About This Program
Our 16-week EMT-Basic program prepares students to provide pre-hospital emergency care following the National EMS Education Standards (NEMSES). The curriculum covers patient assessment, airway management, trauma stabilization, medical emergency response, and safe patient transport. Evening and weekend scheduling makes this program accessible for working adults. Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for the NREMT cognitive and psychomotor exams and apply for a Rhode Island State EMT-Basic license through the RIDOH EMS Division.
What You'll Learn
- Scene size-up: safety assessment, standard precautions, mechanism of injury or nature of illness analysis, and resource or mutual aid requests
- Primary survey: rapid assessment of airway, breathing, circulation, disability (AVPU and GCS), and exposure — life threats addressed immediately
- Airway management: jaw thrust and head-tilt chin-lift, oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways, bag-valve-mask ventilation, and manual and mechanical suctioning
- Trauma assessment and management: hemorrhage control with direct pressure and tourniquet application, wound packing, splinting, long board and vacuum mattress use, and spinal motion restriction
- Medical emergency management: cardiac arrest CPR and AED use, stroke assessment using the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale, respiratory distress, diabetic emergencies, and anaphylaxis with epinephrine auto-injector
- Pediatric and obstetric emergencies: pediatric assessment triangle, newborn resuscitation, normal and complicated delivery support, and pediatric AED pads use
- EMT-level pharmacology: oxygen delivery devices (NRB, NC, BVM), aspirin administration, nitroglycerin assist, oral glucose, naloxone (intranasal), and epinephrine auto-injector
- Patient packaging, stretcher and stair chair operation, safe ambulance loading, transport decisions, and hospital radio and radio communication with medical direction
Program Outcomes
- Credential 1: NREMT EMT-Basic certification — National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), the national standard for EMT licensure
- Credential 2: Rhode Island State EMT-Basic License — issued by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) EMS Division
- Program follows the National EMS Education Standards (NEMSES), ensuring graduates meet national competency benchmarks
- Eligible employers: private ambulance services, municipal EMS agencies, fire departments (EMT-B level), hospital emergency transport teams, ski patrol, and industrial medicine
- Estimated RI starting wage: $18–$24/hr; higher with fire department appointment or overtime eligibility
- Prerequisite unlocked: NREMT EMT-Basic is the required prerequisite for RIEC's Advanced EMT-Cardiac (AEMT-C) program