Butte's EMT/Paramedic Program Ranked Second In Nation

The EMT/Paramedic program at Butte College earned second place out of 80 similar programs in the nation by Fire Science Online in a study that measured "Highest Return on Investment (ROI)" for its students. The list includes EMT programs with the highest degree value in the country.

"This is great news for students and it's great news for our programs," said Denise Adams, Dean of Career & Technical Education. Adams said the distinction reinforces the fact that community college is a great way to start an education and career path.

"It's inexpensive, and provides a high return on investment," she said. "Any opportunity we can provide to students to get into the important field of healthcare, we want to do that. Our students are highly sought after for employment," she added.

Fire Science Online is a not-for-profit organization providing free information about fire science, firefighting, and other first responder education and careers. Specific criteria was used to obtain the results including

• Annual tuition less than $10,000 (not including fees)
• Total enrollment of at least 10,000 students
• Fully-accredited schools only
• Public and private schools included
• U.S. colleges only

Employment of paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) is projected to grow by 33% between 2010 and 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to Fire Science Online, this unprecedented growth rate -- more than double the average growth rate for all occupations -- is a result of post-secondary EMT programs increasing in both quality and quantity. But with so many different programs available, students now have the difficult job of choosing the school that will reward them with the highest possible return on their college investment.

For more than 40 years, Butte College has been preparing emergency medicine students for certification and licensure as Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians. The Butte College Paramedic Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

Some of the features that separate the Butte College program from its competitors include:

Excellent National Registry pass rate Small class size Local, faculty-scheduled internships (within 100 miles of Butte College)

Low tuition fees; no preceptor fees

Students who successfully complete the program will be able to evaluate and treat a wide variety of medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital setting. At the end of the course sequence, students are eligible to take the National Registry exam, which qualifies them to be licensed as a Paramedic in every state in the country.

Visit EMT/Paramedic for more information about the EMT/Paramedic career path.

For the complete list of colleges that made the list, visit the Fire Science Online site.