Paramedic Program

Saving lives. When accidents happen, you want the best-trained emergency medical services personnel on the scene. You want paramedics who quickly assess and treat patients before transporting them to the next appropriate care provider. Be part of the adrenaline team in your community by getting the best possible training in the region at Ridgewater College’s Paramedic program.

Program delivery

• Hutchinson or Willmar campus (labs)
• Online – blended (classes online with on-campus labs)
• Fall start

Skills you will learn

• Patient assessment
• Emergency treatment
• Stretcher and splint usage
• Advanced airway equipment
• Intravenous (IV) therapy
• Medications
• Cardiac monitors
• Patient transportation safety

Choose Ridgewater

Students choose Ridgewater’s Paramedic program because lives depend on excellent emergency services. Ridgewater’s dedicated faculty combines the best in engaging, online, didactic delivery with hands-on practice and clinical experiences to provide the gold standard in emergency skills. It’s convenient for students and yet intense and fast-paced to meet the growing industry demands.

Program Distinctions

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

Program attributes that help students thrive

• Online curriculum format is convenient yet structured
• On-campus, hands-on skills practice on Saturdays ensures confident decision-making and application
• Small classes provide a close-knit cohort with optional weekly web study groups
• Experienced instructor is current with the latest industry practices and equipment
• Both novice and experienced emergency medical services providers welcome
• Strong professional partnerships provide a wide variety of clinical sites

Ridgewater’s most successful Paramedic students are motivated and committed to working hard work to understand life-saving concepts and skills. Mastering skills and successfully thinking under pressure can be the difference between life and death. Although the work in class and on the job is challenging, it is also extremely rewarding. What did you do at work today? Be one who proudly says, “I saved lives.”

2016 – 2017 Paramedic Class

• NREMT First-Time Pass Cognitive Exam Rate: 90%
• Recruitment / Retention: 77%
• Positive Job Placement: 100%

2017 – 2018 Paramedic Class

• NREMT First-Time Pass Cognitive Exam Rate: 81.8%
• Recruitment / Retention: 84.6%
• Positive Job Placement: 81.8%

Preliminary Statistics for 2019 – 2020 Class

• Students Admitted: 12
• Students Graduated: 10
  • Overall retention: 10/12 = 83.3% (exceeds accreditation threshold)
• Students Taken Cognitive Exam:
  • Pass First Attempt:
    • 6
    • First-Time Pass Rate: 6/9 (so far) = 75% (exceeds accreditation threshold)
  • Pass by 6^th attempt:
    • 1 student
  • Pending: 4 students
    • 1 student has one more attempt before he has to remediate
    • 1 student has completed remediation and is planning to retest
    • 1 student has recently completed coursework and graduated becoming eligible to test
    • 1 student is currently in incomplete status (non-graduate) and has not established a plan for completing coursework