UH Regional Hospitals Geauga and Portage Satellite Program

Accreditation

The University Regional Hospitals, Geauga,  Paramedic Education Program is fully accredited by the Ohio Department of Public Safety Services, Division of EMS #206 and National Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) #600765 upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of  Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).  University Regional Hospitals, Geauga is accredited by the Joint Commission (JCAHO).

The purpose of this program is to provide the required hours and the educational opportunity and resources necessary for the student to develop the skills and knowledge needed to pass the Cognitive and Practical Skills exams required for Certification by the State of Ohio, and possess the competency to function entry level Paramedic upon graduation.

This program minus the required 32 hour prerequisite Anatomy and Physiology Course, is 536 hours of classroom and laboratory hours and 540 clinical hours includes a minimum Course completion of 1,076 hours. This exceeds the minimum Paramedic education hours recommended in the National EMS Education Standards and exceeds the State of Ohio’s required 500 classroom and laboratory hours, and 400 Clinical hours. (Note: The State does not include the Prerequisite Course hours). These hours are supplemented substantially with additional reading and study assignments and the use of internet based tools.  Because these tools augment instructor methodologies, student success will be unlikely if they are not utilized.  Every effort will be made throughout this program to coordinate the didactic and clinical portions to achieve the most effective instruction and comprehension provided.

The clinical portion will consist of a minimum of 540 hours to be spent in various areas within the hospital and on actual ambulance runs with Paramedics.  Additional clinical hours may be required to fulfill the number of skills and repetitions required.  Areas are selected to give the student the opportunity to increase his/her self-confidence and competency in the skills learned in the classroom. Clinical and Field Internship experience will be scheduled on an individual basis and will begin after the following required information has been submitted: Health Clearance Report, Inoculation record, and TB test results (current within the past 6 months). There will likely be other pre-requisites that will be discussed in the classroom (i.e. Background check, ID badge, demonstration to level of competence of each specific lab skill required).

Because learning is an active process, an active participation by the student is expected. This program will utilize a number of teaching methods to facilitate the learning process, including: group discussions, demonstrations, practice sessions, role-play, audio-visual media, lectures and guest speakers. Students are responsible for completing all assignments and meeting the objectives of the course. It is also the responsibility of the student to seek help from the staff when problems arise or clarifications of objectives are needed.               

Students are required to work with a Paramedic Mentor throughout the course. The purpose of the mentoring program is for the experienced paramedic to give periodic guidance to a paramedic student during the academic year.  The mentor is limited to working with one member of the class throughout the academic year.

UH Geauga Medical Center 
Paramedic Program Statistics