EMT and EMR Classes

CLASS DETAILS:

Our Emergency Medical Technician course provides students with the skills to provide pre-hospital emergency medical care for those who are sick or injured. The program meets State of Connecticut guidelines for EMT certification upon successful completion of exams.

All students must complete and pass their classroom final written & practical exam, and then will be responsible to complete and pass the State of Connecticut written & practical exam at an approved State testing center.

  • You must turn 16 years of age by the final day of the EMT class to apply

 There will be no EMR class offered for Spring 2025

INSTRUCTION INCLUDES:

  • Traumatic Injury Management
  • Medical Emergencies
  • Childbirth/OB GYN
  • Breathing emergencies
  • Cardiac emergencies
  • Pediatric emergencies 
  • EMS Operations
  • Mental Health Emergencies
  • Mass Casualty Incident Response

 

COURSE Instruction FORMAT:

This course format includes in-person classroom lectures, in-person lab sessions, online weekly homework and quizzes, midterm and final exams, and field training with EMS ambulance crews.

 

State of Connecticut CERTIFICATION:

Upon successful completion of a course the student will be certified in CPR and Stop The Bleed, as well as being eligible to sit for the State of Connecticut EMT Exam. Successful completion of these exams, along with a practical skills exam will earn you a State of Connecticut Emergency Medical Technician certification and the ability to join WVEMS. 

 
 

Recommended for:

EMT | Anyone wishing to volunteer with Westport EMS, and/or looking to obtain an Emergency Medical Technician certificate in the State of Connecticut. You must turn 16 years of age by the final day of the class.

Info: 

Price:

  • EMT: $1350.00 (if paid by check; online option available)

Dates:

  • Orientation & Info Session: February 23rd - 6:30 PM
  • Class Begins: February 25th - 6:30 PM
  • Graduation Day: June 22nd 
  • Meeting Days:

 

All classes held at Westport EMS Headquarters - 50 Jesup Road, Westport, CT - unless otherwise noted by your instructor.

 

Classroom availability is subject to the Westport Police Department and may change.

 

Register Now:

  • Pay by check and attach your paper application:
    • Click here for application
    • Make check payable to "WVEMS" for $1,350
    • Deliver completed class application with check to Westport Volunteer EMS, 50 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880

 

 

Tuition reimbursement: WVEMS TRAINING REIMBURSEMENT POLICY

The EMT Course Tuition Reimbursement Program requires that interested members make a request in writing to the attention of the President or any other member of the Board of Directors after the successful completion of their WEMS internship. Such requests will receive consideration only if the member submits evidence of tuition payment along with his or her number of volunteer hours.  The member may only apply for reimbursement of an EMT program within two years of the course completion.  The member should further certify that no other means of reimbursement is available (e.g. through another EMS corps or through a tuition scholarship).

Reimbursement authorizations are issued for half the tuition after the member has volunteered a minimum of 75 hours over a six months period of continuous volunteer service following the successful completion of such member’s WEMS internship. The second half is reimbursed after an additional 75 hours during the second six months of continuous volunteer service, up to a maximum of the current WVEMS tuition.  During this time, the member must maintain active service.

EMR classes are not reimbursable by WVEMS. 

Want to be notified of our next class?

Click the blue button below to join our email list. We will email you about future classes.

Click Here to join our class interest list

 

When do i start volunteering on the ambulance?

1. Pass your initial EMT class; ~ 4-6 months

2. Pass your State Certification Exams; ~ 1 month

3. Apply to join one of our New Member Orientation Cohorts

5. Upon acceptance into your Orientation Cohort, attend all orientation classes to begin taking shifts as an "intern"

6. Successfully be cleared from your training period, or "internship" within 4 months of your internship start date.

 

Click here for more information on applying to an orientation cohort once you are certified.

 

EMR, EMT, and Paramedic FAQS

WHAT IS AN EMR, EMT AND EMT-PARAMEDIC?

There are three levels of certification that are common in Connecticut: EMR, EMT-Basic, and EMT-Paramedic. Within the industry, it is very common to refer to a basic EMT as simply EMT, and to refer to EMT-Paramedics as Paramedics.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

The biggest differences between paramedics, EMR’s and EMTs are the training and the scope of practice (what they are allowed to do).

  • EMR’s usually receive 60 hours of training - EMRs can only volunteer with Westport EMS while they are in high school. They must become EMT certified to continue volunteering after graduation.
  • EMT’s usually receive 150 hours of training.
  • Paramedics get anywhere from 1,200 hours to 1,800 hours of training. Paramedic programs often award two-year degrees.

The scope of practice differences between EMRs, EMTs, and Paramedics can be summed up by the ability to act as an assistant Basic Life Support Provider, independent Basic Life Support provider, or Advanced Life Support Provider

EMRs typically act as first responders on scene and assistant basic life support providers on the ambulance. In Westport, EMRs are our youngest members of our Youth Corps and typically are freshman and sophores under 16 who want to begin their service early. They take regular shifts alongside our EMTs and paramedics and go on calls like every other member. They can provide first aid and assist EMTs with medications, splinting, and immobilization. They are the front line in starting to stabilize injured or ill patients. They cannot be left alone to care for a patient alone en route to the hospital, and must work with an EMT or paramedic.

EMTs may drive the ambulance, serve as Crew Chiefs, and act independently on scene and en route to the hospital to stablize and treat patients who are sick or injured. In addition to the skills EMRs can perform, their scope allows them to splint and immobilize trauma patients and give several types of life-saving medications - such an epinephrine for anaphylaxis, glucose for diabetic emergencies, aspirin for cardiac emergencies, or CPAP for pulmonary emergencies.

Paramedics are Advanced Life Support providers and can do everything that the EMR and EMT can do, but then act as an extension of the emergency physician at the hospital through standing orders and protocols. They are licensed - not certified - as their training takes several years and thousands of hours. Their advanced care can include advanced emergency surgical procedures, cardiac monitoring, advanced airways like intubation, IV or IO access, and administering prescribed/controlled medications for nausea, pain, cardiac disturbances, or other life-threatening conditions. Ambulances do not need to operate with a paramedic on board, as they are only needed for patients who may require ALS interventions. In Westport, they may arrive on the ambulance or in their own emergency vehicle called a fly car.

 
 
 
Back To Top