EMT-Paramedic

Becoming a Florida Paramedic

National Registered EMT Deciding to enroll at the Coral Springs Regional Institute of Public Safety to pursue your dream of becoming a Paramedic in the State of Florida is a huge step. It can be an overwhelming journey if not planned out properly.

The EMT-Paramedic program at CSRIPS is designed to prepare Paramedics who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession. In Florida, many fire departments—especially in highly competitive regions like Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties—require applicants to be certified Firefighter/Paramedics. Earning your Paramedic certification not only expands your career opportunities but also gives you the ability to provide advanced life support in high-pressure situations. Through our comprehensive training and national-approved curriculum, you’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to become a confident and capable Paramedic in Florida.

Certified EMT-Paramedic Functional Job Description Video Coming Soon!

Paramedic Program with Outcomes

CAAHEP-accredited Paramedic educational programs track and report outcome measures annually to the Committee on Accreditation for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

The most current CoAEMSP Annual Report was for the calendar year 2023.

Outcome	2023	2022	2021
Retention	77.8 %	84.6 %	73.1 %
NREMT or State cognitive exam	85.5 %	62.8 %	84.4 %
Placement	82.1 %	79.5 %	82.3 %

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

Please read this carefully:
Only Candidates that have a fully completed application, including application fee, will proceed in the application process. If your application is not complete in any way, your application will not be reviewed and will not be accepted.

Class Sessions and Tuition & Fees

Winter

Winter 2026 registration has concluded, please see the below semesters for upcoming registration information.

Spring

Wednesday Class – Start Date: May 20

Open House: TBA

Registration: Feb 23 – 27

Notification: Week of March 2

Tuition Due: March 6

Transfer/Drop: May 20 - 26

Tuition & fees due with late registration application

Summer

There are no EMT-Paramedic class offerings for this semester.

Tuition & Fees

2025 – 2026 (Effective for all classes with a class start date of October 1, 2025 and beyond)

Tuition: $8,116.00
Application Fee: $50.00
Deposit Fee: $100.00
L&M Fee: $750.00
Facility Fee: $45.00 per semester

Tuition & Payment Options

External Expenses

The following estimated fees are paid directly to the vendor (not CSRIPS) prior to class beginning. Prices should be verified with the vendor.

Books: approx. $785.96 (Book information will be provided after registration closes. Do NOT purchase prior to receiving the email from CSRIPS.)
American Data Bank (Broward Hospital): $183.00. Includes Broward Hospital, Drug Screening and Level 2 Background Check (scheduling fee may apply).
InUnison (uniform package): $40.00

Upon successful completion of the program, the following estimated fees are paid directly to the vendor (not CSRIPS) to take the state exam and become licensed.

Written exam fee (testing center): $175.00
State licensing fee: $45.00

Class Dates & Times

1110 Hours

Class Schedules

14 Month (Day)

Class is one (1) time per week

Either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday (depending on registration)
9 A.M. – 6 P.M.
Approximately 62 weeks

12 Month (Night)

Class is three (3) times per week

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
6 P.M. – 10 P.M.
Approximately 52 weeks

Externships

Clinical Rotations

200 hours
Day & Evening slots available
Scheduled based on availability

Field Rotations

360 hours
Monday – Saturday slots
Scheduled based on availability

Steps To Become a CSRIPS Student

The tabs below are important! Each one lays out information for you to help prepare for not only the class but also for the application process. Be sure you read each step carefully. Be advised that some steps may take longer to prepare for.

Open House

While attending an Open house is not mandatory, we highly recommend it.

You may attend either the in-person Open House or the virtual option. Each one has it's benefits and you get to select which one is best for you.

Attend the In-Person or Online Open House

Gather Documents & Complete Prerequisites

Please utilize our checklist for all required documents and prerequisites.

BLS

Image of Sample BLS Certification

Students must upload, at time of Step 2 application submission, either:

a BLS Healthcare Provider Certificate from CSRIPS; OR
proof of registration in a CSRIPS BLS Healthcare Provider class.

Should the student not upload proof of registration or completion, their application will be considered “incomplete” and the student will be withdrawn from the application process.

Cards from other organizations will not be accepted. *If you are a working EMT or Firefighter, please contact us.

If you currently have a BLS Healthcare Provider card from CSRIPS and it expires during the Paramedic class, you have 2 options.

If the card expires during the first 4 months of class, please register for a CSRIPS BLS Healthcare Provider class prior to your Paramedic class beginning.
If the card expires after the first 4 months, you will need to register and successfully complete a CSRIPS BLS Healthcare Provider class prior to your card expiring.

Already taken a class? Claim your card.

Transcripts

Official high school transcripts must be submitted to the Admissions Office proving a standard high school diploma, GED, or validated foreign equivalent. (Transcripts are considered official if sent directly to CSRIPS from the previous institution or are delivered in a sealed envelope, sealed by the issuing institution).

Transcripts must be received by CSRIPS prior to the end of registration.

How to send CSRIPS your Transcripts

Documents

Required

In order for your application to be submitted for review, you must complete all of the required information and upload during the application enrollment period. This is a first come first serve process so in order to increase your chances of being accepted, you are strongly encouraged to have all information ready when you begin your application. Below is everything you will need to have on hand for the application. You will need to have a PDF or JPEG for certain file uploads. Files uploaded in HEIC format cannot be viewed on our system.

Social Security Number
Official Transcripts
Proof of Age; Driver’s License or birth certificate (JPEG or PDF)
FireTRAQ (formerly FCDICE) Number (instructions listed below)
Medical Insurance Card
CSRIPS BLS Healthcare Provider Card
EMS Physical History & Exam Form
VA Information (if applicable; JPEG or PDF)
IEP Information (if applicable; JPEG or PDF)

*Medical information is collected by Broward Health during the Complio registration for the clinical requirement.

**Applicants are required to complete and submit the Medical History and Physical Examination Form. Be sure to verify that all signatures and required fields are completed before submitting the form. Upload pages 1 through 4 of the completed form into the application. If your submission is accepted, you will then need to follow further instructions to upload page 5 and any related vaccination documentation to your Complio account. Please review the Special Requirements outlined in the Program Catalog and Student Reference Guide. The Physical History & Exam form must be completed within 6 months of the first day of class to be accepted during registration.

Get your FireTRAQ # EMS Physical Exam & Medical History Form(PDF, 406KB)

Optional

CSRIPS implements a point-based selection system designed to assist in determining which applicants will be admitted into the EMT-Basic, Paramedic or Firefighter I&II (limited access) Programs. Our goal is to select applicants that will have the best opportunity to successfully complete our Programs and achieve Industry Certification/Employment.

Information reviewed for points:

Highest level of education completed (transcript or diploma required)
Member in Good Standing of a Fire Explorer Program (letter required)
Certificate of Completion from a CSRIPS EMT, Paramedic or Firefighter I&II Program (documentation required)
National/State Certified EMT or Paramedic (national or state license required)
Honorably Discharged Veteran (DD214 required)
Legacy and Residence (up to 3 per application):
1. City of Coral Springs/Parkland Employee, CSRIPS Intern
  (self/spouse/dependent/sibling – documentation required)
2. Current First Responder (Non-CSPFD) – Firefighter/Police Officer/ Medical
  (self/spouse/dependent/sibling –documentation required)
3. CSRIPS EMT, Fire or Paramedic Alumni Dependent/Spouse (documentation required)
4. Established Resident of Coral Springs or Parkland (documentation required)
5. Recommendation Form from a current Fire Department Chief or Deputy Chief along with a Release of Information Form (provided below)

If an applicant does not have any of the additional documentation listed above, there is still a chance to be accepted into the applied program based on the overall applicant pool of that current registration.

Fire Chief Recommendation Form(PDF, 331KB)

Release of Information Form (required for Fire Chief recommendation)(PDF, 225KB)

Application Process

Application

The application process is now a 1 step process:

During the registration window, click the application link to begin.
Students must enter the primary email address associated with their account.
- Once the system verifies the student’s email and first and last name, the application will close and a personalized continuation link will be sent via email.
- Students without a MyCSRIPS account will receive their username and password by email after submitting the application.
Some fields may be pre-filled using information from the applicant’s MyCSRIPS account and profile. Applicants are responsible for reviewing and updating this information.
Applicants must complete all sections of the application and upload all required documents.
After submission, applicants will be prompted to select their intended registration class.
The final step is submitting payment of the application fee.
Applications will not be reviewed unless payment is successfully submitted.

Our application is submitted entirely online.

Notification

Each term has a notification period. You will be notified about your status during the notification period via email.

Conditionally Accepted
1. Complete instructions on acceptance letter
2. Pay the Lab & Materials fee on MyCSRIPS invoice
3. Accept Student Enrollment Agreement within MyCSRIPS record
4. Pay tuition
Alternate List
1. If there are more qualified applicants than seats available in the current class offering, those applications not initially selected will remain on the list as an Alternate and will only be chosen to fill the remaining spots in the event one becomes available before the start of the Program. The Points-based system will be used to determine who receives placement within a class in this situation.
  Once the Program starts, the remaining applicants will have to reapply for future class offerings.
Denied
1. Reapply next registration period

Pre-Course Work

After conditional acceptance, before first day of class.

Tasks

What Comes Next?

Once conditionally accepted, students will be given pre-course work to complete before day 1 of their program. Some examples of pre-course work are:

Purchasing uniform
Purchasing textbooks
Completing screening (drug and background) requirements
Attending mandatory meetings (Externship meetings)
Corresponding with the Lead Instructor
ETC.

These instructions and requirements will be provided during notification week and only to conditionally accepted students. Failure to complete or participate in any required component by the specified deadline may result in dismissal from the program.

Screenings

After registration, candidates must complete required screenings via Complio. Students who have not completed all Complio requirements prior to the start of class will have their Conditional Acceptance Offer revoked.

Background Checks

Background checks are a hospital requirement for all clinical rotations and must be completed after conditional acceptance. Should you have any arrests or convictions, please contact the office to discuss your situation.

The hospitals mandate that each student pass the same background check as hospital employees; a Level 2 background check.

Level 1 generally refers to a state only name based check AND an employment history check.
Level 2 generally refers to a state and national fingerprint based check and consideration of disqualifying offenses, and applies to those designated by law as holding positions of responsibility or trust. Typically, a Level 2 Background Check covers search of fingerprint-based information, national criminal history records, as well as county criminal records.

For a list of our current field and clinical sites, please click here.

Drug Screening

The 10 panel drug screening is also a hospital requirement for all clinical rotations and must be completed after conditional acceptance. Should you have any questions about the drug screening process, please contact the office for more information.