Harper College will be closed Wednesday, November 27 through Sunday, December 1 for Thanksgiving Break.
Program facts 
Get ready for a career as a paramedic with this 38-credit-hour certificate program. You’ll develop the knowledge and skills necessary to qualify for the IDPH paramedic licensure exam or national registry certification to obtain an entry-level position as a paramedic.
This program is based at Northwest Community Hospital and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs www.caahep.org upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions.
During the program, you’ll receive a mix of classroom and lab instruction, along with hospital-based and field-based clinical experiences under the direct supervision of qualified instructors. You’ll also get experience with a wide variety of patients, including observation and/or direct patient care in an EMS System hospital and on ALS vehicles. All courses are taught by expert instructors with vast knowledge of the paramedic and emergency medical services fields.
Credit earned for this program can be applied to the Emergency Medical Services AAS Degree.
This 39 credit-hour certificate program is to be offered in two semesters starting in the fall semester and concluding the following spring semester. The program is designed to expand the entry-level knowledge and skills initially acquired through Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), or Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I) education. Paramedic education includes classroom and lab instruction, plus hospital-based and field-based clinical experiences under the direct supervision of an approved preceptor. The Paramedic program exposes the students to a wide variety of patients, including observation and/or direct patient care in one of the EMS System hospitals and on ALS vehicles. Instructional content and design is based on the National EMS Education Standards (NHTSA, 2009) and is approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of EMS and Highway Safety. Paramedics must complete the certificate program to be eligible for licensure, but are encouraged to complete the full AAS degree.
The Paramedic program course work, including academic and clinical components, is administered through the EMS Department at Northwest Community Healthcare. Hospital internships are completed at area-wide hospitals while the field internship is completed with a System affiliated Advanced Life Support (ALS) provider agency with which the student is employed or has a participation agreement. After completion of the program, candidates are eligible to take a Paramedic licensure exam.
Admission Requirements:
Paramedic is a limited enrollment program. For admission requirements please contact the Admissions Outreach Office at 847.925.6700 or visit harpercollege.edu.
Students who apply for this limited enrollment program are obligated to meet current admission requirements and follow program curriculum as defined at the time of acceptance to the program.
A grade of C or better in all EMS courses (EMS 215, EMS 217 and EMS 218 with grades of P) is required for all students.
| Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EMS 210 | Paramedic Preparatory | 10 |
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Description: Designed to expand upon entry-level knowledge and skills acquired in an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), or Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate (EMT-I) course. EMS 210 provides the foundations of paramedic (PM) practice upon which all other instruction is based and must be passed to continue in the program. Content and objectives are mapped to the National EMS Education Standards. Prerequisite: (1) Unencumbered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced EMT (AEMT), or EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) license with practice privileges in Illinois and admission into the Emergency Medical Services degree program or the Paramedic Certificate program; (2) valid and current CPR for Healthcare Providers card; and (3) field internship acceptance by a NWC EMS Agency. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| EMS 211 | Paramedic Medical Emergencies I | 5 |
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Description: Provides comprehensive coverage of acute and chronic respiratory disorders, acute and chronic cardiovascular disorders, cardiac arrest management, and electrocardiography (ECG) interpretation. This course must be passed to continue in the program. Content and objectives are mapped to the National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Education Standards. Prerequisite: EMS 210 with a grade of C or better. Corequisite: EMS 217. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| EMS 212 | Paramedic Medical Emergencies II | 7 |
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Description: Presents a wide scope of obstetrics (OB), pediatric, geriatric and medical emergencies. This course must be passed to continue in the program. Content and objectives are mapped to the National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Education Standards. Prerequisite: EMS 211 with a grade of C or better. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| EMS 213 | Paramedic Trauma /Special Populations /EMS Operations | 6 |
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Description: Presents a wide scope of trauma emergencies, special patient populations, and those with physical challenges. Concludes with field experts presenting the EMS response to multiple patient incidents and the incident management system, hazardous materials awareness, active shooter incidents/weapon safety, and ambulance operations. This course must be passed to continue in the program. Content and objectives are mapped to the National EMS Education Standards. Prerequisite: EMS 212 with a grade of C or better and EMS 217 with a grade of P. Corequisite: EMS 218. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| EMS 215 | Paramedic: Field Internship | 4 |
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Description: Integrates the theoretical concepts and practical skills acquired during EMS 210, EMS 211, EMS 212, EMS 213, EMS 217 and EMS 218. Requires students to use higher order thinking and critical reasoning to safely care for patients in and out of hospital environment under the direct supervision of an approved paramedic preceptor. The internship is divided into two phases of ascending mastery and accountability with each having a minimum number of patient care contacts and competencies. A full description of the objectives and expectations is contained in the NWC Paramedic Student Handbook and on the internship forms. This course is graded using a pass/fail grade mode. (NOTE: This course has an additional fee of $1500 to cover the cost of field preceptors.) Prerequisite: EMS 213 with a grade of C or better and EMS 217 with a grade of P. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| EMS 216 | Paramedic Seminar | 3 |
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Description: Provides weekly seminars during the last half of the Field Internship offering an opportunity for intellectual engagement and allows students to integrate and apply didactic concepts presented during the course to actual EMS practice. It concludes with the comprehensive summative final written and practical exams. During the first four weeks, each class is offered twice (Wednesday and Thursday) from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Students may select the day they attend after consultation with the Provider Agency with which they are completing the Field Internship. The last week is back to full time and students must attend each day. Students must be prepared to present cases based on a disease or trauma diagnosis identified in advance by the instructor. Prerequisite: EMS 213 with a grade of C or better, EMS 217 and EMS 218 with grades of P. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| EMS 217 | Paramedic: Hospital Internship I | 2 |
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Description: Provides a minimum of 144 clinical hours in a variety of experiences and situations as specified by the EMS Medical Director and endorsed by the Advisory Committee. Each student shall have access to adequate numbers of patients, proportionally distributed by illness, injury, gender, age, and common problems encountered in the delivery of emergency care. While in the clinical units, students apply instructional theory into practice to deliver safe, entry-level EMS care in a controlled environment under the direct supervision of a unit-assigned preceptor. Rotations include the following areas: adult and pediatric emergency departments, critical care units, labor and delivery, operating room, and mental health unit. This course is graded using a pass/fail grade mode. (formerly EMS 214) Prerequisite: EMS 210 with a grade of C or better, successful completion of health screening, immunization requirements, background check, and purchase of FISDAP software license. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| EMS 218 | Paramedic: Hospital Internship II | 2 |
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Description: Provides a minimum of 56 clinical hours in a variety of experiences and situations as specified by the EMS Medical Director and endorsed by the Advisory Committee. Each student shall have access to adequate numbers of patients, proportionally distributed by illness, injury, gender, age, and common problems encountered in the delivery of emergency care. While in the clinical units, students apply instructional theory into practice to deliver safe, entry-level EMS care in a controlled environment under the direct supervision of a unit-assigned preceptor. Rotations include the following areas: adult and pediatric emergency departments, critical care units, labor and delivery, operating room, mental health unit, skilled nursing facility or elder care environment, and one elective. This course is graded using a pass/fail grade mode. Prerequisite: EMS 217 with a grade of P, successful completion of health screening, immunization requirements, background check, and purchase of FISDAP software license. Class Schedule: Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
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| Status | Start Term | Application Window |
|---|---|---|
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CLOSED |
Fall 2024 |
February 13, 2024 - June 24, 2024 |
Starting January 2, 2024 contact Pamela Ross pross@nch.org at Northwest Community Hospital to open a file, receive a student demographic questionnaire and confirm a date for EMT Validation Exam testing. You will receive the link to the Paramedic Program application upon successful completion of the exam (80% or higher score). An email will be sent to the email address on your application and your Harper email regarding the status of your file (some emails may go to spam folders). Please allow 3 - 5 business days for processing.
Phone: 847-618-4482 or e-mail: pross@nch.org
Please note: Information provided on this page is subject to change.
Students interested in emergency medical services may also be interested in:
For more information about paramedic training at Harper College, contact Admission Outreach at 847.925.6700, or submit a request information form. You can also apply online.