Three medical professionals standing behind an ambulance with its doors open

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (EMT)

Equity Statement:

Our faculty, staff, and students work collaboratively to identify and breakdown systemic educational barriers through an equity focused lens. We recruit students to increase diversity in the field of emergency medical services to better represent the community we serve and provide quality prehospital care.  We actively challenge and respond to bias, harassment, and discrimination and value the cultural wealth that our student population brings to the classroom.

Spring 2023 Update:

All EMT and Paramedic Program courses will continue with face-to face instruction at the Higher Education Center at Otay Mesa Campus.

Fast Track EMT License Now Available!

Southwestern College listens and responds to the needs of our community. We continue to offer a one semester EMT sequence of courses that will qualify students to take the National registry of EMT Examination. This new cohort is designed for students that wish to complete their certification in one semester. 

Contact a counselor for more information and EMT class schedule.

A Life Saving Job

Welcome to the Southwestern College Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Program. We developed this site to help answer some frequently asked questions and provide resources for students and the EMS community. Use the navigation links below, or the plus (+) sign to find the information you need.

The goal of the Southwestern College EMT Program is “To prepare competent entry-level EMTs in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical Responder levels.”

Upon satisfactory completion of the EMT program, the student is eligible for a Southwestern College Certificate of Achievement and eligible to take the National Registry of EMTs certification examination. Students that successfully pass the NREMT exam are eligible for a California EMT certification.

Duties

  •  Respond to 911 calls for emergency medical assistance, such as
    cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or bandaging a wound
  • Assess a patient’s condition and determine a course of treatment
  • Follow guidelines that they learned in training and that they receive from
    physicians who oversee their work
  • Safely transfer patients to the emergency department and report their observations and treatment
  • Create a patient care report
  • Replace used supplies and check or clean equipment after use

EMTs also provide interfacility transportation from one medical facility to another. Some patients may need to be transferred to a hospital that specializes in treating their injury or illness or to a facility that provides long-term care, such as a nursing home.

The specific responsibilities EMTs depend on their level of training and the state and county they work in.

Becoming an EMT 

* Two semester option

1ST SEMESTER

Course Course Title Units
EMT101 Health care Provider CPR 1
EMT 109 Emergency Medical Response 3
  TOTAL UNITS 4

2ND SEMESTER

Course                 Course Title Units         
EMT 113           Emergency Medical Technician- Basic 5
EMT 113L Emergency Medical Technician Laboratory - basic 3
  TOTAL UNITS 8

* One semester option

Course Course Title Units
EMT 101        Health Carre Provider CPR 1            
EMT 109 Emergency Medical Response 3
EMT 113 Emergency Medical Technician-Basic 3
EMT 113L Emergency Medical Technician Lab-Basic 3
  TOTAL UNITS 12

* National Registry of EMTs practical skills and written exams. 

EMT Training Program Accreditation

The Southwestern College EMS Education Programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Service Professionals (CoAEMSP)

Our goal is "To prepare competent entry-level Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), Psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical Responder levels."

Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

  • Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
    25400 US Highway 19 North Suite 158
    Clearwater, FL 33756
    Phone: (727) 210-2350
    Fax: (727) 210-2354
    Email: mail@caahep.org
    www.caahep.org
  • Committee on Accreditation for EMS Professions
    8301 Lakeview Parkway Suite 11-312
    Phone: (214) 703-8445
    Fax: (214) 703-8992
    www.coaemsp.org

Earn More. Learn More.

EMS Links

EMS/Governing Agencies

Medical Reference

College Resources

Degrees/Certificates Available