Paramedic Certificate to Degree

[GJMEDIC]

Who here has turned their paramedic certificate into an associates degree. I currently have held a paramedic certificate for the last 10 years and I want to further my education and obtain an associates degree in my field. Has anyone done this? If so where and how did your certificate transfer over into college credits? Any help and information would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Lo2w]

You'd probably have to look into the individual colleges in your area. You'd likely have to take some additional general electives to satisfy an associates degree with credit for your paramedic. I had enough credits from previous endeavors that the pre-reqs, my medic courses and taking one math this coming fall will net my degree through the college.

Depending on what you're looking to do, there are medic to RN bridges for the ADN that give credit for the Paramedic certs. There will be pre-reqs for the nursing program to take and the nursing courses themselves.

 

[DrParasite]

Plenty of community colleges do this, some even run it 100% online.

here are some programs in my state:

Emergency Medical Science Bridge AAS | Wake Tech

The Emergency Medical Science (EMS) Bridge program is designed for credentialed paramedics who want to obtain their EMS degree.

www.waketech.edu

Emergency Medical Science Bridge Program

The Emergency Medical Science Bridge Program is designed to allow currently certified non-degree paramedics to earn an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Emergency Medical Science.

abtech.edu

Emergency Medical Science/Paramedic — Bridge | College of The Albemarle

The Emergency Medical Science Bridge program is for qualified applicants who are currently Certified Paramedics in North Carolina or nationally registered.

www.albemarle.edu

Emergency Medical Science - Catawba Valley Community College

The CVCC Emergency Medical Science curriculum is designed to prepare graduates to enter the workforce as paramedics. Additionally, the program can provide an Associate degree for individuals desiring an opportunity for career enhancement.

www.cvcc.edu

 

[fm_emt]

I don't know if you're National Registry or not, but I did learn about this recently:

Degree Completion – Paramedicine (Online or On Campus) - University of New Haven

The University of New Haven offers an on campus and online Paramedic program to complete your degree.

www.newhaven.edu

You mentioned associates but there's a bachelors program now too. Creighton in Nebraska also has a similar program but New Haven's is the first one I've seen that gives you credit for your NREMT.

 

[Lo2w]

I don't know if you're National Registry or not, but I did learn about this recently:

Degree Completion – Paramedicine (Online or On Campus) - University of New Haven

The University of New Haven offers an on campus and online Paramedic program to complete your degree.

www.newhaven.edu

You mentioned associates but there's a bachelors program now too. Creighton in Nebraska also has a similar program but New Haven's is the first one I've seen that gives you credit for your NREMT.

I wish there was a reason to do it but it's really not incentivized to do so. My state [CO] you can apply for a license over a certificate with a relevant bachelors but doesn't add any additional scope. Some municipal departments might pay more with a degree but no change in responsibility or scope. And if you wanted to move to RN you'd still have the 18 month-2 year BSN as a second degree to complete. I love the idea there just isn't value in it vs. going through another degree program.

 

[VentMonkey]

@fm_emt thanks for the lead, looks like I’ll be starting in the Fall.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I turned my community college paramedic certificate and sone of the prerequisites into an associates degree, then into a bachelors of science in EMS management, and I am now finishing a capstone in a masters program.

Columbia southern university is now regionally accredited and makes it very easy for EMS workers to take courses on their own schedule. I had no problem transferring my credits to Western Governors University, where I’m finishing my M.Ed.

 

[VentMonkey]

They’re definitely making the pursuit of higher education much easier nowadays. And, my National Registry is finally paying off all these years later. I’m glad I’ve kept it up.

I still can’t wrap my head around nursing school. I’ve tried, I just can’t.

 

[fm_emt]

@fm_emt thanks for the lead, looks like I’ll be starting in the Fall.

nice! how was the application process? I would literally fly to Connecticut to do on-campus stuff if I needed to. lol


I recently learned that UT-San Antonio has a BA in Emergency Health Sciences and I am thinking about that route.

 

[VentMonkey]

nice! how was the application process? I would literally fly to Connecticut to do on-campus stuff if I needed to. lol


I recently learned that UT-San Antonio has a BA in Emergency Health Sciences and I am thinking about that route.

Incredibly easy actually. The online services most these universities use, like Parchment, make it really quick and easy to get transcripts transferred over. What took the longest was getting my HS transcripts.

Ironically enough I was in the midst of applying to EKU’s ASP online degree when I saw your post. New Haven gave me more than half of the transfer credits required for their bachelor’s, and more than the ASP would have yielded me.

I’m excited and truthfully a little terrified, haha.

 

[MMiz]

If I were to need a degree, just for the sake of getting a degree, I'd be looking at Western Governor's University.

They have a many different health degrees.

All asynchronous, at your own pace, with either an exam or short essay at the end of each course.

In healthcare I don't think anyone cares where you get your degree, as long as you have one.

 

[ghost02]

Incredibly easy actually. The online services most these universities use, like Parchment, make it really quick and easy to get transcripts transferred over. What took the longest was getting my HS transcripts.

Ironically enough I was in the midst of applying to EKU’s ASP online degree when I saw your post. New Haven gave me more than half of the transfer credits required for their bachelor’s, and more than the ASP would have yielded me.

I’m excited and truthfully a little terrified, haha.

You and I are going to be in the same boat then! I was going for the RN track via Hutchinson but honestly all the classes I was taking for it pigeon holed me for just that school. I’d rather have a bachelors and keep flying.

Maybe we’ll be in some of the same classes, who knows.

 

[Summit]

I posted this in the other thread, but if you are pursuing an associates, see if you can find a program that awards an AS and not an AAS, it may potentially make a significant difference in future educational prospects such as pursuing a bachelors.

In general, make sure you school has REGIONAL academic accreditation (not national), while you typically want it to have both state and national accreditation (NREMT, CCNE, ACEN) for the specific healthcare program especially if it involves qualification to sit for a licensure qualifying examination (NREMT, NCLEX etc).

Without the regional academic accreditation you may find your credits won't transfer in the future, or not universally. Without national and state accreditation for your health program, you may have problems with licensure/portability.

 

[Akulahawk]

Without the regional academic accreditation you may find your credits won't transfer in the future, or not universally.

With any college/university, you really do need to be certain that the school you're attending has regional academic accreditation. It's much, much more difficult to transfer credits from a nationally only accredited school to a regionally accredited school than it is to transfer from one regionally accredited school to another regionally accredited school... even if the schools are in different accreditation regions. In fact, national to regional transfer of credits may not (in some instances) be possible and you'd have do re-do your coursework again, even if you have earned a degree from the nationally accredited school and later decided to pursue additional education at a regionally accredited school.