An emergency medical technician (EMT) is an emergency responder trained to provide emergency medical services (EMS) to the critically ill or injured. Once thought of as ambulance drivers or ambulance attendants, the modern EMT performs many more duties than in the past and responds to many types of emergency calls, including medical emergencies, hazardous materials exposures, childbirth, fires, rescues, trauma, and psychiatric emergencies.
EMTs are volunteers or paid professionals working in commercial, volunteer or governmental emergency medical services. EMTs are trained in entry level emergency medical care with the critical skills necessary for rapid response, initial patient assessment, initial patient treatment, patient immobilization, patient extrication and movement and transportation. The goals of EMT interventions are to rapidly evaluate a patient’s condition, maintain an adequate airway, breathing and circulation.
Yale New Haven Hospital Center for EMS Emergency Medical Technician Certification Course is about 210 hours and is approved by the State of Connecticut Office of Emergency Medical Services. The comprehensive program is designed as an entry level program to train the layperson to be a proficient EMT based on the national educational standards. About half of the program is delivered in a standard lecture format while the other half is spent performing practical exercises and hands on skills training in order to develop a good foundation of knowledge and be able to provide the practical application of that knowledge base.
The EMT Program offers a one of a kind Extrication Day. This is an all-day, multi-agency event which takes place on a Sunday during the program and involves real life scenarios such as bus crashes, active shooter events and transfer of care to flight crews. The EMT Program also offers 16 hours of clinical experience at the emergency rooms of both Yale New Haven Hospital campuses as well as 16 hours of field internship on the ambulances and fire rescues of American Medical Response New Haven, New Haven Fire Department, East Haven Fire Department, North Haven Fire Department and West Haven Fire Department.
Our EMT program is the only program in the state to have an in classroom ambulance simulator for hands on training as well as a mock roadway simulator with vehicle to train in real life scenarios. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) examination as required by the State of Connecticut for initial certification. The Center for EMS offers a direct entry pathway to the Paramedic Program with EMT level clinical in order to gain experience.
The Center for EMS Paramedic Program is a 20-month State of Connecticut approved educational program and is based on the 1999 National Standard Curriculum for Paramedic Training and the 2009 National Educational Standards document of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The program is nationally accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions and Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
We offer a comprehensive entrance assessment which allows us to identify potential problem areas in learning so we are better equipped to assist our students. The program offers a BLS clinical component for the direct entry candidate or the lesser experience EMT wishing to further their education. The course hours consist of a minimum of 780 hours of didactic and lab, 500 hours for hospital clinical rotations and 200 hours field internship. The Paramedic Program is the only program in the state with clinical rotations at both Yale Campuses as well as the Yale School of Medicine Cadaver Lab. Clinical and field rotations are based on objectives accomplished, not only contact hours. Our paramedic program is the only program in the state to have an in classroom ambulance simulator for hands on training as well as a mock roadway simulator with vehicle to train in real life scenarios.
The Paramedic Program is broken in to Paramedicine Units I to V. During each unit the student will cover specific topics with correlated practical and simulation training as well as clinical rotations. During simulations students will work with fully functional SIM mannequins which allow for full patient interaction, students will also have the capability to work with live programed patients as well. The classroom, practical, simulation and clinical portions of the program are conducted throughout Paramedicine I to Paramedicine IV. During Paramedicine V the student will finish any remaining clinical rotations and enter into field internship.
The program is taught by various instructors chosen for their knowledge, experience and teaching abilities. Faculty for the Paramedic Program is made up of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, paramedics and other allied health professionals based on their subject matter expertise. These instructors are from Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine and EMS providers from throughout the region, the state and the country. Upon completion of the Paramedic Program, the students are well prepared for the National Registry Paramedic examination, which must be passed in order to receive a State of Connecticut and most other state licenses.
Yale New Haven Hospital Center for EMS promotes the realization of equal opportunity though the adoption of specific practices designed to ensure that opportunity is equally available without discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or personal beliefs.
