The mission of the Paramedic Program is to provide a strong educational foundation so the future paramedics may improve the health and welfare of Kern County by providing the highest quality prehospital emergency medical care. The Paramedic Program is designed to provide students with the education and experience to perform as competent, entry level Paramedics. The Paramedic Program received its initial accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP) on March 17, 2006. The program has received continuing accreditation by CAAHEP and is approved by Kern County Emergency Medical Services as meeting the EMS Education Standards as specified in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations and the National Highway transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) Paramedic Curriculum. The program consists of a minimum of 1090 hours of instruction which is divided into three distinct sessions: didactic/classroom instruction (minimum of 450 hours) clinical lab (minimum of 160 hours) and field internship (minimum of 480 hours). Upon completion of the program, graduates will earn an Associate Degree and are eligible to take the National Registry Emergency Medical Technician -Paramedic examination (NREMT-P) which is required for paramedic licensure in the state of California.
