Paramedic Certificate to Degree

GJMEDIC

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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

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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

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

here are some programs in my state:

 

fm_emt

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


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

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


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.
 

NomadicMedic

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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

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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

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@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

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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

I put the M in EMTLife
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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

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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

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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

EMT-P/ED RN
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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.
 

MackTheKnife

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Been off the grid for a while. So as I've reacclimated, doing a lot of reading, I'm seeing articles about why the low pay for paramedics, the push to call EMTs as paramedics. Several articles said the LACK of degrees was a big issue. Couldn't agree more. The longer medics stick their collective heads in the sand about degrees, means continued underpayment. This is analogous to RNs with Associate Degrees saying they don't need Bachelor's. Majority of hospitals require BSNs, or attainment within 3 years after hire. Hospitals want Magnet status which requires a 80% minimum of RNs with a BSN.
As for calling EMTs a Paramedic, no way. That's like calling a CNA an RN.
 

DrParasite

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As for calling EMTs a Paramedic, no way. That's like calling a CNA an RN.
Don't tell that to a CNA... many will say they do the same thing as an RN for a much lower payrate.
 

VentMonkey

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Overhauling the EMS mentality to universally accept degree programs is by no means a small task.

Not including lobbying to the governing bodies in charge of decisions such as overturning tech schools in favor of accredited colleges and universities, how to go about convincing those who are currently practicing EMT’s and paramedics the value of a degree and what it would mean—in the long run—not necessarily for them in the now. That seems like a bit of a hard sell even to me.

Am I in favor of a degree being the standard for paramedics in The States? Absolutely. Do I think it will happen in my lifetime? No. Would it add a multidimensional level of professionalism that is much needed in EMS? In my opinion, yes.

But it’s just such a tough sell to the masses that, at least for the moment, I have given up trying to convince in favor of my own personal educational pursuits. Sadly, this is part of the problem as well.

How do we help those that won’t help themselves, who remain at the bottom of the healthcare food chain so-to-speak, in large part because of their own one-dimensional narrow-minded mind frames?
 

EpiEMS

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Would it add a multidimensional level of professionalism that is much needed in EMS? In my opinion, yes.
I think it's pretty much the only way for us to go. Problem is...it's a solution without a revenue story to justify it.
 

VentMonkey

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I think it's pretty much the only way for us to go. Problem is...it's a solution without a revenue story to justify it.
Por supuesto, but if I am being honest I’m pretty fed up with the crying without action, self-reflection, pursuing one’s own endeavors in the EMS “community”.

You either accept the value of education and its importance within the industry, affect change by endorsing and/ or participating in it, or you accept things for what they are.

Ultimately we all make those choices individually. Would you not agree, friendo? Idk, kinda tired of justification of stagnation regardless of finances. Priorities, man…
 

EpiEMS

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Por supuesto, but if I am being honest I’m pretty fed up with the crying without action, self-reflection, pursuing one’s own endeavors in the EMS “community”.

You either accept the value of education and its importance within the industry, affect change by endorsing and/ or participating in it, or you accept things for what they are.

Ultimately we all make those choices individually. Would you not agree, friendo? Idk, kinda tired of justification of stagnation regardless of finances. Priorities, man…

No disagreement at all. I am not optimistic for change in the absence of a Flexner report — or another systematic (even if cartel driven) push for change.

Best thing we can do is live the values.
 
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