Gateway EMS program receives national accreditation

Published on Jan 31, 2017

Gateway Community & Technical College Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-Paramedic program was awarded national accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The accreditation process involves meeting nationally established accreditation standards, peer review and approval by the CAAHEP Board of Directors. CAAHEP president, Thomas K. Skalko, PhD, commended Gateway for its “commitment to continuous quality improvement in education.”

“I applaud our faculty for their diligent work to earn this national accreditation,” said Dr. Fernando Figueroa, president, Gateway Community & Technical College. “Not only is our faculty award winning, but they also continuously strive to offer our students the most relevant instruction and experience, preparing them to enter the workforce.”

Gateway is one of only six institutions in Kentucky to have this  programmatic accreditation. The standards by which these programs are measured are developed by the professionals in the discipline and exemplify what it takes to be successful in that profession. Not all professions require this type of accreditation, but it is particularly important in health-related fields to protect the public by providing well-prepared, qualified workforce.

Programs such as EMS must be accredited or hold a Letter of Review so students who complete the program may take the National Registry certification test.  Without one of these approvals, students may not test or become certified paramedics.  The Gateway EMT program held the Letter of Review prior to becoming fully accredited.  

"Accreditation shows future EMS students and the public at large that our paramedic program is sound and has met certain standards for excellence,” said Dawn Bloemer, Gateway Paramedic & EMT Program Coordinator. “This is especially important right now when we have a shortage of paramedics in the Northern Kentucky area and have very few colleges or higher education institutions qualified to train our paramedics.  We have worked very hard to obtain this accreditation and want to deliver the best-educated paramedics to our communities.”

For more information about the Emergency Medical Services program at Gateway contact program coordinator, Dawn Bloemer Bloemer, DBLOEMER0001@kctcs.edu (859) 442-1151.