Rowan College at Burlington County, Virtua to Offer New Paramedic Program

Rowan College at Burlington County and Virtua are partnering for a new paramedic science degree and certificate program to meet the growing need for first responders, the college announced on Wednesday.

Students will have the opportunity to receive training thorugh the Virtua School of Paramedic Science, which formally began in 1997 and became fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program last year. The joint program would begin in the fall, pending state approval.

“Rowan College at Burlington County has always had an excellent relationship with Virtua, which serves as a clinical site to give our nursing students hands-on experience before entering the career,” Rowan College at Burlington County President Paul Drayton said. “I am glad to see our relationship with Virtua strengthen as we begin the paramedic science program. We will be the premier destination in the country for people seeking a highly-rewarding career as a professional emergency medical technician.”

Paramedic Science will be part of the college’s Health Sciences Division, which will move to the Health Sciences building on Briggs Road as the college transitions to the Mount Laurel campus. The facility will include a simulation lab to train first responders.

More than 90 percent of students who have participated in the program through Virtua pass the National Registry Certification Exam on their first try. All students pass on subsequent attempts.

“The program at Rowan College at Burlington County will provide for several enhancements to the existing program,” Virtua President and CEO Richard P. Miller said. “We look forward to an expanded relationship with RCBC to grow our programmatic offerings, including an international training component to serve EMS systems outside of the United States.”

The paramedic training consists of two academic years, run over six consecutive semesters, and includes an online component. Students learn about obstetrics and neonatology, pediatric and geriatric care, special needs patient care, trauma care, ECG interpretation, pharmacology, as well as disease processes and management. They can also earn certifications in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support.

Students will acquire intensive hands-on learning experiences though more than 700 combined in-hospital clinical and field internship hours. In the hospital, students will train under preceptors in different departments including emergency, labor and delivery, ICU, outpatient laboratory, operating and others. In the field, students will function as paramedic interns on paramedic units in the community. Paired with experienced mentors, students will learn how to apply their classroom and in-hospital education to the 911 emergency setting.

“Burlington County’s first responders know no equal and save lives every day,” Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield said. “I look forward to having the well trained graduates of this new program join their ranks. While I commend RCBC and Virtua for this innovative new partnership, the real winners here are the residents of Burlington County and the entire region.”

The attached image was provided by Rowan College at Burlington County