Students from the Cochise College Paramedicine Program
Twelve students from Cochise College recently completed the paramedic training program and participated in a graduation ceremony this Wednesday at the Cochise College Downtown Center.
Family and friends gathered to celebrate the special moment.
Josh Meeker, the program coordinator said, “These students have definitely worked hard. They put in over 1200 hours of training.”
Most of the students have worked as EMTs for several years and are ready to advance their knowledge and take a step up the career ladder. In addition to intubation, paramedics are qualified to start IVs and administer drugs, interpret EKGs, and understand cardiac problems – tasks that EMTs are not trained to handle.
And their medical knowledge will become increasingly useful to the public. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for emergency medical technicians and paramedics is expected to increase between now and 2018 as a result of higher call volume due to an aging population, an increase in time required for each patient and an increase in specializing hospitals resulting in more patient transport.
Meeker said, “It’s pretty much like a full-time job for most of the program.”
Cochise College provides both a certificate and an associate of applied science degree in paramedicine certified by the Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (ADHS-BEMS).
The application window for the Cochise College paramedicine program is open between January and May each year for classes that start in August. Cochise College’s paramedicine program saw a surge in enrollment in 2013 after becoming one of only a handful of nationally-accredited programs available in Arizona.
Certification as an EMT-Basic or completion of EMT 174 is required. The core curriculum takes four semesters (12 months) and includes over 500 hours of classroom time and 500 hours of clinical time as required by ADHS-BEMS.