Admission Information

Program Info: The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program at WCC is designed to provide the student with theory, demonstration, and experiential laboratory in Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), and Paramedic training. EMT and AEMT levels of training can be accomplished as stand-alone one semester components or can be combined with 5-semester course of studies consisting of 76 semester hours of general education and Emergency Medical Services classes leading to the Paramedic level and either a Certificate or an Associate in Applied Science Degree. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP, 9355-113th Street, North, 7709, Seminole, Florida 33775, 727-210-2350, www.caahep.org) on recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP). On successful completion of the program of study for each level of EMS (EMT, AEMT, and Paramedic), graduates are eligible to take the applicable National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians® examination (NREMT). All applications and fees associated with these exams are the responsibility of the graduate.

Admission Dates: Students are admitted to the EMT, AEMT, and Paramedic programs throughout the year. The Paramedic program runs consecutively throughout the academic year, including summer term.

Application Process: Students are admitted to the EMS program without regard to race, creed, color, marital status, sex or national origin. The applicant must meet all College admission requirements, including appropriate placement testing. Students must possess the appropriate level of Alabama state licensure (EMT for Advanced EMT and Advanced EMT for Paramedic) prior to entering clinical courses at the next level. Costs associated with licensure are the responsibility of the applicant. Students transferring to Wallace Community College who have successfully completed EMT or Advanced EMT are eligible to apply for acceptance into the Advanced EMT or Paramedic concentrations, respectively, provided they meet College eligibility requirements for transfer students.

Completion of a physical examination and proof of required laboratory and immunization documentation will be required upon program admission. All associated costs are the responsibility of the student. Contractual agreements between the College and clinical agencies may impose additional requirements on students enrolled in health programs. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the areas of attire, confidentiality, criminal background check, liability insurance, and substance abuse screening. Health insurance coverage is strongly recommended as the expense for treatment of injury suffered during training is the responsibility of the student.

Number of Students to be Accepted: Space in the program may be limited by availability of clinical sites, as well as classroom space and number of faculty. Class size is reviewed annually by the program with input from College officials and the EMS Advisory Committee.

Entrance Requirements: The applicant must meet all College admission requirements, including appropriate placement testing. Admission is conditional and depends on the student’s ability to perform the essential functions identified by the Alabama Department of Public Health. A copy of the essential functions is available from the EMS program and available on this website. Reasonable accommodations are considered. Acceptance by clinical agencies for participation in clinical experiences is dependent upon evaluation of background and substance abuse screening results. Completion of a physical examination and proof of required laboratory and immunization documentation will be required upon program admission.

Prior to participation in Advanced EMT clinical training, each student must have successfully completed an EMT program and possess an Alabama EMT license. Prior to entering the Paramedic phase, students must possess a valid Alabama Advanced EMT license. BIO 201, Anatomy and Physiology I, is a pre-requisite to Paramedic entry. MTH 100, ENG 101, SPH 106/107, and CIS 146 or documented computer competency must be completed prior to entering the last semester of the paramedic certificate curriculum. All EMS students must maintain American Heart Association Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification at the Healthcare Provider Level.

Level specific requirements:

EMT

Unconditional admission to the college
Age of 18 years within 6 months of completion of the program
College approved placement scores
Ability to complete the program with a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average (GPA).
Submission of approved EMS health forms

AEMT

Unconditional admission to the college
Age of 18 years within 6 months of completion of the program
College approved placement scores
Ability to complete the program with a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average (GPA).
Submission of approved EMS health forms
Current unencumbered Alabama EMT license (Conditional admission to the program may be allowed for students who have completed an approved EMT training program, but have not received licensure. All AEMT students must have an unencumbered Alabama EMT license prior to mid-term or they must withdraw from the program). AEMT students will not be allowed to participate in clinical activities without an Alabama EMT license.

Paramedic

Unconditional admission to the college
Age of 18 years within 6 months of completion of the program
College approved placement scores
Ability to complete the program with a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average (GPA).
Submission of approved EMS health forms
Current unencumbered Alabama AEMT license (Conditional admission to the program may be allowed for students who have completed an approved AEMT training program, but have not received licensure. All paramedic students must have an unencumbered Alabama AEMT license prior to mid-term or they must withdraw from the program). Paramedic students will not be allowed to participate in clinical activities without an Alabama AEMT license.

NREMT Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply for certification or recertification, an individual must at all times be eligible for or hold a full and unrestricted license to practice as an EMS professional under the laws of the licensing or authorizing agency of the jurisdiction(s) in which he practices. The NREMT may deny an individual eligibility for certification or recertification because of the limitation, suspension or revocation of any of the individual’s licenses to practice as an EMS Provider or other healthcare professional by any licensing or authorizing agency or the surrender of such a license while under investigation and/or in lieu of disciplinary action against his license.

The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians® (NREMT) which establishes eligibility requirements for applicants, may, in its sole discretion, deny an individual’s eligibility for initial certification or recertification, deny, suspend or revoke an individual’s certification or take any other appropriate disciplinary action with respect to an individual’s application, certification and/or recertification or deny authorization to use the NREMT’s website for any and all purposes, including submitting applicant training information in the case of:

Ineligibility for NREMT certification.
Failure to comply with any policy or rule of the NREMT, including, but not limited to, NREMT’s website Terms of Use Policy.
Irregular behavior in connection with any NREMT examination.
The intentional and material misrepresentation, withholding of any material information or the failure to provide NREMT updated information on any application for certification or recertification or in any other representation or communication to the NREMT.
The intentional misrepresentation by a trainer of any applicant’s satisfaction of the training requirements for certification.
Misrepresentation of the individual’s status as a registrant of the NREMT.
The conviction of, plea of guilty or plea of nolo contendre to, a felony or any criminal offense which is directly related to public health or the provision of emergency medical service in accordance with the NREMT’s Criminal Conviction Policy.
Limitation, suspension, revocation or other disciplinary action by a licensing or authorizing agency relating to practice, or the ability to practice safely and effectively, as an EMS professional or the voluntary surrender of a licensee in connection with or in lieu of any such disciplinary action. The NREMT reserves the right summarily to suspend an individual’s certification, prior to the exhaustion of any right of appeal, upon the revocation or summary or emergency suspension of the individual’s license by a licensing or authorizing agency based on the agency’s finding that the individual poses an imminent threat to the public and/or cannot practice safely and effectively.
Copying, reproducing, disclosing, disseminating or removing of examination-related materials from the test site, attempting to do same or solicit the same.

For more information regarding the NREMT process see https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/policy_disciplinary.pdf

Transfer of credit:
Coursework transferred or accepted for credit toward an undergraduate program must represent collegiate coursework relevant to the formal award. Course content and level of instruction must result in student competencies at least equivalent to those of students enrolled in College undergraduate formal award programs. In assessing and documenting equivalent learning and qualified faculty members, the College may use recognized guides that aid in the evaluation for credit. Such guides include those published by the American Council on Education, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs. Please see College Catalog link for further information on transfer of credit.

https://catalog.wallace.edu/general-principles-for-transfer-of-credit

Policy on Advanced Placement:
Students transferring to Wallace Community College who have successfully completed EMT or Advanced EMT Training are eligible to apply for acceptance into the Advanced EMT or Paramedic concentrations, respectively. Unconditional admission to the Advanced EMT and Paramedic components of the EMS program also requires possession of an EMT and AEMT license, respectively. For Academic courses click on the college catalog link below:

https://catalog.wallace.edu/advanced-placement-apr-credit

Credits for Prior Learning Experience:
Students must possess the appropriate level of State licensure (Advanced EMT for Paramedic) in order to participate in clinical activities at the advanced levels. Students entering the Paramedic level must possess an Alabama AEMT license prior to entering Paramedic courses. In the event that AEMT training was completed less than 60 days prior to the beginning of the term, students will be allowed conditional admission until mid-term of the first paramedic semester to present an Alabama AEMT license. Clinical attendance will not be allowed until an Alabama AEMT License has been presented. Any student who is unable to meet licensure requirements by the State of Alabama Department of Public Health EMS Division will not enter the AEMT or Paramedic Program. No credit will be given on the basics of Experiential Learning.

FOR FURTHER PROGRAM INFORMATION, CONTACT THE EMS PROGRAM OFFICE, Mr. Vince Feggins, Program Director, at 334-556-2440 OR THE ALLIED HEALTH SECRETARY,