Emergency Medical Services

The following rules are enforced by the North Carolina Office of EMS and North Carolina State Legislation. More information may be found:

1. EMS Candidate Handbook
2. Education FAQs Page
3. NCOEMS Rules 10A NCAC 13P .0502
1. Graduating EMS Clinicians MUST make their first exam attempt with 90-days of the course graded date. Failure to do so may result in remediation or additional testing through Martin Community College.
2. Graduating EMS Clinicians MUST sign the "applicant statement" upon registering through Continuum. The "applicant statement" is valid for 30-days.
3. Graduating EMS Clinicians MUST successfully complete the North Carolina Office of EMS Credentialing Exam with 3-attempts or 6-months. Failure to do so will require the completion of another approved credentialing course.

Martin Community College maintains an open-door admission policy to all applicants who are legal residents of the US and who are both high school graduates, at least 18 years of age, or an emancipated minor.

For continuing education programs, any adult 18 years of age or older or an individual between the ages of 16 and 18 who has officially withdrawn from high school is eligible to enroll in Continuing Education courses. High school students, 16 or older, are permitted to enroll under the dual enrollment policy with approval from the appropriate school officials. Contact your local school counselor for additional information.

Safety Exception to Open-Door Admissions: Pursuant to 1D 400.2(e) and (f), entitled “Admission to College” Martin Community College will refuse admission to any applicant during the time period prior to being admitted to the College if there is an articulable, imminent, and significant threat to the safety of the applicant and/or another individual. The College defines “admitted” as the end of the application process, which begins with an application and ends when a student attends his/her first class. Once the application process is completed and a student is attending one or more classes, the Student Code of Conduct will apply. To deny admission based on a safety threat, the College must document detailed facts supporting the rationale for denying admission. In the documentation:

1. the College must be able to articulate the words, phrases, or actions of the applicant that unequivocally poses a threat;
2. the words, phrases, or actions of the applicant must pose an imminent threat that is likely to occur at any moment; and
3. the words, phrases, or actions of the applicant must provide specification about what indicates that the applicant poses a safety threat.

Emergency Medical Clinician Characteristics

The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Clinician Cadet must:

• Be a confident leader who can navigate challenges with a high degree of responsibility;
• Have excellent judgment;
• Be able to prioritize decisions and act quickly in the best interest of the patient;
• Be self-disciplined;
• Be able to develop patient rapport and interview hostile patients,
• Be able to maintain safety, while recognizing and utilizing communication techniques unique to diverse multicultural groups, and ages within those groups.

Essential Functions and Standards for Successful Performance

To successfully complete the classroom, field, and clinical components of the program, the EMS Clinician Cadet must, either independently or with reasonable accommodation, be able to perform all the following essential functions:

• Speech: Establish interpersonal rapport and communicate verbally and in writing with clients, physicians, peers, family members, and the health care team from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
• Hearing: Auditory acuity sufficient to respond to verbal instruction, perceive and interpret various equipment signals, use the telephone, and hear faint body sounds.
• Vision: Visual acuity sufficient to identify and distinguish colors, read handwritten orders and any other handwritten or printed data such as medication records or scales, chart data, and provide for the safety of clients' condition by clearly viewing monitors and other equipment to correctly interpret data.
• Mobility: Stand and/or walk eight-twelve hours daily in the clinical or field setting. Bend, squat, or kneel. Assist in lifting or moving clients of all age groups and weights more than 60 kg. Assist in lifting and transporting the ambulance stretcher. Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (move around client to manually compress chest and ventilate). Work with arms fully extended overhead. Work in environments that are not climate controlled.
• Manual Dexterity: Demonstrate eye/hand coordination sufficient to manipulate equipment (sphygmomanometers, EKG machines, etc.).
• Fine Motor Ability: Ability to use hands for grasping, pushing, pulling, and fine manipulation. Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment.
• Mentation: Maintain reality orientation for at least a sixteen-hour period.
• Assimilate and apply knowledge acquired through lectures, discussions, and readings.
• Smell: Olfactory ability sufficient to monitor and assess health needs.
• Writing: Ability to organize thoughts and present them clearly and logically in writing, at the level required of their program.
• Reading: Ability to read and understand written directions, instructions and comments in both classroom and clinical settings, at the level required of their program.
• Mathematics: Ability to compute and interpret mathematical data, as well as complete mathematical functions necessary for classroom functions, patient assessment, and clinical care. Mathematical ability will be at the level required of their program.

To comply with Title 23 of the North Carolina Administrative Code 2D.0203 (d) and to enhance uniformity of the Occupational Extension Refund Policy, a refund will not be made except under the following circumstances:

1. A 75% refund shall be made upon the request of the student if the student officially withdraws from the class(es) prior to or at the official 10% point of the class(es). Requests for refunds will not be considered after the 10% point.
2. For classes beginning at times other than at the beginning of the semester, applicable provisions as noted in Subparagraphs (d) (1) and (2) of this rule apply. For contact hour classes, ten calendar days from the first day of the class(es) is the determination date. (see current version of the College Catalog)
3. At the time of official withdrawal under this policy, the College shall notify the student of the right to receive a refund. To officially withdraw and to determine eligibility for a refund, the student should contact the Continuing Education Office.

The issuance of transfer credit will be decided upon by the EMS Program Director, in conjunction with, appropriate MCC faculty and staff within ten (10) business days of receipt of all necessary documents and completion of all examinations.

Transfer Credit for Initial Credential Programs

Transfer credit may be accepted for previously attended initial credentialing courses, at the discretion of the EMS Program Director, as outlined in the “Procedures” section of this policy. Only credits completed through a Regionally Accredited Institution will be evaluated for transfer.

Procedures

1. *Official transcripts from a Regionally Accredited Institution will be evaluated for transfer credit. Unofficial transcripts submitted by the Cadet may be used for academic advising or counseling but will not be considered for transfer credit.
2. The Cadet will successfully complete all competency assessment tests with a score equivalent to “successful” as defined in the syllabus for the MCC initial credentialing course for which transfer credit is being sought.
3. Only hours will be transferred. The MCC transcript will not reflect grades awarded at outside Regionally Accredited Institutions.
4. No more than 50% of the total didactic hours listed on the syllabus of the desired initial credentialing course will be awarded. Additionally, no more than 75% of the total Clinical Rotation hours listed on the syllabus of the desired initial credentialing course will be awarded.

*A course syllabus and schedule, from the program attended by the Cadet, may be requested. Although not required, MCC reserves the right to request test scores and lesson plans from the issuing Regionally Accredited Institution. No grading information, outside of official transcripts, will be accepted without signed, state or federally recognized Family Educational Rights Protection Act (FERPA) documents.

Transfer Credit for Experience and Prior-Learning

Experience-based and prior-learning credit may be accepted for initial credentialing courses, at the discretion of the EMS Program Director, as outlined in the “Procedures” section of this policy.

Procedures

1. No credit will be awarded for experience or education obtained greater than 24-months prior to the start date of the desired initial credentialing course.
2. *Only official letters of confirmation of experience will be evaluated for credit. Official transcripts are mandatory for evaluation of prior learning.
3. Three (3) redacted patient care reports, completed by the Cadet, will be submitted to the EMS Program Director from the issuing EMS agency. Documentation submitted by the Cadet may be used at the discretion of the EMS Program Director.
4. The Cadet will successfully complete competency assessment tests with a score equivalent to “successful” as defined in the syllabus for the MCC initial credentialing course for which experience credit is being sought.
5. Only hours will be awarded. The MCC transcript will not reflect grades for awarded experience or prior-learning credit.

*MCC reserves the right to request clinical evaluations from the issuing EMS agency. No employment information will be accepted without signed, state or federally recognized employee confidentiality documents.