Where Can I Get Paramedic Training in Philadelphia, PA?

Paramedic programs are offered to those who already have an EMT certification and are looking to advance their career and ability to save lives. Paramedics take advanced emergency medical training and have greater responsibilities with this credential than with the basic EMT credential. You can learn more about Philadelphia area paramedic certification programs, their requirements and costs to find the best school for you.

What You Need to Know

Persons interested in completing paramedic training near Philadelphia, PA, may choose from a few different programs, culminating in a certificate or an associate's degree. All applicants to such programs must be currently certified as an emergency medical technician (EMT); some programs require experience, as well. A paramedic certificate program may be completed in 11-18 months, depending on the school and an associate's degree in the field can be earned in two years. Philadelphia schools offering paramedicine programs include two-year, public and private institutions.

Paramedic Certificate Programs in Philadelphia

Thomas Jefferson University

Located in Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) provides students with the option of obtaining a paramedic certificate via training within their Jefferson University Hospitals. TJU is a small school that provides health research and sciences education in an urban environment. Students are able to gain clinical and field experience via several different courses during their tenure. Common courses in the program include pharmacology, EMS operations, health assessment and medical and trauma emergencies.

TJU requires students to complete roughly 1,500 hours of paramedic training during their paramedic certificate program. Upon graduation, students are eligible for the National Registry of EMT Paramedics exam. While all program entrants need to be EMT certified before taking paramedic courses, students can complete EMT-Basic training through TJU as well.

• Program Name: Paramedic Certificate
• Program Length: 18 months
• Tuition: $40,651 per year (as of 2018-2019)
• Prerequisites: Must be 18 years old and EMT certified
• School Type: 4-year, private; about 7,786 students (about 3,550 undergraduate)

Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences

In Reading, PA, which is roughly 45 miles outside of Philadelphia, sits the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences. Their hospital-based paramedic training program is available to a small number of students. Students study common areas such as anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, EMS response, EMS systems and stress management. The program requires students to participate in hospital-based clinical rotations with an emphasis on psychiatric care, emergency care, labor delivery and medical-surgical care among the topics. Students are qualified to sit for the NREMT-P exam after graduation and attempt to enter the career field. In addition to students being EMT certified, the school conducts interviews and a math test to all entrants prior to admission into their paramedic program.

• Program Name: Paramedic Certificate
• Program Length: 11 months
• Tuition and Fees: $10,365 per year (as of 2018-2019)
• Prerequisites: Must be EMT certified for at least one year
• School Type: 2-year, private; about 329 students (all undergraduate)

Paramedic Associate's Degree Programs in Philadelphia

Delaware County Community College

In the large suburb of Media, PA, which is located about 15 miles west of Philadelphia, sits Delaware County Community College (DCCC). Over six semesters and 67-68 credit hours, students can obtain an A.A.S. in Paramedic Advanced-Life Support degree through DCCC. Students will complete courses in medical emergencies, trauma and airway issues, advanced life support, and gain important hands-on clinical experiences. The school notes that enrollees must be at least 18 years old before they begin study during the second semester of the program. Graduates will be set up to take the NREMT-P.

• Program Name: Associate of Applied Sciences in Paramedic-Advanced Life Support
• Program Length: Two years
• Tuition and Fees: $5,520 per year for in-district students; $9,390 per year for in-state students; $12,920 per year for out-of-state students (as of 2018-2019)
• Prerequisites: Current EMT-B certification
• School Type: 2-year, public; about 11,314 students (all undergraduate)

You can take advanced emergency medical training to work toward your paramedic certification through certificate programs found at Thomas Jefferson University and Reading School of Health Sciences, or you can receive your associate's degree along with your paramedic training though Delaware County Community College.