Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services training is offered at community colleges across the state to meet the workforce training needs of EMS personnel, including Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs), Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Advanced EMTs, and Paramedics.

EMS Certifications:

Many community college classes prepare students for state certification. Local college program coordinators can provide information on these courses and any related requirements. In addition, information on North Carolina’s Emergency Medical Services certification requirements may be found here:

• State Governing Body:  NC Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council
• Associated State Agency:  NC Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) – Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS)

North Carolina General Statutes and Administrative Code require the North Carolina Office of EMS (OEMS) to establish programs to credential EMS personnel. OEMS has set EMS educational curricula and guidelines, which must be followed by approved EMS educational institutions including approved NC Community Colleges. To be approved by OEMS as an EMS Educational Institution, an institution must apply by submitting an education plan that addresses the institution’s ability to provide quality EMS education programs and services. The education plan must meet the standards established by the OEMS.

Details on approved OEMS curriculum, course support materials, instructor methodology and other valuable links can be found here. (https://info.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/EMS/credcomp.htm)

NC EMS EXPO:

NC EMS EXPO is one of the most widely recognized EMS educational conferences in the country, offering its attendees the opportunity to hear presentations from outstanding faculty from across North Carolina and the United States. The conference provides continuing education credit for topics of general interest and current advancements in the fields of pre-hospital emergency care, emergency and trauma medicine, and public health. The conference audience includes basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) personnel, emergency medical dispatchers (EMD), EMS professionals, EMS administrators, EMS educators, emergency medicine/trauma physicians/nurses, public health professionals, emergency managers, State Medical Assistance Team (SMAT) personnel, disaster planning coordinators, medical facility administrators, law enforcement officials, search and rescue responders, preparedness officials and others who play an essential role in critical incidents.

Community College Public Safety Classes:

• To find EMS classes, access the NCCCS Public Safety Training Calendar on this website and select the Subject “Emergency Medical-EMS.” 

Community College Contacts:

For more information, please email us at publicsafetytraining@nccommunitycolleges.edu.  For questions about specific local college training courses, please contact the college directly.  A listing of colleges may be found on this website (Find a College). 

EMS education is also provided through curriculum degree programs at colleges across the state.  For a list of colleges offering associate degree programs, please consult the NCCCS Education Catalog at http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/academic-programs/education-catalog.

Waiver of Training Registration Fees

The NC Legislature authorizes NC community colleges to waive the registration fees of authorized public safety personnel for selected/eligible training courses. Your local community college will have additional details.

Individual college forms and processes may vary, but all colleges fall under the guidance found in the most current State Board of Community Colleges (SBCC) policies on tuition and fee waivers: https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/numbered-memos/cc18-053.

The primary System Office contact for public safety training fee waivers is Tracy McPherson, Director of Public Safety Training Programs, at mcphersont@nccommunitycolleges.edu.