Emergency Medical Services, AAS

Paramedic Program Admission Criteria

The Emergency Medical Services- Paramedic Science program is a selective admission program. Candidates must meet the admission requirements listed below.

All persons seeking admission to the A.A.S. Degree Program in Emergency Medical Services:

 

BridgeValley Paramedic Program Application Process:

1^st Step, College Application: If you are a new student, please complete the BridgeValley Student application found at https://www.bridgevalley.edu/apply-now (There is no fee for the BridgeValley Student Application). Students will also need to request High School and any college transcripts to be sent to BridgeValley (details listed in the application). 

2^nd Step, FISDAP Entrance Exam: Please follow this link to purchase your FISDAP Entrance Exam, https://www.jblearning.com/cart/Default.aspx?bc=10745-6&ref=psg.  During this process you will be prompted to create an account with the Public Safety Group.  If you do not already have a FISDAP account, you will need to create one at https://members.fisdap.net/account/new/, as well. Once you have completed the account set up and purchased the exam, email the Program Director to schedule your exam and receive the course ID number.  A FISDAP Entrance Exam Study Guide can be found here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-study-guides/Paramedic+Entrance+Exam_study_guide.pdf. 

3^rd Step, Accuplacer Exam: If you have not already completed a placement exam within the last 5 years – ACT, COMPASS, etc., then you will need to complete the Accuplacer Exam with BVCTC.  Approximately 3-5 days after the BridgeValley Student Application is completed, you will receive a Student ID number and can then use it to schedule the Accuplacer exam found at https://www.bridgevalley.edu/accuplacer.  If using the on campus proctoring service, students can schedule using this link, https://www.bridgevalley.edu/student-success-center.  For students wishing to pursue the AAS in EMS, you must meet eligibility score requirements for general education courses. Test prep for the Accuplacer can be found in the attached link, as well.  If you fall below the required placement scores, you can retake the Accuplacer for $5 per section (ex. Math $5, English $5).  Placement scores can be found here: http://catalog.bridgevalley.edu/content.php?catoid=17&navoid=282#placement-guidelines. 

4^th Step, Paramedic Program Application Submission: Complete the attached Paramedic Program Application and submit to the Program Director at Brittany.McClure@bridgevalley.edu. 

Program Director Contact Information:

Brittany McClure, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Assistant Professor/ EMS Program Director
2001 Union Carbide Drive
South Charleston, WV 25303
Brittany.McClure@bridgevalley.edu
Phone: 304.205.6642

 

Program Description

This program prepares students to safely provide out-of-hospital emergency medical care, as an entry level Paramedic. Students are taught all aspects of advanced life support in the EMS setting, including but not limited to: advanced airway adjuncts and management, emergency cardiology, traumatic life support, newborn and pediatric advanced life support, and many other lifesaving skills.  The goal of this program is to prepare competent entry-level Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician level. 

The Advanced Life Support (ALS) training begins in the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) courses.  After successful completion of the AEMT training, students will be eligible for the AEMT National Registry exam.  The AEMT National Registry is not required to progress in the program, but it is an option for those students who wish to pursue AEMT certification during the course of the paramedic program. Students who successfully complete both AEMT and Paramedic training components will be eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Paramedic exam.  The AEMT to Paramedic Bridge Program is developed in alignment with The EMT-Paramedic: National EMS Scope of Practice and the National Education EMS Standards, using the same education standard that is required for traditional Paramedic Programs. 

A valid National Registry and WV EMTB card must be possessed prior to entry into the AEMT and Paramedic courses, and maintained throughout the entire program. 

Those students who wish to practice in West Virginia as AEMTs, will have to complete the West Virginia Expanded Scope of Practice. Those specific courses will be applied towards your remaining Paramedic course requirements. Students will have to successfully pass the West Virginia AEMT state exam in order to gain West Virginia AEMT certification. Students who successfully complete both AEMT and Paramedic Bridge components, will be eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Paramedic exam. 

Program Goals and Objectives

1. Integrate the complex knowledge and skills necessary to provide advanced level patient care, scene management and transportation as part of an emergency medical services system.
2. Perform a patient assessment, develop and implement a pre-hospital treatment plan as the Paramedic team leader for patients with a variety of medical and traumatic emergencies.
3. Provide advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical services system.
4. Demonstrate technical proficiency in all of the skills identified for the role of an entry-level Paramedic
5. Exhibit appropriate skills of interpersonal communication with patients, receiving facility, and other members of the health services team.
6. Provide accurate, timely, complete and consistent documentation of each patient encounter.
7. Demonstrate cultural competency, respect for diversity and the ability to practice in diverse healthcare settings in a multicultural society.
8. Demonstrate personal behavior consistent with professional and employer expectations for an entry-level Paramedic.
9. Analyze best practices in professional leadership decision making for advancements in EMS.     

Program Assessment

Program evaluation demonstrates that students and graduates have achieved the student learning outcomes, program outcomes, and role-specific competencies. To ensure accreditation standards are met, the program has a Plan of Program Evaluation in place that is shared with communities of interest. Specifically, the PPE evaluates performance on the exam, program completion, graduate program satisfaction, employer program satisfaction, and job placement rates.

Other Information:

A separate application is required for admission to the EMST program. Information regarding the application process can be found on www.bridgevalley.edu/programs-study. Students must meet eligibility requirements including drug screening, background check, and technical standards.

The science course (BIOL 210 ) must be taken within five years of admission. Once admitted into the EMST program, students have one academic year for completion. A valid WV E.M.T. must be possessed prior to entry into the program.

Careers:

Paramedics are best defined as medical professionals who provide medical care at an advanced life support level in the pre-hospital environment, usually in an emergency, at the point of illness or injury. This includes an initial assessment, a diagnosis and a treatment plan to manage the patient’s particular health crisis. Treatment can also be continued en route to a hospital if more definitive care for the patient is required. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as cycle response. Paramedics provide out-of-hospital treatment and some diagnostic services, although some may undertake hospital-based roles, such as in the treatment of injuries.