Emergency Medical Science Associate's Degree (A.A.S) Bridging Option - Credential As You Go

New Playbook: Incremental Credentialing in Graduate Education

Case Study

Emergency Medical Science Associate’s Degree (A.A.S) Bridging Option

Caldwell Community College

CREDENTIAL TITLE

Emergency Medical Science Associate's Degree (A.A.S) Bridging Option

CREDENTIAL LEVEL

ACADEMIC PROGRAM

CREDIT/NON-CREDIT # OF CREDITS (IF CREDIT BEARING)

45 credits

INCREMENTAL CREDENTIALING FRAMEWORK APPROACHES

Specialize As You Go
Stack As You Go
Transfer As You Go

Learn As You Go

Partner As You Go

Retro As You Go

Why the Credential Was Developed

The EMS program works closely with our local EMS agencies and there have been multiple requests for an Associates Degree to accompany the Paramedic certification.
Students with an Associates Degree have a greater chance of promotion in the EMS field than students who do not have a degree.
The EMS agencies are in dire need of Paramedics and this degree better prepares future medics for their careers.
This credential creates a more well-rounded and future-ready Paramedic. It also helps draw students who want to become Paramedics, but also desires a higher-education degree. They can achieve both of these in one program instead of having to gain a degree in another field.

How the Credential Was Developed

This credential was developed with input from the EMS director, dean, and vice-president. The North Carolina Community College system had to approve the credential.
For students who complete the credential, we have 100% job placement for those students. The credential is posted on the college website as an option for students pursuing a Paramedic certification.

The Targeted Learners

Our goal is to target students who want to achieve their Paramedic certification as well as an Associates degree.
We also want to target students who are already Paramedics who want to earn and Associates degree to help with promotions and advancement in their jobs.
This credential has been advertised with all local EMS agencies and they are actively promoting it to their employees. It is also posted on the college website.

Lessons Learned

The process took much longer to process than anticipated to ensure the quality and integrity of the program.

Top Competencies/Learning Outcomes

Prepare competent entry-level Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), affective (behavior) learning domains
Prepare individuals with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical Responder levels.

Credential Components

45 credits awarded through PLA (EMT Certification) and 27 hours in identified courses to complete degree.

Improving Education and Employment Outcomes

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FUNDING STATEMENT

Credential As You Go has acquired three phases of funding to date. Lumina Foundation funded Phase I, resulting in the Incremental Credential Framework for testing. The Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education funds Phase II (Grant R305T210063), which focuses on rapid prototyping of and research on incremental credentials with a national campaign. An anonymous private donor fund at the Program on Skills, Credentials & Workforce Policy at George Washington University funds the development of the prototype Learn and Work Ecosystem Library. Walmart funds Phase III, which focuses on systems change for expansion and sustainability of incremental credentials. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of Lumina Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education, Walmart, or George Washington University.