Admission Information
Admission to the general college does not guarantee admission to the Emergency Medical Science - Paramedic Program. Students applying for admission to the Gaston College Emergency Medical Science - Paramedic Program MUST meet the Gaston College admission requirements.
Additional Requirements
- Meet with an academic advisor or program director from the Department for EMS Education.
- Provide proof of English proficiency. This may be established by making a minimum total score of six (Internet Based), 207 (computer based), or 540 (paper based) on the Test for English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
- Complete an application for the Associate Degree Emergency Medical Science - Paramedic Program. This form is available in Department for EMS Education, APS 104.
Emergency Medical Science - Paramedic Program Admission Information
- Meet the equivalent or take DMA 030.
- Meet the equivalent of DRE 098.
- An overall GPA minimum of 2.0 in college level coursework in related classes and core courses in the EMS program of study.
Competitive Admission Criteria
- The following criteria are used by the Department for EMS Education faculty in the selection process of qualified paramedic program applicants into the Emergency Medical Science program:
- Accuplacer scores.
- Number of general education courses completed (with a minimum grade of “C”) by the end of fall semester in which the application was submitted.
- Grade Point Average (GPA) in required general education courses (see Program of Study).
- Program Application.
Admission points are calculated based on the above criteria. The final selection of applicants into the program is made by the Department for EMS Education Director/Emergency Medical Science Chair in consultation with the EMS Education faculty.
Students Admitted to the Emergency Medical Science Program
In addition to maintaining a 2.0 GPA and earning a minimum grade of “C” in all EMS curriculum courses, applicants accepted in the Emergency Medical Science - Paramedic program must meet the following requirements in order to enroll and continue in the EMS program.
- A completed North Carolina Community College Student Medical Form, provided by the Department for EMS Education, documenting satisfactory emotional and physical health.
- Immunizations required by the N.C. Community College System and clinical agencies. Criminal Background Check, FBI fingerprinting, and random drug screening to comply with current clinical affiliation agreements.
Clinical agencies reserve the right to deny a student access to the facility based on failure to meet the above requirements. If a student is denied access to any clinical agency, the student will not be allowed to continue in the Emergency Medical Science - Paramedic program. Detailed information regarding these agency requirements will be provided upon conditional acceptance into the paramedic program.
Program Costs
In addition to tuition and textbooks, costs of this program include the following: EMS Testing, FISDAP Clinical Competency Tracking, uniforms (shirts, pants, shoes, jacket), stethoscope, physical examination, immunizations, criminal background check, FBI fingerprinting, and drug screening at a time designated by the EMS faculty.
Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from all clinical laboratory, and class activities. Clinical and EMS field internship experiences may be scheduled morning, afternoons or evenings, and weekends.
Students who seek credit for EMT-Basic Certification, taken through continuing education, may request to seek course credit by examination or experiential credit. Experiential credit is obtained by successfully completing the NREMT computer adaptive testing and receiving subsequent national registration as an EMT.