Virtua Paramedic Education

Virtua Paramedic Science Program

Virtua and Rowan College at Burlington County:
South Jersey Partners in EMT and Paramedic Education

If you’re considering a career as an EMT or paramedic, you’ll need state-of-the-art, hands-on training to excel in these fast-paced professions.

Virtua and Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) combine powerful on-site and online education so graduates can enter their careers with confidence.

As partners, Virtua and RCBC offer the educational requirements to become a New Jersey certified emergency medical technician (EMT) or a nationally registered paramedic (NREMT-P). Virtua’s paramedic teams are certified to provide advanced life support outside a hospital setting.

Simulations that provide real-life experience

Our EMT and paramedic education programs are unlike any other in the region. In the simulation-learning lab at RCBC, you’ll treat patients exactly as you would find them in real emergency calls.

You’ll develop your skills in realistic environments like:

  • A full-scale kitchen, living room, bathroom or bedroom
  • A hospital emergency room
  • A fully-equipped ambulance mounted on pneumatics that simulates actual on-the-road travel

Students work on life-sized simulation mannequins that breathe and function with sophisticated technology. Students perform independently and in teams, and they're evaluated by their peers and instructors.

Virtua EMT Program at RCBC

This course prepares students to answer 911 calls for medical emergencies and provide out-of-hospital basic life support. A current CPR certification, also available at RCBC, is a prerequisite for enrolling in the program. Students who successfully pass the course earn 8 college credits and are eligible to continue to the Virtua Paramedic Science program.

Course options include: 

  • Hybrid: This course combines online and in-classroom instruction; however, students get most of their homework, quizzes and lectures online. 
  • Traditional on-campus: In this on-campus course, classes are held on varying weekdays and weekends.

Virtua Paramedic Program at RCBC

This course prepares students to answer 911 calls for medical emergencies and provide out-of-hospital advanced life support. Student candidates must possess current EMT and CPR certifications as prerequisites for enrolling in the program.

Program options include:

  • Certificate in Paramedic Science: These professional courses are divided into semesters consisting of didactic courses and clinical training courses. Students earn college credits and a certificate of completion.
  • Associate of Applied Science (AAS) DegreeThis option allows students to earn a 2-year associate of applied science – paramedic degree with additional credits of specified general education courses to supplement the professional paramedic curriculum.

Both options exceed the requirements of the National Standard Curriculum for Paramedic studies.

Sponsorship

Students applying to Virtua Paramedic Science at RCBC are required by New Jersey regulations to obtain a clinical sponsor. Students sponsored by Virtua will complete clinical rotations at Virtua’s hospitals, as well as specialty training at ancillary sites. Field internship and field residency semesters are served on Virtua MICU vehicles throughout Burlington and Camden Counties. 

RCBC transforms lives by delivering innovative, high-quality and affordable educational experiences. The Paramedic Science Program at Rowan College at Burlington County is accredited through the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and by the Commission on Accreditation of Education Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

For more information, please contact:
Phone: 856-242-5960
E-mail: paramedic@rcbc.edu

Paramedic FAQs

What is a paramedic?

Paramedics are educated and certified by the New Jersey Commissioner of Health to provide advanced life support services under the direction of a physician. Among the care paramedics provide is intravenous therapy, medication administration, cardiac monitoring, defibrillation and advanced procedures for protecting and maintaining a person's airway.


What do paramedics do? 

Paramedics primarily provide care to emergency patients in an out-of-hospital setting. A paramedic's goal is to reduce mortality and morbidity due to illness and injury by assessing patients and providing appropriate medical care. Paramedics are an essential component of the continuum of care and serve as a link to healthcare resources. 


How do paramedics receive medical direction?

The Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICUs) are extensions of the Emergency Departments. One base station (located in the Emergency Department at Virtua Voorhees) is the means by which pre-hospital advanced life support is directed, with the paramedic acting as the tool of the physician. The Emergency Department physician and nursing staff have the responsibility for the care of the patient being treated in the field just as they would if the patient were present in the Emergency Room.


What training do paramedics have?

Paramedics have fulfilled requirements by a credentialing agency to practice the art and science of out-of-hospital medicine. They have received extensive classroom instruction, hospital training and a field internship, and possess knowledge and skills that allow them to perform in a professional manner.


What is the difference between Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics? 

Paramedics are not a replacement for the local Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs.) EMTs provide a level of care known as basic life support. This care includes patient assessment, CPR, bandaging, splinting broken bones, administration of oxygen and defibrillation. Local rescue squads are staffed by paid and volunteer EMTs educated and certified by the New Jersey State Department of Health at the basic EMT level. EMTs are the backbone of the emergency medical system. Paramedics are trained and certified to provide care in advanced life support. The MICU paramedics join with EMTs from local squads to form a team (which also includes members of the police and fire departments) to provide the highest quality emergency care to an ill or injured patient at the scene of an emergency. 


When do paramedics get called? 

The MICUs are dispatched on emergency calls which may be potentially life threatening such as unconscious patients, patients with chest pain or trouble breathing, serious motor vehicle accidents, etc. The majority of MICUs are staffed 24-hours seven days a week by two certified paramedics. In order for the concept of pre-hospital emergency care to be effective, it is imperative that for calls of a potentially serious nature, the MICU vehicle be dispatched simultaneously with the emergency squad of the local municipality. This is accomplished by the Camden County Communications Center. The dispatchers utilize guidelines for the types of calls warranting a response of an MICU. 


How else do paramedics serve the community? 

As an advocate for patients, paramedics seek to be proactive in affecting long-term care by working with other provider agencies and organizations. The emerging roles and responsibilities of the paramedic include public education, health promotion and participation in injury and illness prevention programs. 


How are paramedic services regulated? 

By law, MICUs in New Jersey are hospital-based and highly regulated by the State Department of Health. In addition to Virtua's Quality Assurance review, the Department of Health regularly inspects MICU programs statewide and reviews MICU calls for appropriate care. Every two years, paramedics are required to become re-certified.

You may also like

EMS - Virtua Service

Emergency Medical Services

Virtua’s paramedic teams are highly trained and certified to provide advanced life support outside a hospital setting.

Read More