Emergency Medical Technology: Paramedic

Pre-Admission Recommendations: Basic EMT Course

Basic EMT

• Individuals must be 18 17 years old to receive New York State Basic EMT certification.
• Basic EMT course is offered at North (Fall, Spring) and South campuses both fall and spring semesters, (Fall, Spring, Summer) campus, along with other program electives.
• Satisfactory completion of the Basic EMT certification and field experience does not guarantee admission into the paramedic degree or certificate program.
• In accordance with the requirements of 10 NYCRR Part 800, students must not have been convicted of any misdemeanors of felonies. Students with convictions will be individually reviewed by the New York State Department of Health and may not be automatically barred from certification. The New York State Department of Health will determine if the conviction is applicable under the provisions of Part 800.

Paramedic

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to be an active member of a volunteer, commercial or municipal EMS agency and attain as much EMT patient care field experience (in a non-driving role) as possible prior to entering the program. EMT faculty believes paramedic program success is heavily influenced by the amount of patient care experience the applicant brings with them into the program.
• Students must contact the Emergency Medical Technology Department at South Campus for an interview and preliminary advisement prior to registration.
• Graduation applications are required upon successful completion of the program.

Students must meet all of the following prerequisites:

• Maintain a current New York State EMT certification beyond the end date of the paramedic program;
• Hold a high school diploma or equivalent;
• For a student who previously attended SUNY Erie: he or she must be in good academic standing
• Complete and Allied Health Physical examination with the appropriate immunizations, signed by a physician verifying physical fitness to provide advanced life support.

Required Math & English Competencies
Students applying to the paramedic certificate program must demonstrate they are prepared for college-level English and Math. This can be achieved by the student taking the SUNY Erie Math and English Pretest, or may be waived based upon SUNY Erie Admissions Department requirements

The program’s primary objective is to prepare students to become competent entry-level certified paramedics capable of delivering effective pre-hospital advanced life support. Many of our graduates remain active in the field as paramedics and paramedic supervisors. Others use the clinical experience they have gained to further their roles in healthcare by continuing their medical education as Physicians, Physician Assistants, Respiratory Therapists, and nurses. Others use our programs to further their careers in the military, law enforcement, or fire service.

The Paramedic Program has full-time day and evening programs available. The Paramedic Certificate and sophomore year of the Paramedic AAS follow a 52 week with the program running consecutively for over 11 months through the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

The Day Paramedic Program meets Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. The Evening Paramedic program meets Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4:30 pm - 10:30 pm. Throughout the year, the program combines classroom learning, hands-on skill labs, clinical in area hospitals and urgent care facilities, and field internship. 

The program culminates in a capstone Field Internship and a capstone Lab, where students serve in the team leadership role. This provides students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained under the direct supervision of experienced paramedics.

With successful completion of the program, students gain eligibility to take the New York State Certification exam and the National Registry of EMT's licensure exam.

	2024	2023	2022	2021
NYS Written Pass %	100%	98%	98%	100%
Student Retention Rate	77%	88%	75%	87%
Employer Placement %	100%	96%	98%	100%