AFTER a year and a half of planning, the Guam Community College has announced the start of its transition course for the island's emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to come into compliance with national EMT training standards.
According to GCC, funding from its Area Health Education Centers grant will bring in instructors from the National College of Technical Instruction, the nation's largest private college of Emergency Medical Services, which specializes in the provision of EMT-Paramedic, EMT-Intermediate, EMT-Basic, and Emergency 911 Dispatcher training programs, as well as EMS Continuing Education.
“We’re doing this in order for the EMTs on Guam to be able to be recognized at a national level,” stated Rosemary Loveridge, RN, acting director of GCC’s Allied Health department. “Our main priority is to upgrade the intermediate EMTs to eventually prepare them for paramedic status, which is what the grant is providing for.”
Currently, the government of Guam does not employ any paramedics, and across the island, EMTs have different levels of training, GCC indicated in its press release.
"This course is in line with the Guam Fire Department's efforts to further validate its services to ensure that we are providing and performing to the expectations of those we serve,” GFD Chief Joey San Nicolas said. “By having our EMTs achieve national certification, we can erase any doubts and increase community confidence in the Guam Fire Department. We thank GCC for bringing this course to Guam,” he added.
Training
The training will run through May 4 and will feature lectures, written exams, skills testing, and the NREMT Practical Exam Advanced EMT Level.
Those being trained will include GFD personnel and federal personnel from the U.S. Navy and Andersen Air Force Base.
After completing the transition course, the EMTs will have 12 months to sit for the computerized national registry exam. GCC has been designated a testing site for the exam.
