The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital is accepting applications for the second year of its Paramedic Education Program. The program, launched in 2018 to address a shortage of local paramedic education opportunities, is the first New York State Department of Health accredited program in the region.

“Students gain the experience they need to provide high quality, life-saving care right in their own communities,” said Elizabethtown Community Hospital Paramedic Program Director Bruce Barry. Upon completion of the program, students receive Advanced Life Support Certification and are prepared to sit for the New York State Paramedic Certification exam. Applications for the 15-month, 900-hour program will be accepted through May 31, 2019.

“We worked with partners to design a program that maximizes the student’s exposure to regional health care organizations while minimizing travel,” said Mr. Barry. Hands-on clinical training is offered at 15 regional health care organizations and 30 EMS agencies across Northern New York and Vermont. Classrooms locations in Lewis, Malone, and Queensbury and online coursework make it easier for students from Clinton, Essex, Franklin, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties to learn closer to home.

Paramedic certification is the highest level of pre-hospital care certification. While EMTs and paramedics are both highly-trained health care professionals who respond to medical emergencies in the pre-hospital setting, paramedics build on their EMT training to develop more advanced skills such as administering medications, starting intravenous (IV) lines, providing advanced airway management and learning to resuscitate and support patients with life-threatening problems such as heart attacks and traumatic injuries.

Tuition and fees for the 2019-2020 program are approximately $5,200 and scholarships are available. Program graduates are eligible for academic credit through North Country Community College. To learn more about the program, please visit www.ech.org or call (518) 873-3022.