Southwestern Illinois College is thrilled to announce that beginning in the Fall of 2018, Memorial Hospital, Anderson Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Southwestern Illinois College will be working collaboratively to offer one paramedic program to be held at the Southwestern Illinois College Belleville Campus.

All three of these hospitals have a long history of fostering EMS education in our community, and this exciting new partnership will give every student enrolled in our nationally accredited paramedic program the opportunity to experience the unique educational and clinical resources that these hospitals have to offer.

Application for Fall 2025 is accepted March 1 through June 1, 2025.

Program at a Glance

Program Capacity

Fall Semester

The Paramedic program generally accepts 20 students.

Program Location

The Paramedic program consists of general education courses, EMS pre-fix courses, two FS courses (FS 280 and 160) and assigned clinical experiences. Specific locations depend on the course type.

General Education Courses

The required general education courses can be taken at the Belleville, Sam Wolf Granite City, Red Bud campuses or online.

Paramedic Courses

The Paramedic program courses are offered at SWIC in Belleville for fall semester.

Clinical Education Experiences

Clinical education experiences are offered through Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Memorial Hospital in Belleville and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon. Field internships are offered through various ambulance services within the EMS system.

Program Cost

Paramedic Certificate program

For details, see the Paramedic Certificate Cost Sheet

Paramedicine Degree program

For details, see the Paramedicine Degree Cost Sheet

Time Commitment

Paramedic Certificate Time Commitment (15 month sequence)

Lecture & Lab Commitment

Classes generally meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and periodically, classes will meet on Fridays and Saturdays: from 9 a.m to 1 p.m.

Field Internship

Clinical experience is scheduled during the program, typically between 12 and 72 hours per month.

Program Recognition

The SWIC Paramedic program is recognized and approved by:

The Southwestern Illinois Paramedic program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs – CAAHEP (http://www.caahep.org/) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions – CoAEMSP.  

Graduate Outcome Measures

Graduate Outcome Measures

SWIC PARAMEDIC PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Paramedic Program with Outcomes CAAHEP Accredited Paramedic Programs and CoAEMSP Letter of Review (LoR) Programs track and report outcome measures annually to the Committee on Accreditation for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). The most current CoAEMSP Annual Report was for the calendar year 2022. The most recent success rate for the National Registry of EMT Paramedic/State Cognitive exam was 84%. The most recent positive placement rate for graduates was 100%. Positive placement is defined by the CoAEMSP as ‘Employed full or part-time in a related field and/or continuing his/her education and/or serving in the military’.

Positive placement is measured at completion of the program. The most recent retention rate was 86%. 

Certification Requirements

National and State Licensure Examinations

Upon successful completion of the 15-month Paramedic curriculum, graduates are awarded the paramedic certificate (068B).

They are qualified to challenge the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).

Get Started

For more information, please fill out the contact form.

CONTACT THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION