Paramedic Program

Two paramedics are helping an adult male patient. 

This program requires a general College application and a program-specific application. See below for application steps and important dates.


About the Program

Fall 2023 Paramedic Program Graduates. Congratulations to the Paramedic cohort that graduated on October 24th. While not all students were present for the photo, the entire cohort passed their National Registry of EMTs paramedic psychomotor exam with 100%.

The goal of the Paramedic Science program is to prepare competent entry-level Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical Responder levels. The 10-month program is rigorous but provides didactic, lab, and clinical education in a succinct manner.

Admission into this program requires a special application and is highly competitive. Once the cohort is full, an applicant’s application will be placed on the waitlist until the next student opening.

Paramedic Program Admission and Program Requirements

Century College’s Emergency Medical Service (EMS) program began in 1972 with Minnesota’s first state-approved EMT program, and the following year, we offered one of the region’s first paramedic programs. To date, more than 2,300 paramedics have graduated from Century College. We prepare our students to deliver high-quality advanced pre-hospital emergency care through a tradition of excellence that meets the high standard of instruction set by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

2024 Paramedic Scholarship Flyer Review PDF to learn more > Paramedics possess the highly skilled techniques of advanced life support and emergency care procedures. Career opportunities are available with hospitals, clinics, ambulance services, police, fire, and rescue departments. The Paramedic program major meets the criteria for the education of paramedics as recommended by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

NOTE: Students will be required to purchase a 9.5” x 7.5” (minimum size) tablet for classroom and clinical/practicum courses. This may be an Apple OS iPad or PC tablet. Smartphones are not sufficient. The tablet will support the use of electronic textbooks, medical applications, and other clinical materials and replace the need for many of the traditional textbooks and educational materials. The use of a tablet and e-textbooks will result in cost savings for students as compared with traditional printed materials.

* Delivery of courses for the didactic portion of the program, which is roughly the first half of the program, is a mix of daytime and blended online classes. Clinical and field internships are held during the second portion of the program and are often the most difficult part to manage as they are potentially on any day of the week, all hours of the day, and may be scheduled or changed on short notice. A flexible schedule is essential.

Follow the Century College EMS program on Instagram and Facebook.


Special Application Required

This program requires special admission. You must apply for general admission first before submitting the special application.


Planning for Your Program


Request for Information


Cost & Financial Aid

As a two-year public community and technical college, Century College receives funding from the State of Minnesota, keeping tuition rates significantly lower than private colleges and universities. With affordable tuition rates and financial aid and scholarship opportunities, our students avoid student loan debt.

Financial Aid

Century College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and our programs qualify for financial aid including grants, loans, and college work-study. Eligibility for financial aid is determined annually based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Century College’s Federal School Code is 010546.

Scholarship Opportunities

Each year, the Century College Foundation awards more than $300,000 in scholarships to Century College students involved in several areas of study. Students are encouraged to create an account and apply for scholarships online.

Tuition Cost per Credit Comparison: Century College $219.29, University of MN - TC $555.13, Private Colleges & Universities $1,416.

Paramedic Scholarship Available:

The Office of Higher Education has opened an interest form on the Paramedic Scholarship page for students, staff, and others to be notified when the application goes live. Anyone who enters their information will be emailed after the application opens after January 1, 2024.

Learn more >


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Accreditation

Since 1987, the Century College Paramedic program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 - 113th Street North
Suite 7709
Seminole, FL 33775
Phone: 727-210-2350

Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions
8301 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 111-312
Rowlett, TX 75088
214-703-8445
FAX 214-703-8992

Outcome Results

In accordance with CAAHEP requirements, the following outcomes have been achieved by students in our paramedic program. The acceptable threshold for each category is established by CAAHEP as being 70%.

The Annual Report has changed for 2018, which yielded the following outcomes:

Year(s) National Registry Written Examination Pass Rate Success Retention Positive Job Placement
2018 90% 75% 100%
Year(s) National Registry Written Examination Pass Rate Success Retention Positive Job Placement
2019 90.2% 95.5% 100%
Year(s) National Registry Written Examination Pass Rate Success Retention Positive Job Placement
2020 93.8% 94.4% 100%
Year(s) National Registry Written Examination Pass Rate Success Retention Positive Job Placement
2021 91.9% 100% 100%

Licensure

The EMS program at Century is licensed to teach EMR, EMT, Paramedic, and Community Paramedic curriculum by the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board.

Transfer

Student wearing an EMS uniform working with an injured patient.

Potential Job Titles

Five paramedics working on a CPR manikin.
  • Paramedic

Salary Data

Paramedic
Average Metropolitan Wage: $23.98 to 35.18/hour

Information gathered pertains to the seven-county metro area - careerwise.minnstate.edu


Related Programs

Paramedic Fire Science
Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency Medical Services

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Certification Disclosures

    Program Faculty

  • Lynda Goerisch
    Faculty/EMS & EMT Program Director
    Emergency Medical Services
  • Experience: Kim has been a full-time instructor since 1997, with extensive experience in clinical education, remediation, and assessment. In addition, she has been in EMS since 1987, with volunteer and work experiences in both rural and metro ambulance services, a police department, and a fire department. Kim continues to work as a paramedic for Healtheast Medical Transportation.
    Education: MA, Organizational Leadership, Bethel University
    Hobbies: photography, travel
    Kim Schmitzer
    Faculty/Paramedic Program Director/Clinical Coordinator
    Bio
    Emergency Medical Services