Emergency Medical Technician, Certificate

Certificate

The mission of the MCCC Emergency Medical Technician Program is to prepare students to provide competent care for patients in emergency situations through a comprehensive program of two courses that include learning in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical environments. The goal of the Monroe County Community College’s EMT program is to prepare EMTs who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession. The program emphasizes effective communication, critical thinking, safety, and ethical and legal practices, preparing graduates with the knowledge and skills to provide care in traumatic and medical emergencies.

Program Outcomes

A. Accurately assess and adequately treat an emergency medical patient

B. Accurately assess and properly treat an emergency trauma patient

C. Develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills used in emergency situations.       

D. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills 

E. Demonstrate professionalism in a variety of emergency and non-emergency situations .

Emergency Medical Technicians provide out-of-hospital emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical services (EMS) system. EMTs have the basic knowledge and skills to stabilize and safely transport patients, ranging from non-emergency and routine medical transports to life-threatening emergencies. Emergency Medical Technicians are part of a comprehensive EMS response system under medical oversight. Emergency Medical Technicians perform interventions with the basic equipment typically found on an ambulance. Emergency Medical Technicians are a critical link between the scene of an emergency and the health care system.

[From: National EMS Scope of Practice Model]

The EMT certificate program consists of two classes. EMS 151 Basic EMT I is a six-credit hour course that provides the foundation for a career in prehospital emergency medicine and the first set of skills required to be an EMT-B, including airway management with oxygen therapy patient assessment and treatment of medical complaints. EMS 152 Basic EMT II is a six-credit hour course that presents trauma scenarios commonly encountered in the pre-hospital setting along with other common emergency calls and expose students to injuries associated with traumatic events and scene operations. It also includes the clinical field experience rotation. After they complete lecture and laboratory tasks in both courses and the seventy-two-hour clinical rotations, students will be eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician examination to become certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and eligible for licensing in many states, including Michigan and Ohio.

Students admitted to the program must consent to a background/security check, including a criminal background check and drug screening. The student may be responsible for any cost associated with the background/security/drug screening checks. Certain criminal convictions may render a student ineligible for state licensure. The college will review the results and determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether to deny admission to any individual based on the results of the background check, criminal background check, and drug screening. Despite the passage of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act in November 2018, the possession of marijuana remains prohibited under United States Federal Law and MCCC policy (6.21). The College and EMS Program prohibits employees, students, and members of the public from possessing or using marijuana (legal or medicinal) on college property or during any College activity. Health occupation students must consent to random drug screening with negative results for marijuana or any illicit substance. Failure to provide a negative drug screen will prevent participation in the program and/or result in program dismissal.

Note: Any expense accrued for the above requirements may be the responsibility of the student.

TECHNICAL STANDARDS

The purpose of the technical standards is to inform students choosing to enter into an EMS program of the basic minimal technical standard requirements that must be met to complete all coursework, objectives, and student outcomes. The listed standards encompass what is minimally required to perform necessary tasks. This list is not exhaustive and can be modified as the college deems necessary. Students enrolled in an EMS program at MCCC must provide safe and effective care. These technical standards apply to any student enrolling in any of the EMS programs. The student must demonstrate sufficient cognitive, professional, motor (physical), sensory, and other abilities, with or without accommodation, to meet program technical standards. Technical standard requirements are listed below.

• Critical Thinking and Cognitive Competencies: Students must have sufficient critical thinking, problem solving, and cognitive skills to:
  • calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize data in a timely manner.
  • problem solve and make decisions in a timely manner.
  • apply knowledge, skills, and experience to determine best/safe practice.
• Professionalism: Students must demonstrate the ability to:
  • adapt to changing situations and emergency conditions while maintaining emotional control.
  • when effectively under stress, utilize healthy stress management techniques.
  • use appropriate impulse control and professional level of maturity.
  • use ethical behavior, cross-cultural competency, moral reasoning, and a commitment to an environment of mutual respect, trust, integrity and reliability in interactions with patients, patient representatives, students, faculty, staff, members of the public, and other healthcare professionals.
  • accept responsibility for own actions and accept constructive feedback.
  • function independently at optimum level in a non-structured environment that is constantly changing.
• Communication: Students must be able to:
  • communicate, read, write, interpret, comprehend, and legibly document as needed.
  • extensively use verbal skills and reasoning skills.
  • listen and respond to others in a nonjudgmental, respectful manner.
  • observe and recognize non-verbal behavior.
  • demonstrate emotional stability.
• Physical Skills, Motor Function, and Mobility: Students must have the ability to:
  • apply knowledge and experience through demonstrating competency, quality, and productivity standards in job responsibilities as outlines in the course competencies and program outcomes.
  • handle and carry supplies and equipment at varying weights.
  • demonstrate stamina sufficient to maintain physical activity for a period of a typical shift.
  • have sufficient gross and fine motor skills to perform emergency skills in a safe and effective manner.
  • perform physical activities that require considerable use of their hands, arms, and legs. This includes fine motor abilities like finger dexterity, manual dexterity, arm-hand steadiness and trunk strength.
  • have sufficient endurance, strength, mobility, balance, flexibility and coordination to perform patient care activities and emergency procedures.
• Sensory and Tactile Senses: Students must:
  • have sufficient auditory, visual ability, sense of smell and tactile ability.
  • demonstrate ability to tolerate heat, humidity, and extreme cold during personal care activities.
  • monitor and assess the needs of the patient and health care team.
  • have vision sufficient for observation and assessment necessary for patient care.
  • demonstrate ability to tolerate exposure to odors and common allergens.
• Safety: Students must be able to:
  • respond appropriately to threatening or emergency situations.
  • adhere to safety guidelines and regulations in a variety of settings.
  • apply knowledge and skills necessary to provide a safe environment for themselves and the community.

Occupational Risks

The provision of emergency medical services (EMS) poses inherent occupational risks for EMS responders. These risks arise from the nature of the job, which often involves responding to unpredictable and high-stress situations. The risks include the following:

• Violence/assaults
• Verbal threats/aggression
• Motor vehicle crashes
• Infectious diseases
• Lifting injuries
• Sprains and strains
• Psychological trauma
• Hazardous chemical exposure
• Hyper/hypothermia

A prospective student or participant in the program with an approved documented disability can request reasonable accommodations to meet these standards. The college will provide appropriate accommodations, but it is not required to fundamentally alter the requirements or nature of the program or lower its academic standards. Requests for accommodations should be directed to a Disability Services counselor in the Student Success Center. To make an appointment, please call 734.384.4167.