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AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE
HEALTH AND EDUCATION DIVISION
4700 COLLEGE OAK DRIVE
SACRAMENTO, CA 95841-4217
TELEPHONE (916) 484-8902
http: //www.arc.losrios.edu/

Spring 2026 APPLICATION IS DUE Friday, November 14, 2025

Paramedic Application Packet for Spring 2026

Paramedic Program

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System provides medical care to community members who are sick or injured. The goal of the paramedic program is to prepare competent entry-level Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedics in cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. Paramedics respond to emergencies in the pre-hospital setting and render basic and advanced medical treatment before and during transport. In addition to the certification program, students have the option of taking courses, which will lead to an Associate in Science degree.

The full-time program begins each spring semester and requires students to meet online once a week and on campus one or two days a week (approximately 8 hours per day). The full-time program is approximately an 11-month program.

The Paramedic program also offers paramedic academies that have unique and varied schedules. Please check the American River College schedule for the most up-to-date listing of our paramedic offerings.

Startup program costs are approximately $2,500.00. The student is responsible for purchasing uniforms, laboratory fees, malpractice insurance, necessary equipment, and transportation to off-campus laboratory locations. All costs/fees are subject to change.

The American River College Paramedic Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Profession (CoAEMSP). Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program 1361 Park Street Clearwater, FL 33756 (727-210) www.caahep.org

PROGRAM GOALS

“To prepare Paramedics who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.”

APPLICATION/ACCEPTANCE TO THE PROGRAM

Currently, the paramedic program admits students once per year.

Application assistance is available at the Health Education HomeBase located in the Health and Education Complex.

We strongly suggest you keep copies of all documents sent to the program.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ENROLLMENT TO THE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM
  1. Before you begin this application, you must have already applied to American River College and have received a student ID and college password which will be used to sign into this application.
  2. Graduation from an accredited high school in the United States or successful completion of the General Education Development (GED) or California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) before the time of application:
    1. Students with a high school diploma from a school outside the United States must have transcripts evaluated by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) approved independent agency. Such cases will be evaluated on an individual basis.
    2. Students who possess an Associate of Arts/Associate of Science degree or higher from a regionally accredited college are exempt from the educational requirement stated above. Transcript evidence must be provided showing degree attainment.
    3. Students who have attended college outside the United States must have transcripts evaluated by a NACES-approved independent agency, demonstrating AA/AS degree or higher. Such cases will be evaluated on an individual basis.
  3. Current certification as an EMT-Basic and approximately one year verified recent and/or appropriate EMS experience (approximately 200 patient contacts-911 preferred). Applicants lacking sufficient experience or patient contacts may still be considered if able to submit a signed Employer Engagement Form (EEF). The EEF is available here. Questions related to EMS experience must be directed to Dr. Grant Goold, Program Coordinator, at (916) 484-8843. The program admissions committee will assess experience and/or equivalency.

To graduate with an Associate Science degree, a student must complete all the required courses for the Paramedic program and fulfill general education requirements. Associate of Science degrees in (Paramedic) is only provided to students who complete all courses listed for the degree major at American River College.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION PROCESS
  1. Students interested in applying for the Paramedic program should begin preparing and PLANNING AHEAD as soon as possible by requesting and/or compiling the support documents in Item 3 below to be evaluated and included in the application packet. This process may take two or more weeks.
  2. Student Checklist: The following documents are strongly encouraged to be brought to the Homebase / counseling appointment:
    1. High school transcript with graduation date highlighted, GED Scores, CHSPE Certificate of Proficiency, or proof of AA/AS degree or higher
    2. Current EMT-Basic card and American Heart Association Professional Rescuer or BLS Healthcare Provider card (bring original cards)
    3. If applicable, verification of EMT-Basic experience with supportive documentation to include hours of patient contact, description of contacts, and validation from supervisor on original agency letterhead. Do not include observational experiences only. Contact information, to verify field experience, must be provided in the supportive documentation.
    4. Signed and dated EEF(if applicable).
    5. All college transcripts:
      • Unofficial transcripts from the Los Rios Community College District (ARC, CRC, FLC, SCC) or other colleges
      • NOTE: All transcripts must accompany your application.
  3. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
SELECTION PROCESS
  1. Only students who meet the educational pre-paramedic requirements and follow the procedures will be considered for the program. Meeting all these requirements does not guarantee enrollment in the program.
  2. Class size may be limited. If the pool is greater than the program can accept, students are chosen based on a computerized random selection process among all the qualified candidates.
ACCEPTANCE
  1. Students will receive notification of acceptance by email approximately two (2) weeks after the submission deadline. Please do not call Admissions & Records, the Health and Education office, Homebase, or the Counseling department, as phone verification will not be provided. Please make sure that all contact details are clearly provided and current.
  2. Once accepted to the Paramedic Program, students, at their own expense, must provide the following before completion of PMED 115 or deadlines required by the program.
    1. Health History & Report of Medical Examination with required inoculations
    2. Drug screening test (non-refundable)
    3. Proof of malpractice insurance (not refundable)
    4. Background check required by clinical facilities (non-refundable)
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