Department EMT Certification Course Starts Again for Second Summer

May 17, 2018

University of Arizona undergraduate students are spending their summer on campus learning how to be first responders.

The UA Department of Emergency Medicine is offering its Emergency Medical Technician Certification Course (EMD 197) again this summer, June 4-July 5. This is the second summer the department has offered the course to UA undergraduate students.

The EMT course prepares students for entry-level practice as an emergency medical technician. Individuals who complete the EMT training will be qualified to take the national registry exam for EMT. 

However, the four-credit course is not just for future healthcare providers. It is open to anyone interested in learning how to deliver basic medical care to others in an emergency. Current course participants are freshmen through seniors from Colleges of Medicine, Science, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Nursing, Letters, Arts and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Public Health, as well as from the community as non-degree seeking students.

“Through this training, students not only become eligible to become a registered EMT, but also have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to provide lifesaving care in any situation,” says Joshua Gaither, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine.

Previously, the course only was available through community colleges, explains Dr. Gaither, who co-teaches the course with Hans Bradshaw, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine.  Having the course on the UA campus makes it easier for UA students to incorporate the class in their schedule and provides a benefit for pre-med students who can get clinical experience early on in their education, he says.

Kristina Waters, program coordinator, says “The currently enrolled students are completely invested in the course. I get emails and phone calls daily from potential students and from fire department captains in the area, too.”

Many of the students use their EMT training to volunteer as first responders in the student-led University of Arizona Emergency Medical Services (UAEMS), responding to 911 calls on the UA campus.

“The knowledge and skill gained from the course provides a lifelong benefit to students and our community, whether the student chooses look for employment in the field of EMS or continues their education,” says Dr. Gaither.