Kellogg Community College’s Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic Program this month was nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
KCC’s Paramedic Program – a certificate program with the option to further pursue an Associate of Applied Science degree in Emergency Medical Services – is one of just six such programs accredited in the state. The program received the five-year maximum-length accreditation, effective through Sept. 30, 2019.
Dr. Chet Dalski, director of EMS Education at KCC, said the accreditation brings KCC into compliance with licensure requirements that will give the College’s paramedic graduates national mobility in their career field.
“Our graduates impact the lives of citizens both in Calhoun County and across the nation with the skills and lifesaving knowledge they learn here at KCC,” Dalski said. “The achievement of national accreditation is an external validity to the high quality EMS programming that exists at KCC, and I am excited about our current position and direction we are going as a program.”
KCC President Dr. Dennis Bona said the accreditation further demonstrates KCC’s commitment to providing the highest quality education to enrich the community we serve.
“This accreditation is a welcome recognition of a program that consistently produces graduates at the top of their field, and we’re proud that the CAAHEP acknowledges the quality of our instruction here at KCC,” Bona said. “If your paramedic is a KCC graduate, you’re in good hands.”
The accreditation process involved an application that included the submission of a self-study to the CAAHEP, as well as a peer review conducted by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP) and a site accreditation team visit.
Dalski said the College’s state-of-the-art EMS simulation lab – through which students interact with manikins and are monitored through audio and video surveillance – impressed the accreditation team, who said they would like to see similar centers duplicated in other colleges’ programs. Dalski called the sim lab a unique experience that improves the quality and consistency of the educational experience for students.
“The EMS Program at KCC is one of our flagship programs that is unique within the state and nationwide,” Dalski said. “We provide excellent instruction in the classroom, laboratory, simulation center and clinical settings to prepare our students to handle one of the most demanding and critical jobs they can engage in.”
For more information about EMS studies at KCC, contact Dalski at 269-660-2324 or dalskic@kellogg.edu or visit www.kellogg.edu/academics/academic-programs/health/emergency-medical-services.
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