#LFD developed the paramedic orientation program in 2013 to prepare paramedics for standalone status in Polk County. The purpose was to improve the quality of existing training conducted outside of our department and manage the number of paramedics as we grew our advanced life support (ALS) program.
The Paramedic Orientation Program consists of 120 hours of lecture, skills development, and scenario-based training. We have partnerships with Lakeland Regional Health, Polk State College, and NOVA Southeastern University, who provide talented medical professionals to teach our paramedic interns during the program. Some of the various medical professionals may include pharmacologists, trauma surgeons, anesthesiology assistants, and nurses.
The program also includes a minimum of 240 hours of ALS ride time with our busiest units. We have field training officers (FTOs) evaluate each paramedic intern during their ride time. The FTOs are responsible for blending the program learning into the field experience. FTOs document paramedic intern progress and recommend moving forward or extending the program ride hours. This is done to ensure that our paramedics are confident and ready to meet the challenges of practicing emergency medicine.
The program then concludes with an interview panel consisting of our Medical Director, Rescue Captain(s), FTO, and the Rescue Chief. This panel interview determines a paramedic intern’s operational readiness by evaluating and reviewing the program documentation, field experiences, and dialogue from the interview process. We also distribute a program evaluation to our paramedic interns and FTOs, providing the constructive feedback we need to make program adjustments each year.
The Lakeland Fire Department has shared this program with other agencies that have adopted it for their organizations. We are proud of the program’s success and continue to fight to maintain the quality of each class.
Current paramedic interns Jim Craw and Zachary Tiebout are enrolled in the orientation program and are set to be practicing paramedics this month. #LakelandFD