Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is the system that responds when someone is seriously sick or injured before they get to the hospital. It includes:
JSCC offers certifications for Emergency Medical Technician, Advanced Emergency Medical Technician, and Paramedic. The Paramedic program also offers an Associate of Applied Science degree option.
To apply for a specific EMS program, visit the program's individual web page.
Becoming an EMT is the first step required to work in the Emergency Medical Services field. As an EMT, you will be trained to respond to 911 calls and provide life-saving care to patients who need help. Whether it’s a car accident, heart attack, or overdose, you will learn how to assess the situation, stabilize patients, and transport them safely to the hospital. It is fast-paced, high-stakes work, where every second counts.
The EMT program is a one-semester program delivered through classroom instruction, hands-on lab instruction, and clinical experience in the field. Basic Life Support skills that are taught include patient assessment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, treatment of burns, splinting of fractures, dressing and bandaging wounds, assisting with out-of-hospital childbirths, oxygen therapy, ambulance operations, and related emergency care. Upon successful completion of the NREMT cognitive exam, EMTs may be licensed by the TN Department of Health, Division of Emergency Medical Services. In order to enroll in the EMT program, students must meet the following criteria:
An Advanced EMT (AEMT) has specialized training that bridges the gap between basic EMT and paramedic-level care. As an Advanced EMT you will provide critical pre-hospital interventions like IV therapy, advanced airway management, and medication administration during medical emergencies. Whether it’s stabilizing trauma patients, managing cardiac events, or supporting paramedics in high-pressure situations, your role is to deliver fast, skilled care when every second counts. You will be that calm, capable presence during someone’s worst moment—and make a real difference before they even reach the hospital.
The Advanced EMT program is a one-semester program delivered through classroom instruction, hands-on lab instruction, clinical experience in local emergency departments and in the field with local EMS agencies. Students review knowledge taught during the Basic EMT courses in addition to classroom, clinical, and field instruction in more Advanced Life Support skills such as intravenous therapy, airway management with supraglottic devices, limited medication administration, and more comprehensive patient assessment. Upon successful completion of the NREMT cognitive exam, Advanced EMTs may be licensed by the TN Department of Health, Division of Emergency Medical Services. In order to enroll in the Advanced EMT program, students must meet the following criteria:
As a Paramedic, you'll provide advanced life support in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment. You will bring medical expertise, calmness under pressure, and rapid decision-making to the scene. From cardiac emergencies to traumatic injuries, you’ll be the one making a difference before patients ever reach a hospital. Advanced level care that you may provide includes, endotracheal intubation for airway emergencies, transcutaneous pacing, synchronized cardioversion, or defibrillation for cardiac emergencies, along with a variety of other advanced level skills. Join a team that values courage, compassion, and clinical excellence, where every shift has the power to save a life.
The Paramedic program is a three-semester (certificate level) program delivered through classroom instruction, hands-on lab instruction, clinical experience in hospital departments such as the emergency room, surgery, and cardiac cath. lab. Students are taught Advanced Life Support Skills such as medication administration, endotracheal intubation, ECG monitoring and interpretation, defibrillation and synchronized cardioversion, comprehensive patient assessment, and advanced management of medical and trauma emergencies. Students also will complete field experience with local EMS agencies.
Minimum expectations of the Paramedic program are to prepare Paramedics who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.
Acceptance into the Paramedic program is a multi-step, selective process that begins with applying and being accepted to the college. Students must also apply specifically to the Paramedic program between March 1 and midnight on June 30 of each year, by completing the paramedic program application in the link below. Applicants must also ensure that the school and the program have all college transcripts on file. Students applying and accepted into the Paramedic program must:
Students are awarded points based on educational accomplishments, EMS related experience, assessment exam, and interview. Students with the highest scores are accepted into the program in chronological order until all available seats are filled. The remaining applicants will be provided with academic advising and may be offered a seat if an applicant declines their seat in the program.
Pursuant to the published policy for Jackson State Community College, transfer credit and any experiential learning or life experience acceptable for application toward requirements for an Associate degree in the student’s chosen field will be considered for credit towards the General Education core courses in the AAS EMS Paramedic degree.
Learn more about Jackson State’s Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credit here.
For information about transfer credit, see Jackson State’s Transfer of Credit Policy.
CAAHEP Accredited Paramedic Programs and CoAEMSP Letter of Review (LoR) Programs track and report outcome measures annually to the Committee on Accreditation for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).
The most current CoAEMSP Annual Report was for the calendar year 2024.
The most recent success rate for the National Registry of EMT Paramedic/State Cognitive exam was 90%.
Positive placement is defined by the CoAEMSP as ‘Employed full or part-time in a related field and/or continuing his/her education and/or serving in the military’. Positive placement is measured at completion of the program. The most recent positive placement rate for graduates was 100%.
The most recent retention rate was 77%.
|
Year |
# of Graduates |
NREMT Pass Rate |
Retention |
Job Placement |
|
2020 |
9 |
89% |
90% |
100% |
|
2021 |
4 |
75% |
67% |
100% |
|
2022 |
15 |
93% |
88% |
100% |
|
2023 |
17 |
88% |
94% |
100% |
|
2024 |
10 |
90% |
77% |
100% |