Paramedic Program

This course covers the didactic and psychomotor material necessary to establish a foundation for paramedic prehospital patient assessment and management. Topics include preparatory, human body and human systems, pharmacology, patient assessment, airway management, and emergency care for patients suffering from respiratory, cardiac, shock, traumatic, medical, obstetric, pediatric and neonatal emergencies.

This course meets all of the National EMS Education Standards for Paramedics and complies with Title 22, Division 9, Chapter 4 of the California State Code of regulations.

A course completion certificate is awarded to students who pass the course with a score of 80% or better, fulfill all clinical requirements, and sucessfully complete the capstone filed internship. Successful completion of the Paramedic Program provides eligibility to the National Registry of EMTs Paramedic examination to receive certification as a Nationally Registered Paramedic.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• define the paramedic roles and responsibilities within an EMS system, and how these roles and responsibilities differ from other levels of providers.
• explain the importance of personal wellness in EMS.
• define the role that ethics play in decision-making in the out-of-hospital environment.
• apply the general concepts of pathophysiology for assessment and management of emergency patients.
• describe the legal issues that impact decisions made in the out of hospital environment.
• integrate pathophysiological principles of pharmacology and the assessment findings to formulate a field impression and implement a pharmacologic management plan.
• safely and precisely access the venous circulation and administer medications.
• integrate the principles of therapeutic communication to effectively communicate with any patient while providing care.
• establish and/or maintain an open airway, oxygenate, and ventilate a patient by mastering techniques in Bag Valve Mask, Supraglottic Airway and Endotracheal Intubation.
• use the appropriate techniques to obtain a medical history from a patient.
• explain the pathophysiological significance of physical exam findings.
• integrate the principles of history taking and techniques of a physical exam to perform a patient assessment.
• apply a process of clinical decision making to use the assessment findings to help form a field impression.
• follow an accepted format for dissemination of patient information in verbal form.
• effectively document the essential elements of patient assessment, care, and transport.
• describe the knowledge and principles associated with the acute management of respiratory emergencies.
• demonstrate the appropriate management of a patient suffering from a respiratory emergency.
• describe the knowledge and principles associated with the acute management of cardiovascular emergencies including acute coronary syndrome and cardiac arrest.
• demonstrate the appropriate management of a patient suffering from a cardiovascular emergency.
• demonstrate the skills and ability to treat and manage an adult patient with acute coronary syndrome, or in cardiac arrest.
• describe the knowledge and principles associated with the acute management of traumatic emergencies.
• demonstrate the appropriate management of a trauma patient with complications affecting airway, breathing, circulation, hemorrhage, and shock.
• apply the knowledge and principles associated with the acute management of medical emergencies.
• employ the knowledge and principles associated with the acute management of geriatric patients and patients with special challenges.
• describe the knowledge and principles associated with the acute of obstetric patients and childbirth.
• explain the knowledge and principles associated with the acute management of neonatal emergencies.
• practice the skills and abilities to assess and manage medical emergencies.
• demonstrate the skills and abilities to assess and manage geriatric emergencies and patients with special challenges.
• show the skills and abilities to assess and manage pediatric emergencies.
• demonstrate the skills and abilities to assess and manage obstetric and neonatal emergencies.
• Integrate the principles of the Incident Command System (ICS) and Multiple Casualty Incident (MCI) management techniques in order to function effectively and safely in fire-based EMS systems.
• Integrate the principles of rescue awareness and operations to safely rescue patients.
• Evaluate hazardous material emergencies, call for appropriate resources, and work in the cold zone.
• Describe awareness of the human hazard of crime and violence and the safe operation at crime scenes and other emergencies.