About

A Fast-Paced, Challenging and Rewarding Career

Pre hospital emergency medical care is a challenging and exciting profession. People’s lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics.

 EMS professionals may work at any of four different levels: first responder, EMT–basic, EMT–intermediate, and paramedic.

Upon successful completion of training, students are eligible for employment in a variety of emergency medical systems nationwide—in fire departments, municipal services, private ambulance services, federal services, industry, hospital emergency departments, and hospital-based ambulance systems.

DACC offers all levels of EMS education, as well as an opportunity to earn an associate of applied science degree at the paramedic level. Successful completion of an EMS program will allow for certification/licensure testing at the state and national level.

The Emergency Medical Services program is nationally accredited by the Committee on Accreditation on Education for the EMS Professions and approved by the New Mexico Office of Health Emergency Management.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Formal training and certification is needed to become an EMT or paramedic. All 50 states have a certification procedure. In most states and the District of Columbia, registration with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians is required at some or all levels of certification.

Other states administer their own certification examination or provide the option of taking the NREMT examination to maintain certification. EMTs and paramedics must re-register, usually every two years. In order to re-register, an individual must be working as an EMT or paramedic and fulfill a continuing-education requirement.

Trainees in EMS practice setting up a leg splint under instructor supervision.

Program Goals

Mission, Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

CAAHEP: Paramedic Program Goals

Paramedic Program Goal:

To prepare Paramedics who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.

 

Mission Statement

To prepare associate degree students and/or students enrolled in certificate courses within the Emergency Medical Services Program with the necessary skills and competencies to function as part of a comprehensive EMS response under medical oversight.

Department Goal

The Paramedic program will offer a program that meets CoAEMSP standards with or without exit points at the Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate, and/or Emergency Medical Technician Basic, and/or First Responder levels.

To prepare graduates who will be able to demonstrate:

  1. Comprehensive knowledge of EMS systems, safety/well-being of the EMS provider, and medical/legal and ethical issues, which is intended to improve the health of EMS personnel, patients, and the community.
  2. Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of human systems.
  3. Comprehensive anatomical and medical terminology and abbreviations within written and oral communication with colleagues and other healthcare professionals.
  4. Comprehensive knowledge of pathophysiology of major human systems.
  5. Comprehensive knowledge of life span development.
  6. Application of fundamental knowledge of principles of public health and epidemiology, including: public health emergencies, health promotion, and illness and injury prevention.
  7. Comprehensive knowledge of pharmacology to formulate a treatment plan intended to mitigate emergencies and improve the overall health of the patient.
  8. Knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of an assessment, development and implementation of a treatment plan with the goal of assuring a patent airway, adequate mechanical ventilation, and respiration for patients of all ages.
  9. Scene and patient assessment findings with knowledge of epidemiology and pathophysiology to form a field impression. This includes developing a list of differential diagnoses through clinical reasoning to modify the assessment and formulate a treatment plan.
  10. Assessment findings with principles of epidemiology and pathophysiology to formulate a field impression and implement a comprehensive treatment/disposition plan for a patient with a medical complaint.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s) for the Emergency Medical Services Program are directly linked to the following DACC General Education Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s):

-Identify ethical behavior
-Apply numerical information appropriately
-Problem solve effectively

Upon completion of each course in the Emergency Medical Services Associate Degree and Certificate Programs the following SLO’s are utilized to assesses the program’s success in meeting its instructional goals.

  • Students will be able to demonstrate their ability to perform an appropriate primary/initial assessment of the ill or injured patient in the prehospital setting.
  • Students will be able to demonstrate their ability to perform an appropriate secondary/focused history and physical exam of the trauma patient in the pre-hospital setting.
  • Students will be able to perform an appropriate secondary/focused history and physical exam for patients with medical complaints or signs and symptoms in the pre-hospital setting.
  • Students will be able to formulate an appropriate treatment plan to include administration of IV fluids and/or pharmacological medications for the trauma patient in the prehospital setting.
  • Students will be able to formulate an appropriate treatment plan to include administration of IV fluids and/or pharmacological medications for the patient suffering illness in the prehospital setting.
  • Students will be able to demonstrate appropriate solutions to ethical situations in the prehospital setting.

Emergency Medical Services

The Emergency Medical Services Program trains students in the knowledge and skills needed to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam and become licensed EMTs and Paramedics. Students will learn the New Mexico Scope of Practice at their level and learn to apply critical thinking to a variety of situations and scenarios.



NOTABLE COURSES: ACLS, PHTLS, AMLS, PALS, NRP, Principles of Supervision

REQUIREMENTS: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate

DURATION: 7 semesters / 2 years

SPECIAL NOTES: Completion of Paramedic Program required to complete degree; current New Mexico EMT-Basic or EMT-License as well as clean background check and drug screen required for application to and throughout Paramedic Program, up-to-date immunization records for field/clinical clearance SEE ROADMAP >>

First Responder Pre-Hospital

The Emergency Medical Services Program trains students in the knowledge and skills needed to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam and become licensed EMTs and Paramedics. Students will learn the New Mexico Scope of Practice at their level and learn to apply critical thinking to a variety of situations and scenarios.



NOTABLE COURSES: First Responder Pre-Hospital and CPR for Healthcare Providers

REQUIREMENTS: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate

DURATION: 1 semester

SPECIAL NOTES: Must be 16 years of age or older; Pre-/co-requisite OEEM101 or current AHA BLS CPR card SEE ROADMAP >>

Emergency Medical Technician Basic

The Emergency Medical Services Program trains students in the knowledge and skills needed to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam and become licensed EMTs and Paramedics. Students will learn the New Mexico Scope of Practice at their level and learn to apply critical thinking to a variety of situations and scenarios.



NOTABLE COURSES: EMT-Basic lecture, EMT-Basic lab, EMT-Basic field/clinicals, Anatomy and Physiology, and CPR for Healthcare Providers

REQUIREMENTS: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate

DURATION: 1 semester

SPECIAL NOTES: Clean background check and drug screen and up-to-date immunization records for field/clinical clearance required prior to registration; Must be 18 years of age or older; Pre-/co-requisities OEEM153 and OEEM101; This program may be taken part-time over 2 semesters SEE ROADMAP >>

Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate

The Emergency Medical Services Program trains students in the knowledge and skills needed to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam and become licensed EMTs and Paramedics. Students will learn the New Mexico Scope of Practice at their level and learn to apply critical thinking to a variety of situations and scenarios.



NOTABLE COURSES: EMT-Intermediate Lecture, EMT-Intermediate Lab, EMT-Intermediate Field/Clinicals

REQUIREMENTS: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate

DURATION: 1 semester

SPECIAL NOTES: Current New Mexico EMT-Basic license and AHA BLS CPR, clean background check and drug screen, up-to-date immunization records for field/clinical clearance required prior to registration; must pass an entrance exam SEE ROADMAP >>

Paramedic

The Emergency Medical Services Program trains students in the knowledge and skills needed to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam and become licensed EMTs and Paramedics. Students will learn the New Mexico Scope of Practice at their level and learn to apply critical thinking to a variety of situations and scenarios.



NOTABLE COURSES: ACLS, PHTLS, AMLS, PALS, NRP

REQUIREMENTS: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate

DURATION: 5 semesters / 1 year

SPECIAL NOTES: Current New Mexico EMT-Basic or EMT-License as well as clean background check and drug screen required for application to and throughout Paramedic Program, up-to-date immunization records for field/clinical clearance; pre-requisites: OEEM201, OEEM206, and OEEM207 SEE ROADMAP >>
Note:
Please contact the EMS Program for additional questions at 575-528-7411 or 575-528-7039.
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