Paramedic Information

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Oakton Community College
Enrollment Information
This is a limited enrollment program.

1. Meet the Prerequisites.

You must have:

• A current IDPH EMT-B License.
• EMT-B experience or 40 hours of ambulance ride time. Proper documentation of ride time must be included with application.
• A college-approved English course (equivalency of Oakton EGL 101) and math course (equivalency of Oakton MAT 102, MAT 114 or MAT 140), or take Oakton’s English, writing, and/or math assessment tests for course placement. Call the Testing Center at 847.635.1939 (Des Plaines) or 847.635.1446 (Skokie) for a schedule and information. Please plan ahead. It takes a week for test results to be available. Note: if you plan to take Oakton’s assessment tests, you must complete an Oakton application. Visit www.oakton.edu/admiss.

2. Complete the Application.

• Submit your application, with all entry requirements, by Friday, March 15. You may e-mail the application form to margaret.drag@advocatehealth.com. However, all supporting documentation must be mailed to or dropped off at:
  
  Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
  EMS Office
  8820 Dempster Street, Niles, IL  60714
  
  or
  
  Oakton Community College
  Division of Mathematics and Technologies Office
  1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines, IL  60016.
• Include a letter of good standing from your EMS provider and/or documentation of 30 hours (per year) of continuing education with course application.

3. Take the Written Exam and Practical Skills Assessment Test.

Testing will take place at Oakton’s Skokie Campus, Room P103, on Friday, March 22. Registration is from 8:30 – 9 a.m. Late applicants will be disqualified. Be prepared to stay late in the afternoon. Bring a photo ID and wear comfortable clothing and close-toed, close-heeled shoes. There will be no make-ups.

• Written exam: 150 multiple choice questions covering basic EMT-B knowledge. The exam begins at 9 a.m.; time limit: two and a half hours.
• Practical skills test: immediately follows the written exam and includes six stations: CPR/AED, patient assessment, primary survey, spinal immobilization, limb immobilization, and hare traction.

Your final standing (in each grouping) is based on your exam and test scores. Test results will be sent via e-mail the week of March 25.

4. Sit for an Oral Interview.

Applicants who pass the testing will take part in an oral interview. Appointment dates and times will be assigned the week of April 1. The interview, conducted by a panel of ALGH EMS staff, Oakton’s EMT chair, and possibly fire department personnel, will take place at ALGH’s EMS System office, 8820 Dempster Street, in Niles.  Review your application for the oral interview; the panel may ask questions based on your responses. Be prepared to speak about your character, why you want to be a paramedic, and future EMS plans. Your interview rating will place you into the appropriate group. Business attire is highly recommended.

5. Placement on the Eligibility List & Final Acceptance.

Successful applicants will be placed on the paramedic eligibility waiting list. Final acceptance into the program is based on exam and test scores, interview ratings, placement tests, and residence (within Oakton’s district versus out-of-district). The number of applicants accepted is based on the number of openings available to complete the infield evaluation on an ambulance by an ALGH preceptor.

Notification of final acceptance will be sent by April 8.

6. Meet the Final Conditions of Program Eligibility.

Those selected for participation will tentatively begin the course on April 29 (pending program approval). Students who haven’t already done so will complete an Oakton application on the first day of class. During the first few months of class, participants will be required to:

• Pass a background check.
• Pass a random urine/drug screen check.
• Submit verification of health insurance and a current physical exam.
• Submit results of blood titers for rubeolla, rubella, mumps, varicella, and hepatitis B; recent TB test; and recent tetanus and flu vaccinations.

Key Dates
March 15 – application due
March 22 – written examination and practical skills test
March 25 – test results announced (week of)
April 1 – assignment of interview dates and times (week of)
April 8 – final acceptance into the program
April 29 – tentative program start date


Questions? Call Peggy Drag (Lutheran General) at 847.723.5430 or Stanley Kimura (Oakton) at 847.635.1827.
 

For more information, contact Stanley Kimura, department chair, at 847.635.1827 or kimuras@oakton.edu.

*Pending approval from the Office of Academic Affairs