IECC and Wabash General Hospital celebrate new paramedic program, first student cohort this fall

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges and Wabash General Hospital have announced that their joint paramedic education initiative has received a significant endorsement.

The program recently earned a Letter of Review from the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions, officially greenlighting enrollment for the inaugural class this fall.

Following an intensive and successful site evaluation conducted by CoAEMSP on June 12, the Frontier Community College Paramedic Education Program is now authorized to enroll students, marking over two years of dedicated planning, partnership, and preparation. Classes will be held at the WGH EMS Education Building in Mt. Carmel.

The strategic partnership harnesses IECC's educational excellence and Wabash General Hospital's clinical expertise, ensuring that students gain real-world experience in top-notch facilities, both in classrooms and in clinical settings.

The CoAEMSP Letter of Review indicates the program's substantial compliance with rigorous national standards. While full accreditation remains a future goal, this milestone enables program graduates to sit for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Paramedic certification examination.

"Our commitment to excellence and graduate readiness is really at the heart of our new Paramedic Certificate Program. This program would not have been possible without the incredible partnership of Wabash General Hospital. By leveraging IECC's academic strength and WGH's healthcare expertise, we've built a program that will truly prepare students to serve their communities with skill, confidence, and compassion from day one." - Sharmilla Kakac

Program Highlights Include:

· Extensive classroom instruction paired with comprehensive laboratory, clinical, and field internship experiences

· State-of-the-art simulation labs

· Highly experienced faculty and professional medical oversight

· Clear career pathways in emergency medical services

· Valuable clinical placement opportunities through robust community partnerships

The program will begin accepting applications for its first cohort starting now, with courses set to commence in Fall 2025. After graduating its initial cohort, the program will seek full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

"This has been a project we have worked on for a few years to get approved, and we really appreciate IECC working with us. We are very excited to be able to offer a paramedic class in Mt. Carmel to produce highly skilled and highly competent paramedics. Our goal is to have the paramedics completing our program become the best of the best to serve our rural area." - Jeana Trimble, Director of Paramedic Education Program Media Contacts: IECC Contact Information - Chris Forde (fordec@iecc.edu) WGH Contact Information - Danielle Stevens (dstevens@wabashgeneral.com)

The IECC-Frontier Paramedic Education Program has received a Letter of Review from the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). This is not a CAAHEP accreditation status but indicates that the program meets sufficient standards for initial accreditation and eligibility for graduates to take the NREMT Paramedic credentialing exams. It does not guarantee eventual accreditation.