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Metropolitan Community College’s Paramedicine program consists of four classroom sections and three clinical/field components that are simultaneous, plus a capstone quarter. All program components are taken consecutively.

The program provides an introduction to emergency medical care; knowledge of EMS systems; the roles, responsibilities and well-being of the paramedic; medical, legal, and ethical issues; anatomy and physiology; pathophysiology of the normal cell; the respiratory system; general principles of pharmacology IV access and medication administration; airway management and ventilation; therapeutic communication; patient assessment, communication and documentation; and assessment and management of all medical emergencies, pediatric and geriatric emergencies, trauma emergencies, ambulance operations and incident command.

Students must successfully pass each component to enter the next level. After successful completion of the full paramedicine program, students will be prepared to seek licensure.

To learn more, please call 531-MCC-2400 to schedule a time to meet with one of MCC’s Health Professions Advisors prior to completing the application to discuss career path and course preparation.

Eligibility Requirements

Below are the specific technical requirements that must be met and affirmed within the Paramedicine application:

Standard Example
Communication:
The applicant must be able to communicate with parents, personnel, and peers within the classroom, lab, clinical and field settings with verbal and non-verbal methods.		 Communicate effectively and sensitively with patients, peers, instructors, and clinical and field staff using diverse media and technology.
*Students must be able to provide, receive, and follow instructions. The applicant must be able to comprehend and speak the English language. The applicant must prepare to obtain and document patient information and effectively explain the information to peers, instructors and other professionals on the health care team.
Physical ability/Motor skills:
The applicant must be able to perform gross and fine motor movements with sufficient coordination needed to provide complete physical assessments such as obtaining pulses and blood pressures along with the ability to use a stethoscope and other EMS equipment all to provide safe effective care for patients. They must be able to distinguish between sharp, dull, cold and hot.
The student must be able to respond promptly in urgent and life threatening situations as an EMS provider.		 The student is expected to have psychomotor skills necessary to perform or assist with procedures, treatments, and administration of medications, and emergency interventions including CPR if necessary. The student must have sufficient levels of neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination to grasp, turn, assemble, disassemble and maintain EMS equipment as well as possess the physical and mental stamina to meet the demands associated with extended periods of sitting, standing, moving, and physical exertion required for safe patient care. Students must be able to bend, squat, reach, kneel or balance. Clinical and field settings may require that students carry and lift loads from the floor, from 12 inches from the floor to shoulder height and overhead. The student must be able to lift or carry 125 pounds, frequently lift more than 25 pounds. The student is expected to maintain consciousness and equilibrium and have the physical strength and stamina to perform satisfactorily in clinical and field settings.
Observation and Sensory Skills:
Student must detect and interpret written instructions, monitor equipment, and perform diagnostic tests and be aware of environmental changes and hazards. They must identify color distinctions and changes, variations in temperature, tissue integrity, and other relevant markers of patient status. They must be able to document these observations accurately. They must be able to perceive pain, pressure, position, vibration and movement to effectively evaluate patients.		 Discriminate between a variety of visual alarms and data displays for different pieces of equipment.
  • Observe patient appearance to monitor clinical changes in status.
  • Hearing:
    • Detect and monitor heart and breath sounds using a stethoscope.
    • Detect equipment alarms and patient monitoring that indicate equipment malfunction or patient decompensation.
  • Olfactory:
    • Detect and distinguish odors from patients and the environment
Intellectual/Cognitive:
Applicants must have the capability to measure, calculate, and analyze data. They must be able to develop problem solving skills essential to the practice as an emergency prehospital care provider.		 They must make proper assessments, use sound judgment to appropriately prioritize therapeutic interventions, and accurately measure and record patient care outcomes.
Problem solving skills include the ability to measure, calculate reason, analyze, and synthesize objective and subjective data, and to make decisions in a timely manner that reflects thoughtful deliberation and sound clinical judgement in an emergency setting. The student must demonstrate application of these skills and possess the ability to incorporate new information from peers, instructors, and the prehospital emergency medicine and healthcare literature to formulate sound judgment to establish plans for patient treatment and further management. They must develop both the critical thinking and critical judgment necessary for emergency prehospital medicine.
Behavior/Social Skills/Professionalism:
Applicants must demonstrate attributes of empathy, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, motivation and emotional stability.		 They must be able to adapt to ever-changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties and stresses, which are inherent to clinical practice.
The student must fully utilize intellectual capacities that facilitate prompt completion of all responsibilities in the classroom and clinical-field settings, the development of mature, sensitive, professional, and effective relationships with patients and other members of the faculty staff and health care team. The ability to establish rapport and maintain interpersonal relationships with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds is critical for practice as an EMS professional. Each student must be able to accept and integrate constructive criticism given in the classroom and clinical-field settings; and effectively collaborate in the clinical-field setting with other members of the faculty, staff and healthcare team.
Ability to Manage Stressful Situations:
The student must adapt to and function effectively in relation to stressful situations encountered in the classroom and clinical settings, including emergency situations.		 Students will encounter multiple stressors while in EMS/Paramedicine programs. These stressors may be (but are not limited to) personal, patient care/family, faculty/peer, and or program related. The student will deal with death, dying, severe traumatic injury, devastating medical diseases as well as behavioral emergencies.
Working Conditions:
Include potential exposure to blood and body fluids, and patients with communicable diseases.		 *Students must be willing to perform infection control procedures/standard precautions and follow current immunization and clinical requirements related to blood-borne pathogens

F1 Students: If you are on a F-1 Student Visa, please ensure that you have current health insurance and that your financial status is current with the International Student Services office. If you are in the United States on a non F-1 Visa please ensure that your visa is and remains current and you maintain the necessary financial support for the duration of your current and/or intended program. If you are applying for an additional Health Professions program (i.e. CNA to PN, PN to ADN, or EMT to Paramedicine) you will need to reapply and repeat the appropriate steps. Do not assume your status will remain unchanged without additional action initiated by you.

Note: Meeting eligibility requirements does not guarantee program acceptance.

Admission Process

Complete and submit online Paramedicine application

Once a student’s application has been submitted, an email reply providing information on uploading required supplemental documents will be sent. Once all of the documents have been uploaded and received by the MCC Health Professions office, the application and supplemental documents will be reviewed. If all requirements are met, the student will be enrolled in the requested course section (if available).

After the student has been enrolled, another email will be sent with directions on completing the required background checks. A secured link from our vendor, One Source, will be sent, as will an email invitation to complete the DHHS Abuse Registry Checks. Both background checks must be completed as part of the admissions process. If a student is under 19 years of age, a parent or guardian will have a role to play in both background check processes. More information will be provided to your email account.

Student Acceptance

If the student accepts their seat in the program, they must attend a mandatory orientation, prior to the start of class - date TBA

Please upload the following required items to your online application. To access your application, log into your "My Account" page with your email address. Under "My Applications" where it reads "Action Required" click on "View". Click the link "Supplemental Items & Documents".

  • Health History/Physical Exam
  • Proof of Health Insurance (This is required by our clinical partners. If you don’t currently have insurance, OneWorld or Charles Drew can assist).
  • Proof of Age
    • Copy of driver’s license, birth certificate, or state ID or military ID.
  • Influenza Vaccination
    • Documentation of the influenza immunization (flu shot) administered during the current flu season. This is ONLY Required October 1 – April 1. If you cannot receive the flu vaccine due to medical or religious reasons, you must notify your clinical instructor, adhere to your clinical site policy regarding non-vaccination, and contact your program director.
  • MMR – Measles (Rubeola), Mumps, Rubella Vaccination
    • Documentation of 2 vaccines – OR – positive antibody titers for all 3 components (physician verification of results required). If any component of the titer is negative, you will need to repeat the 2-vaccine series.
  • Varicella (Chickenpox) Vaccination
    • Documentation of 2 vaccines – OR – positive antibody titer (lab report required) – OR – physician documented history of the disease, including dates of illness.
    • If the titer is negative, the student must receive 1 booster shot.
    • If student has the MMRV vaccine, it will fulfill the Varicella vaccination as well as MMR.
  • Hepatitis B Vaccination
    • Documentation of the 3-vaccine series – OR – a positive antibody titer.
    • If the titer is negative, the student must repeat the 3-vaccine series.
    • If you are just beginning the series, provide documentation of all shots received thus far and provide subsequent documentation when other shots are received.
  • TDAP - (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) Vaccination
    • Documentation of Tdap booster administered within the past 10 years.
  • TB - Tuberculosis/PPD testing
    • Documentation of one of the following within the past 12 months:
      • Negative PPD skin test
      • Negative QuantiFERON Gold blood test
      • Negative T-spot blood test
      • TB questionnaire completed if there is evidence of previous PPD testing
    • If positive results, one of the following is required each year:
      • Clear chest x-ray report
      • Negative QuantiFERON Gold blood test
      • Negative T-spot blood test
  • COVID-19 vaccination - (IF REQUIRED BY CLINICAL FACILITY)
    • NOTE: This is not required at MCC for entry into the program, but students must comply with the requirements of the facility where they attend clinical. This means that evidence of the vaccination must be uploaded as follows or the student must be prepared to vaccinate or provide waiver or exemption documentation depending on what is required by the clinical faculty.
    • Documentation of completed series of vaccination:
      • [Moderna / Pfizer= 2 injections; J&J= one injection]
      • Documentation from affiliated clinical partners of waiver or exemption
  • Background Checks & Drug Screening/Testing
    • Clinical facilities require Metropolitan Community College to perform drug testing and background checks on all students before they can participate in clinical experiences. Therefore, students will need a background check performed and submit to a drug screening before being allowed into clinical practice. Students may be subject to random and/or additional drug testing and/or background checks throughout the program.

Above are the standards for most all of our clinical partners. There may be a variation of requirements, depending on clinical location.

Complete required Background Checks electronically, using the secured link that will be emailed, once student has been registered in the course.

  • Students under age 19 MUST have a parent or guardian's signature on all Background Check forms.
  • Students will receive two background check links. Any student under the age of 19, will be required to have a parent/guardian signature on the documents. One background check link is to OneSource, which uses an electronic signature and the other will be from DHHS which will require a parent/guardian's notarized signature.
  • Students accepted to one of MCC’s Health Profession’s programs may present history of a felony, open misdemeanor, or positive drug test result. While students with such a history may be accepted, "acceptance" into one of Metropolitan Community College’s (MCC) Health Professions Programs (“Program”) is not a guarantee of acceptance into the required clinical experience, nor that you will be allowed by the state and/or a credentialing agency to sit for the licensure or certification exam, nor future employment in the field being pursued. Various factors, including but not limited to, a student’s drug screening, criminal, sex offender, OIG-SAM and/or abuse registry history, may affect a student’s eligibility to progress through the Program and gain licensure/credentialing and employment. Facilities offering practical experiences to students make their own determination as to which students they will accept based on that organization’s standards, including review of a student’s drug screening, criminal history, sex offender registry, OIG-SAM and abuse registry records, over which MCC has no control. Failure to be accepted into and successfully complete a clinical rotation will result in failure to complete the course and/or degree. Similarly, MCC has no control over whom the state and/or credentialing agency allows to sit for the licensing or credentialing exam, or what factors potential employers may determine disqualify an individual from employment. Acceptance into an MCC Health Professions Program is not a guarantee of program completion, future licensure or certification, or ultimate employment in the field of study.
  • The Nebraska Abuse Registry Check through DHHS, requires an Identity Verification form be completed by any student under the age of 19. The ID Verification form will appear after the student has submitted their personal data to DHHS. This form MUST be taken to a Notary of the Public, to be signed by the Parent/Guardian in front of the Notary after showing photo ID. The Notary will fill out the form, request the parent/guardian signature; then sign, date, and stamp the form making it a legal document. Please upload the fully signed document into the DHHS portal using the Request Number (from the form), the 4-digit Pin number that the student created when starting the process, and the instructions provided in the DHHS email. NOTE: Minors are not the only students subject to the ID Verification form. If you are not a minor and receive the ID form upon submission, follow the same steps mentioned for the minor. Since you are an adult, you can take the form to get notarized yourself. Any questions, contact Brenda Ballou at bmballou1@mccneb.edu. The DHHS link will expire, so complete the link as soon as possible from a computer/laptop/tablet, NOT FROM A CELL PHONE. Accuracy matters, so make sure all information is entered in correctly so another link does not have to be requested, as a fee may be assessed to your student account.

Graduation Requirements

General Education Requirements
The general education courses listed below are Paramedicine graduation requirements. They are not required for acceptance into the program; however, it is highly recommended that they are completed before applying to the program. Prerequisites may exist for general courses. Refer to the College catalog online.

ENGL 1010 English Composition I 4.5
MATH 1312 Intermediate Algebra 4.5
One course Humanities/Social Sciences 4.5

Note: To complete the Professional Health Studies-Paramedicine Associate in Applied Science degree (PHSMO), students must take a 6.0 credit hour course of a Natural Science and one Professionalism Life Skills (PLS) course:

  • EXPL 1000 – Exploratory Studies 4.5
  • INFO 1001 – Information Systems and Literacy 4.5
  • HMRL 1010 – Human Relations Skills 4.5

The above information is subject to change without notice.

Major Core Requirements
EMSP 1000 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation 1.0
EMSP 1100 Emergency Medical Technician 12.0
EMSP 1120 Paramedic (part 1 of 4) 12.0
EMSP 1122 Paramedic (part 2 of 4) 12.0
EMSP 1123 Paramedic Field (part 1 of 3) 3.5
EMSP 1124 Paramedic (part 3 of 4) 12.0
EMSP 1125 Paramedic Field (part 2 of 3) 3.5
EMSP 1126 Paramedic (part 4 of 4) 12.0
EMSP 1127 Paramedic Field (part 3 of 3) 3.5
EMSP 1128 Capstone/Extended Paramedic Clinical/Field Rotation 2.0

Application Timeline

Schedule changes (such as dropping a course) are the responsibility of the student. The changes must follow College procedures, refund policies and deadlines at all times. Be aware that not all class withdrawals are entitled to a refund based on the census and drop date. Students are responsible for any tuition and fees that are not refunded.

Application Timeline
  Fall Quarter Spring Quarter Winter Quarter
Application Due Date August 1 February 1 November 1
Applicants Notified (12/max) Mid-August Mid-February Mid-November
*Day or Evening/*Location Day Classes/SOC Evening Classes/SOC Day Classes/Fremont

Schedule changes (such as dropping a course) are the responsibility of the student. The changes must follow College procedures, refund policies and deadlines at all times. Be aware that not all class withdrawals are entitled to a refund based on the census and drop date. Students are responsible for any tuition and fees that are not refunded.

*This program offers a day or evening class format on the South Omaha Campus location. The start terms reflect which class format.

Contact Information

Contact Information for questions:
Metropolitan Community College
Health Professions Office
South Omaha Campus
Mahoney Building, Room 519
531-MCC-4791
Paramedicine@mccneb.edu.

Metropolitan Community College affirms a policy of equal education, employment opportunities and non-discrimination in providing services to the public. We are committed to ensuring our websites and facilities are accessible and usable to everyone. To read our full policy statement visit mccneb.edu/Nondiscrimination