Mohave Community College changed the class schedule for its nationally accredited paramedic program to ease the commute for emergency medical technicians attending the 11-month course. Interested students can attend one of several question-and-answer sessions scheduled throughout November in Mohave County to learn about the schedule changes.
MCC is one of only three community colleges in Arizona to offer an academic program that meets new national certification standards; in addition, it is the only program in Mohave County to offer MCC credit to its students.
“We know that Mohave County covers an expansive area, but MCC is also keeping Western Arizona and our neighboring Nevada and California students in mind,” said Paramedic Program Director Shawn Lawless. “Anything we can do to make it easier for students to attend class, we are all open to it.”
With the paramedic program based on the Lake Havasu City campus, Lawless said MCC redesigned the class schedule and how it’s offered to cater to working students.
Previously, the paramedic program structure rotated between either two, or three eight-hour days of in-class time per week.
Now, paramedic students only attend class on the Lake Havasu City campus from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. Students can then attend the 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday session via their home or work computers, or their lap tops or multimedia tablet devices while traveling.
The new structure allows students to access Collaborate, a web-based program that live streams the classes. During the live stream, students can interact with the instructors and their peers. The classes will also be recorded so students can access a class session at a later time.
Once students finish their class time during the first portion of the program, they can conduct their clinical and field trainings in their own home communities.
“Our new class schedule is very accommodating to students who live outside of Lake Havasu City,” Lawless said. “We understand that students are very busy and gas is expensive. We are doing everything we can to make the paramedic program convenience for our students.”
To become a licensed paramedic in Arizona, students are required to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) certification test. NREMT announced in 2008 that all initial paramedic programs would have to adhere to uniform, national standards by 2013, which MCC’s current curriculum meets.
Once certified, MCC’s students are qualified to work anywhere in the United States with their licenses. The new standards are designed to protect the public by guaranteeing that students graduate from quality programs, according to the NREMT.
“It is vital that EMTs, who want to become paramedics, understand the importance of attending an accredited program that has been approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs,” Lawless said. “Our program has been proven and we can see that in the success of our students passing the national exam.”
Interested EMTs must have at least one year of experience prior to applying to MCC’s paramedic program.
Students are invited to attend one of the question-and-answer sessions to be offered throughout southern Mohave County. Kingman-area residents can attend one of two sessions scheduled from 9-11 a.m. in Room 1104 on MCC’s Neal-Campus Kingman at 1971 Jagerson Ave. The first session will be offered on Nov. 5, followed by the second session offered on Nov. 16.
The Bullhead City campus is also hosting two sessions from 3-5 p.m. in Room 1104 on its campus at 3400 Highway 95 on Nov. 5 and Nov. 16.
Lake Havasu City residents can attend the only session scheduled for the MCC campus at 1977 Acoma Blvd., West from 9-11 a.m. in Room 203C on Nov. 6.
Applications are now available for the 2013 program and due by Nov. 30. Only 24 applicants can be accepted. For more information about MCC’s EMT and paramedic programs, go to:www.mohave.edu or contact Lawless at (928) 302-5325 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Read more from the original source:MCC restructures paramedic class schedule to ease access throughout region – The Cerbat Gem.
