Would you like to save lives on a regular basis? Ever wanted to be a firefighter? Maybe you’re always the level-headed one in an emergency.
If you’re interested in a fast paced, life-saving career, you should consider the Emergency Medical Services Technology Certificate at San José City College. It prepares you to become a qualified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in just one year.
During the greatest health crisis in history, medical professionals are more in demand than ever. From bilingual doctors, to nurses, to EMTs — as a society, now more than ever, we know the value of healthcare workers. And as California wildfires become more lethal each year, we have a serious need for EMT certified firefighters.
Here’s everything you need to know about EMT training at SJCC.
What is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)?
According to the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), Emergency Medical Technicians “provide out of hospital emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients.” If you’ve ever been in an ambulance, they’re basically the team riding along with you.
“EMTs have the basic knowledge and skills necessary to stabilize and safely transport patients ranging from non-emergency and routine medical transports to life threatening emergencies.” The NREMT says.
This sort of life-saving medical care originally emerged in France during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, but it was modernized in the 1960s thanks to public interest and policy reform which hoped to reduce mortality rates caused by heart disease, stroke, and traffic accidents.
A day in the life of an EMT isn’t easy, but it’s certainly rewarding.
“The EMS program has made a huge impact on my life.”
Sarah Day, former EMS student
6 Reasons to Get Your EMT Certificate
If you’re on the fence about becoming an Emergency Medical Technician, here are a few perks that might convince you.
Launch Your Medical Career
If you’re interested in a career in medicine but you want to start working right away, this is a fantastic option. Starting off as an EMT is a great way to transition academically and professionally into medicine.
Become an EMT in a year, and then pursue additional medical training if you’d like to continue growing. There are three levels of EMT certification — EMT Basic (EMT-B), EMT Intermediate (EMT-I) and EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P). For EMTs, there’s very real potential for growth.
And if you’d still like to go further, you can consider nursing, or even a career as a physician.
Help Your Community
We can’t stress enough how important EMTs are. It’s a challenging job, but it’s one of the most important. As an EMT, you’d save lives in your own community, so you could go to work everyday proud of what you do.
Learn on a Team
EMTs work in a fast paced setting with lots of different medical professionals and first responders. You’d work most closely with the other EMTs and paramedics in your ambulance, but you’d also collaborate regularly with firefighters, police, nurses, and emergency room doctors.
Learning to collaborate under pressure is an advantage in itself, but with so many qualified individuals around you, you’re sure to learn a ton on the job.
Explore Diverse Career Opportunities
As an EMT, you’ll get nothing but hands on experience. And the great thing about this very real-world training is that it can help you decide whether you want to stay on the medical side of things, or take a different route.
Since becoming an EMT only takes a year, who won’t feel bad if you decide to make a drastic shift. (Unlike someone who commits early on to become a doctor and realizes 5 years in that they’re not cut out for it.)
Become a Firefighter
On the off chance that you decide being an EMT isn’t for you, you may be inspired by some other first responder jobs you come across in your day to day as an EMT.
In fact, about 90% of fire departments require EMT certification for firefighters, so this could also be a path you take from the start, or something you decide to switch to later on.
Enjoy Job Stability
If you choose to pursue a job as an EMT, you are near guaranteed to get hired.
The proof? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that EMT positions are increasing by 6% each year. This is a higher rate of growth than the median for all other jobs.
The bottom line is that there will always be emergencies and demand in healthcare. So if you choose to become an EMT, you’ll never have to worry about job scarcity.
“100% of them will get a job, if they want a job.”
Scott Miller, EMS Instructor at SJCC
SJCC’s EMT Training Will Guarantee You Reach Your Goals
When people think of San José City College, they think of careers, because that’s what we offer. And becoming an EMT is a smart choice for your career. We want to see you achieve your goals and thrive in your new work environment, and our Emergency Medical Services Program will help you do just that.
“The EMS program has made a huge impact on my life.” Said former EMS student, Sarah Day. “This program was the exact program I needed, for me to succeed.”
Now let’s see just how SJCC helps students like Day achieve their goals, and what makes SJCC one of the best bay area community colleges for EMT training.
Get Hands On EMT Experience
At SJCC, we’re proud to give our students one of the most engaging and interactive experiences a community college (or any college) can offer. Our brilliant EMS instructors are committed to teaching students how to overcome real-world challenges before they ever leave the classroom.
“The other programs that I heard about weren’t as hands on. That part really just caught my eye.” Day said.
If you decide to get your EMT certificate at SJCC, you’ll be required to complete extensive lab hours that prepare you for real medical emergencies like wound management, emergency birth, CPR, and more.
EMS Instructor, Scott Miller said, “They’re not just sitting there looking at a board. We like to incorporate the latest technologies.” Our EMS program even invested in an EVOC simulator, which gives students the opportunity to see what driving an ambulance in the field is like.
Blended On Campus and EMT Training Online
As many bay area community colleges continue to navigate the obstacles caused by COVID-19, SJCC has found a convenient solution for our EMS program.
Instead of fully online EMT courses, we are offering distance learning for lectures, but we have maintained in-person labs on campus. So now you can go to EMT school in the most convenient way possible. These hybrid courses will certainly appeal to lots of busy yet ambitious EMT hopefuls.
SJCC’s EMT Courses Are for Everyone
If you already know that you’d like to become an EMT, you should be confident in this career choice. And if you complete the Emergency Medical Services Program at SJCC, you can be sure that you’ll be prepared to take the state and national level EMT exams within a year.
But lots of folks may find themselves Googling “EMT classes near me” for other reasons. Of course, aspiring firefighters, but many other safety professionals may be interested in our EMT courses as well.
If you’re a lifeguard, police officer, or even a security guard, you may also want to brush up on your emergency responder skills. And at SJCC, we welcome everyone. Just be sure to check our prerequisites for the specific courses you’d like to take.
And for more details on the EMT certification process check out the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).
“This program was the exact program I needed, for me to succeed.”
Sarah Day
Get Your EMT Certificate at SJCC and Make a Difference in Your Community
Whether you’re certain about becoming a long-term EMT, or you’d like to test the waters and launch your medical career, SJCC is sure to lead you to a bright future as an emergency responder.
If you’re interested in having the ultimate positive impact in your community (saving lives), check out our Emergency Medical Services Program today. Or take a look at our other medical career programs like medical assisting, dental assisting, or kinesiology.
3 thoughts on “Start Your Medical Career with an EMT Certificate”