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EMT Certification

Save Lives for a Living — STAT!

It takes a special kind of person to answer the calling to be a first responder. EMTs stay calm under pressure, want to help others and enjoy working with the public—and with our certificate program, you can jump into the fray right after passing your certification exam.

200+

training hours to make sure you are prepared for certification exams

1st

step toward your journey to become a first responder and save lives

0

prior experience is needed to register for this EMT program

What You'll Study in Our EMT Certification Program

With our EMT program, you can go to work right away (after successfully passing your NYS certification exam) as an EMT on an ambulance for commercial agencies or municipal fire departments. Also, many hospital emergency departments hire EMTs to work as patient care technicians in the ER.

Want to take the next step? If you're interested in pursuing careers in nursing, physician's assistant programs, or going on to medical school, our certificate can be a stepping stone to get the patient contact hours you'll need. Want to become a paramedic? Complete the EMT certificate and then enroll in one of our paramedic programs.

REGISTER FOR EMT COURSES

EMT Schedules

EMT - Day
Fall 2023

EMT - Night
Fall 2023 

 

Common Questions About EMT Certification

The EMT original course is the first course you'll take as an EMT student. It's an intensive 200+ hour program designed to train you to provide emergency care to patients in the pre-hospital setting based on the scope of practice defined by the NYS Department of Health and U.S. Department of Transportation Emergency Medical Technician curriculum. When you successfully complete this course, you will be eligible to take the NYS Department of Health EMT Certification exam.

Although not necessary, we recommend that you complete high school prior to enrolling — it's likely to be required by potential employers. See how DCC can assist you with your high school equivalent.

You must be 17 years old by the last day of the month you are taking your NYS exam.

No prior experience is necessary, and there are also no pre-admission or testing requirements to start.

Per SUNY guidelines, all DCC students (credit and credit-free) must be fully vaccinated to attend in-person classes and/or use any on-campus service or resource.

Attendance is required— there's a lot to learn. Any missed lab time must be made up in open lab, and classroom time must be made up per the instructor's requirements. The attendance policy will be reviewed in the first class.

Generally, allow for 15-18 hours each week for outside reading and additional assignments. That's about 2 hours per every lecture hour, and 1 hour per every lab hour. We have open lab sessions available during the week for additional practice, by appointment.

Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured Digital Advantage Package, Twelfth Edition and AHA BLS for Healthcare Provider (2020) are the two required textbooks for the course. Please note that the Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured textbook is sold in digital format, physical textbook format, and as a bundle of both formats. You'll need to buy at least the digital format for the course.

You'll need a computer with reliable internet to complete online quizzes and homework. You'll also need to complete mandatory FEMA classes online. And reliable transportation to class is required.

The credit-free EMT original course is offered every semester. There is usually one morning section and one evening section. Class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the spring and fall semesters. Class meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during the summer semester due to the shorter length of the semester. The EMT original course is typically held in person at the DCC Poughkeepsie campus. Occasionally, the course is offered at DCC Fishkill or other offsite locations.

Clinicals

A five-hour clinical experience involving contact with a minimum of 10 patients is mandatory for this course. The five-hour clinical experience will be arranged for each student at a local hospital. If the student does not have contact with at least 10 patients within those five hours, they will need to complete additional hours.

Hours may be available to ride on an ambulance. But this is done on a case-by-case basis and is based on the availability of shifts. If scheduled, this would be in addition to the hospital clinical.

Yes. You must have up-to-date immunizations and a current physical exam that does not expire until after the course is complete on file with the DCC Health Office. Students must also pass a background check and drug screening. The hospitals require that the students be fully vaccinated against COVID and boosted if eligible. A flu shot or flu shot declination waiver and a respiratory clearance are also required. It is important to have all of this paperwork on file within the first two weeks of the course.

Tuition & Other Costs

The tuition for the credit-free course is $700. This doesn't include clinical requirements and textbooks. The drug screening and background check together cost about $150. The required texts for the course cost approximately $300.

The student is responsible for full payment at the start of class. Upon successful completion of the state exam, many volunteer agencies may request reimbursement for your tuition through the NYS Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. You must have a NYS Department of Health 3312 form on file at the start of the class to be eligible.

Registration

If you are paying via credit or debit card, registration is done online. If paying with check or money order, you must come to campus to the Registrar and Student Financial Service Offices. Registration for the fall semester usually opens in June, registration for the spring semester usually opens in November, and registration for the summer semester usually opens in March.

The EMT original course is offered as a credit course during the spring and fall semesters. Tuition for the credit course is assessed at current credit hour costs. For more information on how to register for credit courses, please consult the Registrar's Office. For assistance please email registrar@sunydutchess.edu or call (845) 431-8020.

Certification

Upon successful completion of the EMT class, you're eligible to take the NYS Practical Skills Exam. After passing that, you may sit for the NYS Written Exam. You will be certified by the state after passing the written exam.

Exams are scheduled with a PSI testing center. There's a $28 fee to take the NYS exam. You're also eligible to take the National EMT exam at a Pearson testing center. That exam fee is $7.

The cost of the National Registry EMT Written Exam is $104 and the cost of the National Registry Paramedic Written Exam is $160.

No, you must go to a testing center. You'll get a printout as soon as you complete the NYS exam. If you passed, the printout can be used as a temporary card. National results usually take 3-5 days.

EMT certification is required by most ambulance agencies to work in an ambulance. Newly certified EMTs will be able to function as a first responder, volunteer, or paid staff after state certification. Additional training requirements like Emergency Vehicle Operations will be conducted at your agency.

EMT certification must be renewed every three years. There are two ways to do that. One is to enroll in an EMT Refresher class and recertify. The other is to enroll in the Continuing Medical Education (CME) program, which requires a specific number of CME hours. You recertify by attending classes which cover specific areas of the curriculum. Many of these CME classes are offered free by local hospitals and EMS and fire agencies.

No, per NYS, all students will be taking CPR as part of the course.  

Please contact the Dutchess Community College EMS Programs office at (845) 431-8390.

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Contact Us

DCC EMS Programs 

CBI Room 204
8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday

Phone: 845-431-8390
Email: workforce@sunydutchess.edu

53 Pendell Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

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