NCOAE Receives Approval for EMT-Basic Training

We’re pleased to announce that The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) has received approval from the State of North Carolina and the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services to offer an intensive 19-day EMT-Basic training.

And what that means to anyone interested in securing their EMT-Basic credentials is that within three weeks of starting our intensive training, you’ll have the knowledge and experience to successfully pass the National Registry exam as well as North Carolina’s state exam, earning your EMT credentials.

After that, you’ll have the option of staying with us for an additional five days for a practical session and certification of the Wilderness Upgrade. This certifies you as an EMT-B and WEMT from the Wilderness Medicine Training Center.

With your EMT credentials in hand, you’ll have an opportunity to enter a field that the Bureau of Labor Statistics claims is a “growing occupation.” Most certified emergency medical technicians (EMTs) find immediate employment at hospitals and ambulance companies, and many work for police or fire departments, receiving the same benefits as firemen and policemen — including pensions.

The median salary for an EMT is $27,070 per year, with entry-level employees averaging $17,300 and the top 10 percent earning $45,280.

There are three levels of EMT training:

• Basic EMT
• EMT-Advanced
• EMT-Paramedic

Students working toward the Basic EMT (a.k.a. EMT-B) credential here at NCOAE study patient assessment, the principals of pharmacology, BLS resuscitation, and participate in ambulance ride-alongs, in addition to taking courses in assessing and providing emergency care for cardiac and respiratory conditions and to trauma victims. That training – along with a lot of topics covered during the 19-day course – emphasizes developing new skills and knowledge that not only helps you in preparing for your exams, but provides the type of hands-on experience that employers are demanding these days.

Here at NCOAE, our EMT-B students meet all day for 19 days, which includes some “relax” time, giving you ample opportunity to get to know your fellow students, swap notes and discuss a field that you obviously have in common.

Speaking of the EMT field, be sure to listen to Zoe Chance’s NPR report from last week titled How Perverse Incentives Drive Up Health Care Costs (embedded link appears below). In her report, Chance – who does a great job of explaining the mysteries of the global economy for NPR’s ‘Planet Money’ – reports on a pilot program at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City that relies on EMTs to work in new and innovative ways that are aimed at keep patients from coming back to the ER.

For more information on our upcoming EMT training schedule, see NCOAE Intensive EMT-Basic Training Course.