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Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) Certificate Program
Program Information
The Department’s Advanced EMT certificate program prepares students for careers in
pre-hospital emergency medicine and enables graduates of the program to work as Advanced
Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT’s) in a variety of settings, such as fire departments
and public and private ambulance services. The program must be taken as an academic
credit student. The program can be completed in one semester. Other information pertinent
to this program is described below.
Accreditation
The Advanced EMT certificate program, like the EMT certificate program, is accredited
by the Alabama Department of Public Health, Office of EMS and Trauma. The Department’s
Paramedic program is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health
Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs
for the EMS Professions (CoEMSP).
Mandatory Advising
All students admitted into the Department's EMS Certificate Program must be advised by the EMS Coordinator prior to registration. You may contact the Department at the phone number listed below to set up an appointment
for advising. Click here for Advising Packet.
Admission
For credit students, the criteria for general admission of EMT students to the University
are the same as those for all students. Please consult with the University’s Admission’s office for more information about admission policies and procedures. .
Advanced EMT applicants must be Alabama state-licensed Emergency Medical Technicians
(EMT’s) and must apply for admission to the department and meet certain departmental
admission requirements (i.e., academic standard, criminal background check and drug
screen test, etc.).
Curriculum
The basis for the curriculum is the current Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National
Standard curriculum for Advanced EMT (2009).
Pre-requisites
Current Alabama state Emergency Medical Technician licensure.
EMS 210 – Medical Terminology (3 hrs)
EMS 200 – Human Systems & Pathophysiology (3 hrs, pre-or-co-requisite) OR BMD 114/115
or equivalents
Advanced EMT Certificate Program
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| EMS 140: Advanced EMT | 6 |
| EMS 141: Advanced EMT Lab | 1 |
| EMS 143: Advanced EMT Clinical | 2 |
| Total | 9 |
Progression and Completion Policies
To progress throughout the program, a minimum final grade of 80% must be achieved
in each course. Students will be allowed to repeat a course only one time. Students
unable to satisfactorily complete EMS 140, 141 and 143 will not receive a completion
certificate by the department or the University.
The State of Alabama mandates the National Registry of EMT’s examination at the EMT,
Advanced EMT and Paramedic levels of practice. Only those students who have met all
academic requirements of the program will be eligible to sit for the National Registry
examination. All other criteria for progression and completion will be listed in each
course syllabus and will be mandatory.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. Those students who have conflicts regarding attendance to
classes or clinical internships will be asked to transfer to programs more suited
to their schedules.
Expenses
Students are responsible for payment of all tuition and fees. Tuition and fees are
set by the University of South Alabama, upon approval of the Board of Trustees. For
current information on tuition and fees, please refer to the University’s Admission’s office.
Students are responsible for all personal healthcare expenses, including those resulting
from injury or illness, while engaged in learning experiences required by the department.
Students will be required to show proof of health insurance or a signed waiver while
in the program. Students must show proof of all required immunizations.
Students are responsible for all travel expenses to and from clinical and field internship
sites. Students are responsible for the purchase of uniforms and required clinical
equipment and supplies for their internships. Students also must maintain current
Healthcare Provider (CPR) certification and Alabama state EMT licensure throughout
the program of study.
Financial Aid
Students who take academic coursework at the University for the purpose of attaining
paramedic certificate or Bachelor of Science degree in EMS may be eligible for financial
assistance (i.e., Pell grant, student loans, etc.). If you feel you may quality
for financial aid please contact the department student advisor.
For more information on financial aid, please contact the University’s Financial Aid office.
Contact Information
University of South Alabama
Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions
Department of Emergency Medical Services
600 Clinic Drive – Suite 400
Mobile, AL 36688-0002
(251) 461-1832
AEMT Program Advisor
Amanda McDonald
avmcdonald@southalabama.edu
Description of the Profession
The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician’s scope of practice includes basic and
limited advanced skills focused on the acute management and transportation of critical
and emergent patients. This may occur at an emergency scene until transportation resources
arrive, from an emergency scene to a healthcare facility, between healthcare facilities,
or in other healthcare settings.
For many communities, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians provide an option to
provide high benefit, lower risk advanced skills for systems that cannot support or
justify Paramedic level care. This is frequently the case in rural and volunteer systems.
In some jurisdictions, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians are the highest level
of out-of-hospital care. In communities which utilize emergency medical dispatch systems,
Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians may function as part of a tiered response system.
In all cases, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians work alongside other EMS and
healthcare professionals as an integral part of the emergency care team.
The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician’s scope of practice includes basic, limited
advanced and pharmacological interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated
with acute out-of-hospital medical and traumatic emergencies. Emergency care is based
on assessment findings.
Additionally, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians provide care to minimize secondary
injury and provide comfort to the patient and family while transporting the patient
to an emergency care facility. The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician’s knowledge,
skills, and abilities are acquired through formal education. The Advanced Emergency
Medical Technician has the knowledge associated with, and is expected to be competent
in, all of the skills of the EMR and EMT. The major difference between the Advanced
Emergency Medical Technician and the Emergency Medical Technician is the ability to
perform limited advanced skills and provide pharmacological interventions to emergency
patients.
The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician is the minimum licensure level for patients
requiring limited advanced care at the scene or during transportation. The scope of
practice model is limited to lower risk, high benefit advanced skills that are effective
and can be performed safely in an out-of-hospital setting with medical oversight and
limited education.
The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician transports all emergency patients to an
appropriate medical facility. The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician is not prepared
to independently make decisions regarding the disposition of patients. The Advanced
Emergency Medical Technician serves as part of an EMS response system assuring a progressive
increase in the level of assessment and care.
The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician may make destination decisions in collaboration
with medical oversight. The principal disposition of the patient encounter will result
in the direct delivery of the patient to an acute care facility. In addition to emergency
response, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians often perform medical transport services
of patients requiring care within their scope of practice.
Psychomotor Skills
The following are the minimum psychomotor skills of the AEMT:
- Airway and Breathing
- Insertion of airways that are NOT intended to be placed into the trachea
- Tracheobronchial suctioning of an already intubated patient
- Assessment
- Pharmacological Interventions
- Establish and maintain peripheral intravenous access
- Establish and maintain intraosseous access in a pediatric patient
- Administer (nonmedicated) intravenous fluid therapy
- Administer sublingual nitroglycerine to a patient experiencing chest pain of suspected ischemic origin
- Administer subcutaneous or intramuscular epinephrine to a patient in anaphylaxis
- Administer glucagon to a hypoglycemic patient
- Administer intravenous D50 to a hypoglycemic patient
- Administer inhaled beta agonists to a patient experiencing difficulty breathing and wheezing
- Administer a narcotic antagonist to a patient suspected of narcotic overdose
- Administer nitrous oxide for pain relief1
- Add state approved medications2
Footnotes:
1Advanced EMT Description is excerpted from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s
National Scope of Practice document, pages 27-28.
2Alabama protocols also include diphenhydramine administration for allergic reaction
and ondansetron administration for nausea and vomiting."