New Jersey EMT Certification Information

If a prospective student is not an EMT – they should call the Bergen County EMS Academy at (201) 343-3407 to obtain EMT course information. https://emsregistration.bergen.org

If a prospective student is an out of state EMT– they should contact the New Jersey Department of Health – Office of Emergency Medical Services at 609-633-7777 to obtain information about becoming a New Jersey EMT. http://www.state.nj.us/health/ems/

1. Completion of basic skill coursework if you have never attended college

Every student must complete either basic skills testing or a basic skills waiver form from the Bergen Community College Testing Center. Contact the center for information for current hours of operation. For any other inquiries email us at [email protected] or phone: (201) 447-7203

Basic skills waiver form
Students can be exempt from basic skills for the following reasons:

  • SAT scores of Math 530 and Reading 540 exempt a student from basic skills testing
  • College level English and Math coursework has been completed with a grade of “C” or higher.

2. General Education Courses

Please refer to the Paramedic Program Curriculum grid for an exact list of general education courses. Students are required to obtain a “C” or better to transfer courses from another college or university. All 26 credits of General Education must be completed prior to starting the Paramedic Core Courses.

Anatomy and Physiology:   All Anatomy and Physiology courses must be completed in the past 5 years.  Even if a student has a conferred degree, the science courses must be repeated in the past 5 years.

3. Transfer Credit Policy

All general education transfer credits will comply with Bergen Community College transfer policies. No credits can be awarded for transfer credit for the core paramedic coursework. The program does not offer advanced placement status to students.

4. EMT Skills Audit

Students will be required to complete an EMT skills audit.  This assessment will be administered after the student has cleared the criminal background check.

The audit will consist of two simulation scenarios where applicants will be assessed on their poise, assessment skills, clinical judgment and ability to correctly manage the patient case.  The case may include an adult or pediatric patient suffering from a medical and/or trauma ailment.

The best way a student can prepare for the skills audit is to make the most of their EMT skills every time they have a patient interaction (see next section).  This begins by reviewing information from a current EMT textbook. One reference suggested is BLS Skills Review ISBN: 978-0-7637-4684-1 published by Jones and Bartlett.

Applications
Students need to apply to both Bergen Community College and the Paramedic Science Program.  The deadline to apply to the Paramedic Science Program is February 1st.  Once an application is received, it is the students’ responsibility to complete the application process following the directions and deadlines assigned for acceptance.

The steps necessary include:

  • Completing and submitting the application within the deadline
  • Passing the following screenings in order: a criminal background and driver license check, an EMT skill audit and obtaining clearance from a physician
  • Correspondences will be made via email and it is the sole responsibility of the student to maintain the email submitted on their application.
  • Acceptance decisions will be made utilizing a rubric evaluation tool and will be sent to the student by May 1.

Hospital Sponsorship
The BCC program will not utilize hospital sponsorship.  BCC paramedic students will be placed in clinical and field rotations by the BCC Clinical Coordinator that offer a dynamic learning environment to achieve the skills required for the rotation.  The majority of clinical affiliates will be in Bergen County but students should be prepared to travel outside of the county. This travel is at the student’s expense.