Paramedic Education Program

About Us

Welcome to the Paramedic Education Program. The program has a longstanding commitment to providing exceptional pre-hospital care to Summit County and its surrounding areas since 1976. The program has proudly produced over 1,400 skilled paramedics. Throughout the program, students will accumulate nearly 1,000 hours of didactic, clinical, and field internship experience. The program may occasionally schedule full or partial days of class during the program outside of normal class time. This is typically for specific courses such as ACLS, PALS, and ITLS. Required dates will be communicated during the first week of the course when/if required. It's important to allocate at least 25-35 hours per week for class time, studying, clinical rotations, and field internships.

The Paramedic Education Program offers courses at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Campus and Wayne County through our partnership with The University of Akron Wayne College.

The Akron General course is offered as a daytime program each Fall beginning in late August and ending in late May, providing a comprehensive ten-month curriculum. The daytime course runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

The Wayne Paramedic satellite course is taught at the University of Akron Wayne College, located in Orrville, Ohio. It is offered as an evening course each Spring, starting in January and ending in October, providing a comprehensive ten-month curriculum. The Wayne Paramedic course runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with lab sessions replacing lectures.

Accredited by the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Education Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP), the program stands as a pioneer in Ohio, being the first hospital-based program in the state and the 72nd nationwide to achieve CAAHEP National Certification in 1991.

An articulation agreement has been established between Cleveland Clinic Akron General and The University of Akron's College of Health and Human Sciences. This agreement allows eligible paramedic graduates to transfer thirty academic credit hours towards an Associate of Applied Science in Emergency Medical Services Technology Degree. This opportunity is open to all program graduates from 1985 onwards. Paramedic courses are featured within the University of Akron's course offerings.

Accreditation

The Paramedic Education Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
727.210.2350 

To contact CoAEMSP:
214.703.8445

The Paramedic Education Program is accredited by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

Ohio Department of Public Safety
1970 W Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43223
844.644.6268

Mission

To provide initial education to emergency medical service professionals, to create competent entry-level providers, and to further the mission of Cleveland Clinic.

Objectives 

The goal of the Paramedic Education Program is to:

1. Prepare competent entry-level paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical Responder levels.
2. Prepare students to pass the written and practical National Registry examinations at the Paramedic level.
3. Provide competent, confident, and independent thinking paramedics for the communities they serve.

Contact information  

Hugh Dodd, MSN, RN, EMT-P, FESI
Program Director
Akron General
1 Akron General Avenue
Akron, OH 44307
EMSPrograms@ccf.org
330.344.6504

Admissions

In addition to program-specific admissions requirements and procedures, applicants are encouraged to review requirements and disclosures outlined on the School of Health Professions’ Admissions & Enrollment page.

School of Health Professions catalog

Additional information can be found in the School Catalog, including school-wide policies and procedures, program-specific information, and course descriptions.

• View the School Catalog

Application process

Akron General cohort

The Paramedic Education Program at Akron General begins accepting applications December 31. The application deadline each year is May 1 to be considered for the Fall Semester start date. Please select ‘Fall 20XX’ in the ‘Anticipated Starting Semester’ field of the application.

• Apply now

University of Akron Wayne College cohort

The Paramedic Education Program at the University of Akron Wayne College begins accepting applications June 1. The application deadline each year is October 31 to be considered for the Spring Semester start date. Please select ‘Spring 20XX’ in the ‘Anticipated Starting Semester’ field of the application.

Please note, if the application window of the Paramedic Education Program is closed it will not appear in the ‘Program of Interest’ list within the application. Applicants will only be able to submit their application when the application window is open.

• Apply now

Prior to submitting an application, it is recommended that applicants review the admissions-related information and requirements linked below for the academic year in which they wish to apply. The links include information on the following:

• Technical standards
• Admissions requirements, including prerequisites
• Conditional admittance
• Required admissions documents
• Required enrollment documents

Admission/enrollment overview

• Information when applying for the 2025-2026 academic year
• Information when applying for the 2026-2027 academic year

*Academic years fall between July 1, 20XX through June 30, 20XX of the following year. 

Example: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Admission related documents

• Paramedic Education Supplemental Application

Enrollment related documents

• Hepatitis B vaccination/titer waiver

Liability insurance

Students enrolled in the Cleveland Clinic School of Health Professions are covered under Cleveland Clinic’s general liability insurance when participating in activities that constitute a part of their educational program.

• Learn more about liability insurance

Articulation agreements

The Paramedic Education program is offered under the sole sponsorship of Cleveland Clinic. However, students who meet specific articulation criteria may be eligible to apply credits earned in the program to academic programs at other institutions with which articulation agreements exist. Acceptance of transfer credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution and is not guaranteed. Students are encouraged to contact the receiving institution directly to confirm eligibility and acceptance of coursework.

The following institutions currently have articulation agreements in place with this program:

• University of Akron
  Akron, Ohio

Tuition & Fees

Tuition for the Paramedic Education Program is $6,600. Students are responsible for purchasing a textbook and access to Platinum Planner. Tuition can be paid in three equal installments of $2,200. Instructions on how to make payments via the Campus Café are provided during the application process.

Tuition payments for the Akron General course are due in the following months:

• August (first day of class) - $2,200
• December or January - $2,200
• February or March - $2,200

Tuition payments for Wayne Paramedic satellite course are due in the following months:

• January (first night of class) - $2,200
• May - $2,200
• August- $2,200

Cost of attendance

The cost of attendance for the Paramedic Education Program is a budget comprised of direct and indirect costs. Tuition is a direct cost charged by the program. All others are indirect costs that a student may incur during the course of the program and is not paid to the program. These costs are subject to change.

Tuition refund policy

The Paramedic Education Program issues refunds for tuition and other fees for eligible applicants and students as outlined in the School of Health Professions’ Tuition Refund Policy.

• Read the full tuition refund policy

Graduate Information

Transcript requests

Information regarding how to request official transcripts can be found on the School of Health Professions’ Records page.

Graduation requirements

All students must meet the following criteria for graduation:

• Pass all portions of the program’s written exams
• Pass all portions of the program’s practical exam
• Complete all clinical/ field requirements and required documentation
• Overall grade average of 75% or higher in all phases of the program

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward graduation will be evaluated after the completion of each term of the program. Failure to maintain SAP may result in the student being dismissed from the program.

• School of Health Professions SAP Policy

Program Outcomes

National Registry CBT Exam

National Registry Psychomotor Exam

Attrition/Retention

Positive Placement

• View academic year-based program outcomes

Curriculum

Academic calendars

• Akron General - 2025-2026
• University of Akron Wayne College - 2025-2026

• Curriculum outline
• Course descriptions

Paramedic skillset

As a paramedic, training will encompass a broader range of skills in addition to those students possess as an EMT. These include:

Advanced Airway Management

• Performing oral endotracheal intubation
• Conducting nasal endotracheal intubation
• Executing percutaneous cricothyroidotomy
• Applying continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
• Administering needle decompression
• Operating a transport ventilator

Pharmacological Interventions

• Establishing intravenous access (IV)
• Utilizing intraosseous access (IO)
• Administering intramuscular injections (IM)
• Delivering subcutaneous injections (SC)
• Implementing sublingual administration (SL)
• Proficiently administering over 30 medications via IV, IO, or IM/SC

Medical/Cardiac Care

• Placing and interpreting electrocardiograms (ECG)
• Performing synchronized cardioversion
• Conducting manual defibrillation
• Utilizing transcutaneous pacing
• Conducting comprehensive medical and trauma patient assessments

For any further inquiries, please contact the Paramedic Education office at 330.344.6655.

Additional Information

Meet Our Administrative Team

Amy Raubenolt, MD, MEd, MPH
Medical Director

Dr. Raubenolt joined the program as Medical Director in 2015. She spent nine years as a volunteer EMT-I in rural Ohio, which prompted her to change careers from teaching to medicine. Dr. Raubenolt has a Bachelor's and Master’s degree in Education from Bowling Green State University and obtained a Master’s in Public Health and medical degree at The Ohio State University. After graduating from medical school at Ohio State, Dr. Raubenolt completed her Emergency Medicine residency and EMS Fellowship at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she served as a medical control physician for the Kalamazoo County Medical Control Authority. Dr. Raubenolt is currently the EMS Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Akron Fire Department, Stow Fire Department and the Akron Fire/Police TEMS/SWAT team.

Hugh has more than 25 years of EMS experience, which began when he volunteered for his local fire department in Kirkland, WA and completed his EMT in 1998.  Moving to Maine in 2002, he completed his EMT-I in 2003, and his Paramedic in 2004 while working in hospital-based EMS.  Hugh attended the Paramedic to RN bridge program at Stark State, receiving his nursing license in 2012.  His nursing experience includes ICU, CCU, ER and Nursing Supervision.  He completed a Master of Science in Nursing degree in 2021.  Hugh also served as the Coordinator for EMS and Safety at Lodi Hospital for 5 years, which included training and work in Emergency Management.  He joined the program in June of 2024 serving as Manager.  He took on the role of Program Director in April of 2025.

Manager, EMS Education - Open
EMSPrograms@ccf.org
330.344.6655

Jeremy Albert
Clinical Program Coordinator
albertj7@ccf.org
330.344.6655

Whitney LaBillois, NREMT
Administrative Program Coordinator
labillw@ccf.org
330.344.6507

Cheryl Hardin
Administrative Assistant
hardinc4@ccf.org
330.344.6655