Emergency Medical Science

Paramedics are credentialed healthcare professionals who provide advanced life support to patients. They differ from Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) in the advanced level of training they receive.

Employment opportunities for paramedics include ambulance services, hospitals, urgent care, lab facilities, security agencies, law enforcement, and emergency management organizations. 

The Emergency Medical Science program offers instruction in the knowledge, skills, and attributes to provide advanced emergency medical care as a paramedic for critical and emergent patients. It prepares graduates to enter the workforce.

The goal of the Emergency Medical Science program is to prepare paramedics who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.

Admissions information

Credentialing Options

Emergency Medical Science, AAS - CIP Code: 51.0904

A 45 34 0

Contact: (336) 334-4822 ext. 50378

Limited Enrollment Program:

Contact the EMS Department for enrollment details.

The Emergency Medical Science curriculum provides individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attributes to provide advanced emergency medical care as a paramedic for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical system and prepare graduates to enter the workforce. Students will gain complex knowledge, competency, and experience through classroom instruction, practical laboratory sessions, hospital clinical experience, and field internships with emergency medical service agencies. Graduates of this program will be eligible to attempt the North Carolina and/or National Registry credential examinations. Employment opportunities include providers of emergency medical services, fire departments, rescue agencies, hospital specialty areas, and industrial, educational, and governmental agencies.

This limited enrollment program is designed to be completed in as little as five full-time semesters (fall, spring, summer, fall, spring). The average commitment throughout the program is five days a week, including off-site clinical assignments. Students enrolled in the EMS program must earn a final grade of "B" or higher in all courses with an "EMS" or "BIO" prefix in order to continue. Students are eligible to sit for the North Carolina or National Registry EMT exam after successful completion of the first semester.

Program Outcomes:

Upon completion of the Emergency Medical Science degree, graduate should be able to:

  • Express competency as an entry-level paramedic.
  • Manage prehospital patient care during medical emergencies.
  • Integrate paramedic-level mastery of trauma emergencies.
  • Implement operational best practices in the pre-hospital environment.

At the successful completion of the EMS program, the graduate should be able to demonstrate sufficient competency of paramedic-level skills described in the North Carolina paramedic curriculum and the DOT/NHTSA "National EMS Education Standards" for successful entry into the EMS workforce as a paramedic.

Fall Semester I

Total Credits: 18

Spring Semester I

Total Credits: 18

Summer Semester I

Total Credits: 8

Fall Semester II

Total Credits: 10

Spring Semester II

Total Credits: 12

Total credit hours required for degree: 66

Electives

1. Communications / English Elective

Choose one course from the following:

2. Humanities/Fine Arts Elective

Choose one course from the following:

Close

Associate in Arts, Pre-Emergency Medical Science Pathway

A 10 10 0 ES

Contact: (336) 334-4822 ext. 50439

Limited Enrollment Program Pathway

GTCC is an open access institution, however many of our programs have enrollment requirements for admission.  Limited Enrollment Pathways help to identify students who are awaiting acceptance into Limited Enrollment Programs while they complete entry requirements to qualify for admission.  Students who are unable to qualify for admission to Limited Enrollment Programs within one year will be removed from the Limited Enrollment Pathway, and will remain enrolled in the Associate in Arts (A10100) degree program.

Semester I

Total Credits: 15

Semester II

Total Credits: 15

Semester III

  • Humanities/Fine Arts Elective Credits: 3
  • Social/Behavioral Science Elective Credits: 3
  • Natural Science Elective Credits: 4
  • General Education Elective Credits: 3
  • General Education Elective Credits: 2

Total Credits: 15

Semester IV

  • General Education Elective Credits: 3
  • General Education Elective Credits: 3
  • Other Required Hours Credits: 3
  • Other Required Hours Credits: 3
  • Other Required Hours Credits: 3

Total Credits: 15

Course Requirements for Associate in Arts, Pre-Emergency Medical Science Pathway (60 Credits)

General Education Requirements

The general education common course pathway includes study in the areas of English, communication; humanities and fine arts; social and behavioral sciences; natural sciences and mathematics.

English Composition

The following two English compositions courses are required:

Humanities/Fine Arts

The following course is required:

Humanities/Fine Arts Electives

Choose two courses from the following list:

Social/Behavioral Sciences

The following course is required:

Social/Behavioral Science Electives

Choose two courses from the following list:

Mathematics

The following course is required:

Natural Sciences

Choose 4 credits from the following courses:

Other Required Hours

An additional 29 credits of courses should be selected from courses classified as pre-major, elective, or general education courses within the CAA.

Academic Transition and Pathway Requirements

The following courses are required:

General Education/Pre-Major Electives

Choose fourteen (14) credits from the list below:

Other Required Hours

Select nine (9) credits from the following list:

Total Credits: 60

Footnotes:

1. WBL-111 is non-transferable and can only be utilized as the 61st hour of the program.

Close

Paramedic Program Outcomes

CAAHEP Accredited Paramedic Programs and CoAEMSP Letter of Review (LoR) Programs track and report outcome measures annually to the Committee on Accreditation for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

  • The most current CoAEMSP Annual Report was for the calendar year 2022.
  • The most recent success rate for the North Carolina state cognitive exam was 100%.
  • The most recent positive placement rate for graduates was 100%.
  • The most recent retention rate was 57.1%.

Positive placement is defined by the CoAEMSP as "employed full or part-time in a related field and/or continuing his/her education and/or serving in the military." Positive placement is measured at completion of the program.

The GTCC Emergency Medical Science Curriculum Program has obtained full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

9355 113th St. N., #7709
Seminole, FL 33775-7709
727-210-2350
www.caahep.org 

Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP)

8301 Lakeview Parkway Suite 111-312
Rowlett, TX 75088
214-703-8992
coaemsp.org

About GTCC EMS Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Jeremiah Underwood, EMS Program Director
336-334-4822 Ext. 50378
jwunderwood1@gtcc.edu

Robbie Griffin, EMS Instructor
336-334-4822 Ext. 50456
rdgriffin@gtcc.edu

Stacey Baker, Clinical Coordinator
336-334-4822 Ext. 50170
sgbaker1@gtcc.edu

Yes, financial aid is available for this program along with EMS specific scholarships. Visit Financial Aid to learn more.  

No, it is not necessary to have previous medical experience. You will learn everything you need to know to become a competent, entry-level paramedic during the course of study.

It is not advisable for you to work full-time while in the EMS program, but it is understandable if you must have a job. It is possible to maintain a part-time job after school hours, but you must understand the EMS program is rigorous and requires a lot of studying.

Yes. The full-time instructors maintain office hours (that vary each semester), and they will be glad to assist you with any questions or remediation that they can offer.