Paramedic Hybrid Program

Hybrid Paramedic Program Benefits

• Eliminates staffing problems due to a class schedule
• Supports career advancement with college credit
• Combats burnout
• Designed and personalized to meet the needs of working professionals
• Created for working paramedics by working paramedics
• The program is securely accredited

Made for Working Medics by Working Medics 

This program is being taught by medics who currently work in the field as well as guest lecturers from multiple disciplines and services. These include Medical Directors, Nurses, Critical Care Medics, Flight Medics, and Street Medics from high-volume services.

This program is designed around your needs and hybrid students can expect regular communication and personalized support to assure their success.

How to Apply

Submit an online application by the posted deadline.

Note: The TMCC Paramedic program does not currently accept Advanced Placement and Experiential Learning for credit and/or placement into the Paramedic program.

Entrance Requirements

• Must be at least 18 years of age prior to applying to the Paramedic Academy.
• Must possess and provide proof of Current State of Nevada EMT or Advanced certification. Please see Nevada EMS Certification and Licensure. 
• Must have at least two years of EMS experience OR currently work for a fire, hospital, or EMS agency.
• Must be able to pass a background and drug test PRIOR to enrolling in classes.
• Must be able to upload vaccinations including MMR, Hep B, chicken pox, TDAP, a negative TB test or chest x-ray.
• Must possess and provide proof of an AHA BLS CPR card (we do not accept American Red Cross).
• Will be required to complete an entrance test and interview with staff to ensure that the hybrid model is the correct fit. 

Prior to enrolling in any TMCC EMS class, please also review these Enrollment Instructions.

Time Commitment and Schedule

The program is 1,400+ hours in length and based on specific objectives and takes about 16-18 months to complete on average. The didactic/classroom phase includes 600+ hours of online instruction. All lectures are recorded allowing the student to rewatch all videos as needed. Imagine being able to rewatch the cardiology lecture until it made sense. Activities include asynchronous and synchronous lectures, skills lab sessions that can be completed in your home department or at the TMCC campus, recorded demonstrations and simulations that are constantly updated to reflect current standards of practice. The didactic portion of the program runs three semesters: Spring, summer, and fall with breaks in between. We recommend planning all activities and vacations in between the semesters to ensure that you are learning everything you need. Please see TMCC Dates and Deadlines for term start and end dates.

Depending on the makeup of the cohort, skills are done based on needs. All students will be required to attend two bootcamps. One, 7-day week will be at the end of the first semester to allow for our students to bring in the information they learned and begin to practice patient assessment techniques, pharmacology, and basic airway management. The second week will be at the end of the third semester. This 10–12-day bootcamp will bring all of the skills together that are needed to be a competent level paramedic. There will be capstone testing to ensure that students are competent to enter the clinical and field setting. 
 
The second phase is completed in the hospital environment where the student is provided the opportunity to apply the cognitive knowledge and psycho-motor skills gained in the classroom setting. The student is under the direct supervision of a physician or registered nurse and will participate in direct patient care. The student must complete at least 300 hours of clinical/hospital experience. This will include completing the following requirements in a qualified hospital, with which we have an affiliation agreement:

• 180 hours in an emergency room
• 24 hours in an ICU
• 24 hours in Labor and Delivery
• 24 hours in respiratory therapy
• 24 hours in Cath lab or surgery
• 24 hours with a pediatric ER, floor, or ICU

The third and final component of the paramedic program is the field rotation phase. The student will apply the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom and hospital under the direct supervision of a preceptor who is currently functioning in the role of a paramedic for a fire or EMS agency. This will be with an agency that has an affiliation agreement with our institution.

The student candidate will be required to complete a minimum of 480 hours of field rotation lab. The last 100 hours of the field rotation is capstone in which students must show they can work as an independent entry-level paramedic with their preceptor only watching and not prompting.

Program Completion

Student progression and completion in the program are contingent upon attaining a grade of "C" or better in all paramedic curricula. A "C" grade is equal to 80%. Courses must be taken in the sequence outlined and students must meet all minimum lab and graduation requirements to complete and graduate the program. 

Students must complete the required clinical and internship hours within one year of completion of the didactic portion of the program. Students who do not complete will be dropped from the program.

Once students have completed all requirements, they are eligible to complete the NREMT certification exam. 

Lab Hours

Lab hours may be completed at your station. We highly recommend working with your agency to train on their equipment and utilizing their education coordinators. We are happy to work with them as well! 

Additionally, lab hours are offered at our TMCC Reno Campus and hybrid students are welcome and encouraged to attend. Testing is facilitated by our instructor staff via high-fidelity scenarios and skills exams conducted at appropriate examination intervals, also at a schedule that can accommodate their career demands.

Students are required to complete the two scheduled bootcamps in order to meet the minimum competency requirements. Additional help is always available if asked for.

Hospital and Internship Site affiliations

We currently have affiliation agreements with the following hospitals in different states:

Reno, Nevada

• Renown Medical Center (Main and South Meadows)
• Northern Nevada (Main, Sierra, and stand-alone ERs)
• Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
• Carson Tahoe Hospital

Las Vegas, Nevada

• Valley Health Systems (Spring Valley, Centennial, Summerlin, and Valley Hospitals)

Washington

• Providence Inland Northwest, Spokane

We currently have affiliation agreements with the following internship sites.

This list is not comprehensive and placement into an internship site is based on availability of the site itself. We attempt to place students and depending on the agency’s availability, they may accept or deny students. Some agencies may require an additional fee for the student. We will advise the student while determining placement. It is up to the student whether they want to continue pursuing that agency. Our program also does not dictate how sites choose students. Some agencies may ask for contracts or a working apprenticeship before they accept a student intern. Students may decide to not utilize that site if they choose. 

Nevada

• REMSA
• Truckee Meadows Fire Department
• North Lyon Fire Department
• Banner Churchill Community Hospital
• Humboldt General Hospital
• East Fork Fire Department
• Central Lyon Fire Department
• AMR/Medicwest-Las Vegas
• Community Ambulance-Las Vegas

California

• Eastern Plumas Healthcare
• American Legion Ambulance
• Riggs Ambulance

We are willing to work with a hospital or agency on an affiliation agreement, but a student must be affiliated with an agency or hospital to be able to contact their clinical coordinators and have a willing commitment from these partners PRIOR to entering the paramedic program. Not all hospitals and agencies are qualified to be affiliated with TMCC and we will advise the student if this ends up being the case.

Program Cost

Students are required to complete 52 credits of EMS 200-level courses. Tuition and fees are based on in-state residency, WUE, or out-of-state tuition. Please see the current tuition and fee schedule to determine the cost with 52 credits. There are also lab fees associated with each course, books, and equipment. On average, the program costs about $14,000.

Accreditation

TMCC's Paramedic Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (COAEMSP).

CAAHEP
25400 US Highway 19 N., Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727-210-2350

COAEMSP
8301 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 111-312
Rowlett, TX 75088
214-703-8445 | Fax: 214-703-8992

Additional Resources: Paramedic Program Outcomes