Thank you for your interest in a Weber State University EMS program. Although our core focus is EMT-Paramedic, we also offer EMT, Advanced EMT, (through Davis Area Technology College) and selected continuing education courses in Distance/Rural Paramedic, Emergency Medical Responder, Tactical EMS and Specialty Care Transport.
We are proud of the fact that our paramedic program has been nationally accredited by CAAHEP for more than 25 years, making it the first accredited paramedic program in Utah and one of the first in the nation. Our first attempt pass rate on the National Resgistry Certification Exam is 98%, significantly better than the national average of 68%. Our faculty includes bachelor's and masters degreed Registered Nurses, Physician's Assistants, and paramedics. The faculty's emergency medicine experience totals over a century.
Paramedics of this decade are increasingly gaining responsibility in areas other than traditional incident/scene and ambulance/transport, working in occupational health, emergency departments and urgent treatment centers. Because the paramedic of today is expected to be a "health care professional," the successful completion of the designated prerequisites is extremely important in preparing you for a rigorous sequence of paramedic education.
Our educational focus in paramedic is to use the principles of anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology and patient assessment in order to formulate a field impression and devise an appropriate treatment plan. While some common protocols are taught, the program stresses assessment based managment and critical thinking in relation to patient care.
The paramedic program at Weber state is a rigorous two or four semester endeavor. In order to be successful, your first step is to make an appointment and obtain academic advising. At this meeting it can be determined whether the institutional certificate or the AAS degree will be your best course of action. A curriculum map will be provided for you to follow over the subsequent semesters. Additionally, we will assess your EMS aptitude through the entrance exam, evaluate your previous EMS experience, and make appropriate recommendations.
Please contact Doug Watson and staff at healthprofessions@weber.edu or 801-626-6136 to obtain an advising appointment. Following his review he will recommend prerequisite classes and follow-up steps with the EC&R Department.
We look forward to seeing you in a future EMS class.
Jeffrey R. Grunow, MSN, NREMT-P
Associate Professor
Chair, Department of Emergency Care & Rescue