Cohort 64 application will be available on Monday, January 29th, 2024.

Please review all information on this webpage before applying, including the details at the bottom of the page.

The structure of this training program:

• Cohort 64 will start on Monday, August 26th, 2024, and run through May 31st, 2025. It will consist of three phases of training:
• Didactic
  • Intro Block
  • Medical Block
  • Trauma Block
  • OB/Peds Block
  • Classroom lecture and labs are 8 hour sessions
  • Students will attend class 3-5 times a week.
• Clinicals
  • Clinical Rotation Block
  • Clinical rotations require a student to log 172 hours of training in four to five weeks
    • Equivalent of a forty hour work week.
• Field Internship
  • Field Internship
  • Two to three months riding on an ALS ambulance performing in the role of paramedic intern while being evaluated by experienced paramedics
  • The length of the internship can vary due to the shift schedules of our preceptors. 
  • The internship will require a student to perform in the intern role for no less than 528 hours.

Prerequisites:

• 1200 hours of  paid EMT work experience.
  • Experience should be in the realm of providing pre-hospital care.
  • Clinical work experience  in lieu of EMT Ambulance/Engine experience is considered on a case by case basis
• Proof of passing a college level Intro to Anatomy and Physiology Course (if you take it through Palomar College, the class is listed under Bio-145)
• Completion of a Paramedic Prep Course.
  • Palomar College EME 175 preferred.  All others Prep courses are contingent on verification of curriculum content.
• Current Valid Drivers License
• Current EMT-B certification or National Registry EMT license
• Current BLS Provider CPR Certification. Certification by AHA preferred, all others are considered on a case by case basis

Vaccinations:

• Palomar College and the EME Department do not set vaccination requirements for students.  Vaccination requirements are required for training in hospital settings (which we do).
• Vaccination requirements are not negotiable.  Students are not allowed into patient care environments, at our contracted hospitals, if they do not meet the the vaccination standards of the the hospital hosting the training.   We will not prevent an applicant from being accepted into a paramedic training cohort based on vaccination status.  If a student cannot meet the vaccination requirements of the clinical sites, at the time of clinical rotations, that student will not be able to complete training and will be dismissed from the training program.

Application Period for Cohort 64

• Prospective paramedic students can submit an application, with supportive material, between January 29, 2024 and April 29, 2024 (at 1700 hours).
• In person submission of supportive material drop off options:
  • Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 4:30pm, no appointment required.
  • Drop off packet to Ally (Tues, Wednesday, Friday) or to Kaylee (Monday, Thursday, Friday). Please use the phone in the EME office to dial either Ally/Kaylee’s extension when you arrive to drop off your application packet. Phone Extension: Ally (8151); Kaylee (8150)
• Late submissions will not be accepted without prior authorization.

After submitting the online application all other required document must be compiled and submitted in person to Ally Do or Kaylee Donaghy, in the EME Department Office. The deadline for submitting the packet of documents is April 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm. Any late submissions must be pre-arranged with Ally Do.

The Application Packet:

Please review the information below.  It provides more details about some of the items discussed above and other important info.

After submitting the online application, the following items must be submitted to the EME Department:

• Applicants must provide two 2″x2″ passport photos
• Valid Driver’s License – must remain valid and current for duration of program.
• Valid California EMT-B certification or National Registry EMT license – must remain valid and current for duration of program.
• AHA BLS Health Care Provider CPR Card or equivalent – must remain valid and current for duration of program.
• Minimum of 1200 hours of paid work experience as an EMT in these areas: Private ambulance, Fire Department, Lifeguarding, Navy Corpsman, Emergency Room, etc. 
• Original letter of work verification from your employer(s) sign and dated on letterhead. We will also accept pay stubs with hour’s verification.
• Three original professional letters of reference; signed and dated.  (Allowed one personal letter, but not from a family member).
• High School graduate (or equivalent). This is waived if you have an A.A Degree or above. Please provide Official College Transcripts showing degrees earned. This includes from Palomar College. You may order them sent to Attn: EME Department
• Completion of Intro to Anatomy & Physiology (BIO-145 or equivalent basic anatomy/physiology course) with a grade of “C” or better. (You can also submit proof that you are currently enrolled in this class. Your acceptance to the program will be upon you completing and passing this class by the end of the Spring 2024 semester)
• Completion of Paramedic Preparation (EME-175, EME-175 Lab) or equivalent with a grade of “B” or better. Paramedic Prep classes from other institutions are accepted if the curriculum meets or exceeds EME-175, EME 175L. (You can also submit proof that you are currently enrolled in this class. Your acceptance to the program will be upon you completing and passing this class by the end of the Spring 2024 semester)

The Screening Process:

After the application period closes, the submitted applicants documentation will be reviewed.  Applicants that submit incomplete packets may be eliminated from the application process.  Applicants who have met the pre-requisites, and have submitted complete application packets, will be asked to participate in our screening process.

The elements of the screening process are outlined below:

• Day One
  • Applicants will attend one session.
  • May 2nd, 2024 (0900-1300) or May 6th, 2024 (0900-1300)
  • Location of this Day One assessments will be the Computer Lab (Room 101) on the Palomar College Escondido Campus.
  • Assessments on Day One are:
    • Medical Math Assessment
    • EMT Assessment (National Curriculum)
    • Reading Level Assessment
    • To participate in Day One of the screening process applicants must have:
      • A Palomar College Student ID number and have confirmed that their account is active
      • An account with Platinum Education Group at https://www.platinumed.com/
        • Do not attempt to create an account and request to be a part of this screening process prior to getting instructions from the EME department.
        • More information will be posted here as the date approaches.
    • Some applicants have had trouble finishing all elements of the screening process in four hours.  Applicants should arrive knowing that there is a time limit on these screening elements.
    • At the conclusion of Day One events, applicants will then be asked to schedule their appointment for day two of the process.
• Day Two
  • Applicants will attend one session.
    • May 15th, 2024 or May 23rd, 2024
    • Times will be scheduled with the applicant on day one.
  • The location of the Day Two will Palomar College Escondido Campus.
    • Room to be announced later.
    • Day two appointments will be one hour increments between 0800-1700
      • Applicants should be prepared to stay on site more than an hour in case the faculty experiences delays.
  • Assessments this day will be:
    • Oral Interview
    • EMT-B level simulation.
      • Paramedic Prep level assessment and treatment is encouraged
      • Applicants will be simulating the assessment on a high fidelity mannequin.
• Announcement of Acceptance.
  • Following the screening process students will be ranked based on their performance and selected by the EME Program Director and faculty.
  • Applicants will be notified if they were accepted on not accepted in writing.  It is anticipated that letters will be mailed by May 31st, 2024.
• Orientation Date for Incoming Cohort
  • Students that are accepted into Cohort 64 will be required to attend a mandatory orientation session on Wednesday, August 7th, 2024 from 0900-1400.

For Additional Information Contact:

Ally Do

Career Technical Program Specialist

760-744-1150 Ext. 8151

ado@palomar.edu