A student hunches over books, while hurriedly scratches something down in his notebook. Looking at the time, he begins slam his belongings into his backpack. The book is 3,000 pages. It's called TITLEX.

Heading to his next class, he enters the classroom, finds a seat and settles in. He pulls out that 3,000-page book again. This student is not studying astrophysics, he's enrolled in the paramedic program at ARC. Surprising to some, it's a field that requires intensive bookwork and studying, with the help of a department mannequin for hands-on training.

Paramedics begin their careers with studies like that available at American River College. Three thousand page books, along with hands-on teachings and a    department mannequin are the beginnings of Pre Paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician (PMED 100). This 12-month program prepares student paramedics on how to determine and treat different medical emergencies. A student will likely end up working for a fire department or an EMS unit, after all steps have been accomplished.

Program Director, Dr. Grant Goold, says that to become a licensed Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMTP), prerequisites and other steps are involved. First, a student must have a current certification as an EMT-Basic and have passed PMED 102 with a "C" or better. After this, they are ready for PMED 100, which requires a "B" average to stay a part of the program.

"This is quite a good development for the college," said Goold.

Once they have reached PMED 100, there are three phases to go through: the didactic, clinical, and internship. The didactic phase, a half lecture, half laboratory class, in which students learn the skills and terminology needed for the accompanying phases. Hands-on training is part of this phase with the use of the laboratory mannequin or an acting patient. With this in mind, students are aware of what the campus and program have to offer.

"There are good resources on a college campus," says Kurt Katsuyoshi, ARC student.

Phase 2, clinical, is when students step out of the classroom to see the environment they will be encountering. Emergency Room visits are needed to give future paramedics the knowledge of ER procedures and guidelines. This phase is conducted at one of three hospitals: U.C. Davis Health System, Mercy San Juan Hospital, or Sutter Roseville Medical Center. Two hundred and fifteen hours are needed to pass the clinical phase. Stockton Fire Fighter and ARC student, Alex Steinheimer, says there is a lack of trust between the community and EMS units.

"The community may be distrustful," says Steinheimer. "We need higher patient care."

Internship is the last phase of the program. Here a student begins on-

call transport training. They now will become part of an ambulatory transport unit on real 911 calls, to experience first-hand procedures on actual patients. Here they aid with 80 percent of the top calls that go through 911. These calls include: 1.Chest pain 2.Shortness of Breath 3.Abdominal pain 4.Allergic Reaction 5.Alternate loss of consciousness, and 6. Pain.  

Students are required to ride along for a minimum of 600 hours. They will have to acquire a daily evaluation report stating that their ride along is completed. This evaluation will be filled out by the licensed paramedic they are riding with and then turned in to Dr. Goold to be evaluated. An extension may be added, but no college credit is involved.

After the internship phase is completed, a student is now eligible to take an exam with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. This deals with: Airway and Breathing, Cardiology, Medical, Trauma, OB/Gyn/Peds, and Operations.

The exam process can take one year to complete. When an exam has been passed, the registry issues cards verifying students h ave been certified by an accredited program. As soon as students acquire this registry card, the next step is to take this to the state where they can become a licensed paramedic. From here, they will be able to apply at different locations and learn local EMS protocols as a licensed paramedic.