[M]ore mobile than doctors and better-trained than many EMTs, paramedics are expected to be in high demand as the U.S. population ages.
One Vermont state college is trying to fill the workforce training void.
Vermont Technical College has implemented a new paramedical training program, which will “provide paramedics ready to serve Vermont,” the school said in a news release.
“We’re very excited about the new Paramedicine program,” Vermont Tech President Dan Smith said in a statement. “We already provide the state with some of the best nurses, dental professionals and firefighters, and it only makes sense that we expand our curriculum to include paramedicine.”
The three-semester paramedicine course will begin in the fall and run for 12 months. Courses will be held partially online and partially on campus, and will consist of lectures, small group work, emergency simulations and hands-on skills practice in a lab, according to Vermont Tech’s website.
Once the course is completed, Vermont Tech students must arrange and complete a hands-on internship in the field, under the supervision of a working paramedic.
“Our focus on hands-on education is the reason all of our students go on to lead successful careers in their respective fields, and the Paramedicine program is no exception,” Smith said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graduates from the Vermont Tech paramedicine program should have no problems in the job market. The federal agency predicts a 23 percent increase in the number of paramedics employed in the United States, a much faster growth than average for other professions.
The federal government attributes the growth of the paramedical profession to an increase in the average age of the population. In addition there is an ongoing need for emergency medical care in response to constants such as car crashes, natural disasters and violence.
“Growth in the middle-aged and elderly population will lead to an increase in the number of age-related health emergencies, such as heart attacks or strokes. This, in turn, will create greater demand for EMTs and paramedic services. An increase in the number of specialized medical facilities will require more EMTs and paramedics to transfer patients with specific conditions to these facilities for treatment,” according to the BLS website.
Though there are other training programs for existing paramedics in Vermont, Amanda Chaulk, the school’s marketing and communications director, said Vermont Tech has the only career-entry paramedical training program in the state. The program is expected to gain accreditation upon the graduation of its first class.
It is is also the only paramedical training program in which participants are eligible to receive federal financial aid, she said.
Though a federal scholarship removes some of the barriers to entry into the program, prospective students need to prove that they have prior experience as emergency responders to enroll. Prerequisites to the course include a valid EMT license; a Health Care Provider level CPR card; and two letters of reference from an advanced life support provider (paramedic, nurse or physician) familiar with the applicant’s character, abilities and capability to succeed, according to VTC’s website.
Though it’s mainly geared toward those looking to become firefighters, Chaulk said that Vermont Tech’s own fire science course provides all of the EMT training required to be eligible to enroll in the paramedical training program.
