial aid. For additional information, call the Financial Aid personnel at 305-237-4160.


Accreditation

The Paramedic Certificate Program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). For further information, contact:

CoAEMSP
1248 Harwood Rd.
Bedford, Texas 76021

Phone 817-283-9403 Fax: 817-354-8519
http://www.coaemsp.org/
Note:  You have to be connected to the Internet to access this web site

The Paramedic Certificate Program is approved by the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C18
Tallahassee, FL 32311-1738
Telephone: (850) 245-4440
Fax: (850) 488-9408


Licensure

Upon completion of the Paramedic Certificate Program, graduates are eligible to apply to the Florida Bureau of Emergency Medical Services for permission to participate in the examination process. For further information, contact:

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C18
Tallahassee, FL 32311-1738
Telephone: (850) 245-4440
Fax: (850) 488-9408


http://www.doh.state.fl.us/workforce/ems1/index.html
Note:  You have to be connected to the Internet to access this web site

Important Phone Numbers

EMS Department		305-237-4038
New Student Center		305-237-4141
Advisement Services		305-237-4238
Financial Aid		305-237-4160
Student Life		305-237-4213
Testing Services		305-237-4275

Faculty and Staff

Mario Alem, EMT-P Office: 2210 Telephone:305-237-4443 Email:malem@mdc.edu	Ricardo Barnet, EMT-P Office:2208 Telephone:305-237-4457 Email:rbarnet@mdc.edu
Terrence Davis, EMT-P Office:2212 Telephone:305-237-4489 Email:tdavis@mdc.edu	Orlando Fernandez, EMT-P Office:2214 Telephone:305-237-4321 Email:oferand@mdc.edu
Robert Jorge, EMT-P Office:2206 Telephone:305-237-4045 Email:rjorge@mdc.edu	Michael Yoder, RN, EMT-P Program Coordinator – EMS Programs Office:2211 Telephone:305-237-4337 Email:michael.yoder@mdc.edu
Tavares Scott AHT Secretary Office: 2204 Telephone: 305-237-4475 Email: tscott1@mdc.edu	Inetha Howard Student Services Assistant Office: 2204 Telephone: 305-237-4038 Email: ihoward@mdc.edu

 Visit the Medical Center Campus on the Web at www.mdc.edu/medical/
Note:  You have to be connected to the Internet to access this web site
 

The mission of the Medical Center Campus is to provide students with affordable, accessible, quality education in health care careers. Faculty and staff strive to respond to the changing needs of students, health care providers, and health care consumers in the community at large through collaboration with health care and business communities. The Campus provides and environment that is conducive to learning by recognizing and responding to the diverse learning styles, cultures, and resources of its students.