Requirements

To be accepted into the Emergency Medical Technician Certification Program, you must:

• Be 18 years of age by course completion date.
• Have a high school diploma or GED.
• Submit a completed admission information form.

You must also meet assessment testing, insurance, immunization, background check, drug screening, and fingerprinting requirements.

Assessment Testing

All applicants to the EMT Certification Program must achieve minimum assessment scores in reading comprehension and math skills. Previously earned assessment test scores, such as TASP, SAT, ACT, THEA, etc. may be considered. Students who are TASP exempt through previous coursework, previous degrees, or the "B or Better" provision are not exempt from the math assessment testing requirement.

You can present any combination from the reading and math test columns below to fulfill the assessment testing requirement, as long as your scores are at or above the minimum score listed. TASP, THEA, SAT, and ACT scores have no expiration date. All other test scores are valid for two years from time of testing to date of application. The math assessment testing is required, regardless of an applicant's completion of previous college degrees or coursework. Completing English 1301 with a passing grade can satisfy the reading assessment requirement.

If You Need Testing

If you haven’t taken any of these tests, or are missing a reading or math score, you can take assessment tests through the El Centro College Assessment Center. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Call 214-860-2178 to determine specific test times.

No appointments are necessary, but you’ll need to get a referral slip from the El Centro College Continuing Education Office in Room A-260. For more details about referral requirements and hours of operation, please email the El Centro College Health Occupations Admissions Office or call 972-860-5000.

If You Need to Retest
If you took tests through the Assessment Center and didn’t score high enough to meet the minimum requirements, you can retest one time for a $10 fee and with permission from the El Centro College Continuing Education Office or Counselor's Office. If your retest scores still aren’t high enough, you need to pursue one of the following options before receiving a third and final testing opportunity during that application filing period.

• Enroll in developmental coursework
• Submit documentation that you’ve received tutoring
• Enroll in "College Fresh Start," a continuing education course that lets you use computer programs, video/audio tapes, and other resources in the College Learning Center to improve your skills

If your scores are still not high enough after the final retest, you’ll have to wait until the following semester to retest and reapply.

Malpractice Liability Insurance

EMT students are required to have medical malpractice liability insurance, either through their city or through an individual policy. Insurance is available through El Centro and can be purchased when you pay your registration fees.

Health Care Insurance

All students functioning in a clinical setting are required to provide proof of personal health insurance coverage before beginning their clinical rotations. El Centro College maintains a helpful list of health care coverage options.

Physical Exam and Immunizations

Before your course begins, you’ll need to verify that you’ve had immunizations and/or diseases through your own records, school records, or parents. We’ll provide a form you can use to document a medical history, physical examination, and current record of these immunizations:

• Tuberculin skin test within the last six months. (If positive, chest X-ray is required within the last two years.)
• Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (TDaP) current within the last two years.
• Measles/mumps/rubella (MMR). Two doses of measles are required either separately or in combination with MMR.
• Two varicella vaccinations or verification of having the disease through titer (serologic confirmation).
• Hepatitis B series. You must complete the Hep B series before the start of direct patient care, or show serologic confirmation of immunity to the hepatitis virus. To meet this requirement, you must complete the first two injections before applying to the program and submit documentation that you’ve completed all three injections before class begins. The third dose must be four to six months after the first dose. If you have a health situation (e.g., pregnancy, allergies, nursing mothers) that may prohibit the use of the hepatitis vaccine, you must provide documentation from your doctor and sign a waiver.
• Influenza vaccination (current flu season; August/September-March/April)
• Meningitis vaccination (current within 5 years; exempt if you are 30 and over)

You can visit a private physician, clinic, or medical center for the physical examination. The immunizations are available through the El Centro College Health Center at a reduced cost. Please call 214-860-2113 to make an appointment for immunizations. The El Centro College Health Center does not provide chest X-rays or physical exams.

Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening

Once you’ve been accepted to the program, you need to complete a criminal background check and drug screening so you can participate in hospital and field rotations. If you work for a fire department, we may be able to accept previous documentation from fire department personnel records. If you’re a civilian, you need to initiate the background check and screening process the week before class begins, or within the date range indicated in your acceptance letter. The cost is approximately $84.

Results are forwarded to the El Centro College Health Occupations Division and reviewed El Centro College Health/Legal/Distance and Workforce/Continuing Education Division.This initial procedure will be honored by all hospitals for the duration of your enrollment, as long as you haven’t had a break in enrollment (one fall or spring semester) during the program.

Please be aware that criminal background and drug screening results are the property of El Centro College and are not released to students.

The drug screening follows National Institute on Drug Abuse guidelines and screens for 10 substances in the Substance Abuse Panel 10: amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines (Valium), cocaine, cannabis, methadone, methaqualone (Quaaludes), opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), and propoxyphene (Darvon). SAP 10 test results that fall outside of acceptable ranges are considered positive test results and are automatically sent for a separate confirmatory test by gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

If these results remain positive, the test results are sent to a medical review officer, who will contact the student to determine if there is a valid prescription for the drug in question. If a valid prescription exists and is verified, the test result will be deemed to be negative and acceptable. The MRO review has an additional cost of $25-$75 to the student.

The criminal background check reviews your criminal history seven years previous to the date of program application. The check will include all cities and counties of your residency during that time period. The following histories will disqualify you from consideration for a clinical rotation:

• Felony conviction
• Misdemeanor conviction or felony deferred adjudication involving crimes against persons (physical or sexual abuse)
• Misdemeanor conviction related to moral turpitude (prostitution, public lewdness/exposure, etc.)
• Felony deferred adjudication for the sale, possession, distribution, or transfer of narcotics or controlled substances
• Registration as a sex offender

The program may request an exception from the first clinical agency for a student with a felony deferred adjudication and no alternate recourse through a licensing/registry authority, i.e., Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas. If the licensing/registry body approves the individual to take the licensing/credential exam, the individual may participate in the clinical rotation. For more information, contact Kanora Jackson, Division Coordinator, at k.jackson@dcccd.edu or 972-860-5095.

Right of Removal

A clinical agency reserves the right to remove a student from the facility for suspicion of substance use or abuse, including alcohol. The clinical agency will notify the El Centro College Health Occupations administration to facilitate immediate removal of the student and request that the student submit to a repeat drug screening procedure at the student's expense on the same day of removal from the clinical agency.

Failure to comply will result in immediate expulsion from the clinical agency. Further, regardless of testing or test results, the agency reserves the right to expel any student from its facility. The agency will provide El Centro College Health Occupations administration with written documentation of the student's behavior(s) by two or more agency representatives.

If a student accepted to a health occupations program is prohibited from attending a clinical rotation experience due to findings of a criminal background check and/or drug screening, the student may be dismissed from the health occupations program. For more information about criminal background check and drug screening requirements, please contact Dr. LaCheeta McPherson, El Centro Associate Dean of Allied Health at 214-860-2271.

Fingerprinting

Although fingerprinting isn’t required for admission to the EMT Certification Program, the Texas Department of State Health Services now requires it for EMT certification. All initial EMS applicants not currently certified by the department at any EMS level, are required to submit their fingerprints through the Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST) for Texas/FBI criminal history. You’ll be required to indicate if you have any previous criminal activity on your record when submitting a TDSHS application.

You must report all convictions, arrests, and deferred adjudications higher than a Class C misdemeanor (Class A, B, and felonies), regardless of the state which in they occurred or the length of time elapsed. If you have any offenses or incidents you need to report, be sure to gather your information before the course begins to avoid delay with your certification.