College expands programs

• By MARSHA SILLS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Oct 29, 2008 - Page: 1BA - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Twitter
• Social Media

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

South Louisiana Community College is expanding its educational services to Avoyelles Parish by offering health-care training in the area in partnership with Acadian Ambulance’s National EMS Academy.

This semester, SLCC began offering one course to students in Hessmer, a town outside of Marksville about 30 miles from Alexandria.

In January, the National EMS Academy will move from its Alexandria site to Hessmer and SLCC will expand its general education courses.

The academy was formed in 2003 in partnership with SLCC.

What’s different about the program is students can start working after their initial certification and continue their paramedic training and work toward their associate’s degree.

“In a typical college setting, the curriculum is frontloaded with general education courses,” Gifford Saravia, academy director, said.

“However, we frontloaded the EMT components to where a person after three months can go out in the workforce and make a living, if they continue on as a paramedic it takes a year, then the general ed courses can be done.

“It allows them to work full time and go to school.”

The academy offers emergency medical technician basic and paramedic training and is headquartered in Lafayette.

The academy’s other sites include: Baton Rouge, Chalmette, Covington, Gretna, Houma, Lake Charles and Austin and Orange, Texas.

SLCC’s move into Avoyelles was in response to a request from the community, Annette Accomando, SLCC dean of instruction and effectiveness, said.

Health care was identified as a need in the area and the partnership with Acadian Ambulance made the move sensible, according to Accomando.

The community also offered a school building to the college at no cost, she said.