Our EMS paramedic program recently received national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

CAAHEP’s board of directors and the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions conducted a peer review of the program and approved initial accreditation through 2010.

“This is a distinction that recognizes our program’s compliance with the nationally established accreditation standards,” says Dennis Parker, program director.

“Our goal is to always offer the highest quality licensing program possible, and national accreditation indicates that the quality of our program is equivalent to that of the other nationally accredited programs,” he says.

Between only 200 and 300 such programs across the country are nationally accredited now.

It takes students seven months to earn their initial EMT licensure through our non-credit program and 11 months to earn their paramedic licensure.

The program can accommodate a total of 25 students per year and typically serves the entire Upper Cumberland area but attracts students from as far away as Lincoln County and the Oak Ridge area, Parker says.

“The commission commends your commitment to continuous quality improvement in education, as demonstrated by your participation in program accreditation,” says William J. Horgan, president of CAAHEP, in a letter to the university.