SPCC to add Emergency Medical Services degree program

South Piedmont Community College is adding an Emergency Medical Science Bridge program this fall that will allow professional Emergency Medical Technicians and paramedics to get credit for their real-world experience in earning an associate degree. The associate degree will then allow them to continue their education or perhaps seek a better-paying job.

“Both Union and Anson (counties) are looking for EMS professionals with degrees,” said Stuart Wasilowski, SPCC’s vice president of the School of Applied Science and Technology.

The program allows the college to count specific work experience toward classroom hours. “In effect, they’re getting credit for the knowledge base and competencies that they already have,” Wasilowski said. “What typically happens, people come here to get EMT, they stay on and get EMT-Paramedic. That’s 1,300 hours. These folks were at a dead end in terms of (further) education. This opens a pathway back to the college to get their degree, and go on for a bachelor’s degree.”

To qualify for the program, a student would have to provide proof of certification in Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS or PHTLS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS); proof of current Health Provider CPR certification; and written proof of 3,000 paid hours as a paramedic.

“In order to make sure we were awarding credit appropriately, we did a lot of research,” said Alice Bradley, associate dean of Allied Health.

The curriculum is set up for the program to be completed in two semesters, but Bradley said some people might be able to complete it in one. The credit earned for certifications and real-world experience will account for many of a student’s prerequisites, she said, but “they will also have general studies. Nine times out of 10, these folks aren’t going to (already) have the general studies,” she said.

Students who successfully complete the program will earn an associate in applied science degree in Emergency Medical Science.
For information about the program, contact Alice Bradley at 704-290-5832 or abradley@spcc.edu or EMS Coordinator Robby Smith at 704-290-5817 or rsmith@spcc.edu.

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Media inquiries: Jim Muldrow, 704-272-5441, jmuldrow@spcc.edu