All Brookhaven College EMS classes are taught by actively working full-time paramedics. This adds the latest, most up-to-date, real-life experiences to textbook knowledge provided in the classroom.
The Brookhaven College EMS Program has partnered with many hospitals and EMS provider agencies for clinical and internships. The internship with established 911 EMS providers, mostly area fire departments, along with a high number of clinical rotation hours in diverse clinical settings, provides a well-rounded, varied learning environment.
The student to instructor ratio is 10:1. This allows for more one-on-one and small-group instruction by adjunct faculty on skills lab days.
The EMS Program provides state-of-the-art training equipment that is currently in use by the surrounding area’s EMS providers. Students will train on equipment that will be used during their ambulance rotations and when they become employed. The labs include an ambulance simulator, as well as a scene simulator, that are unique in their realism.
Brookhaven College, the Dallas County Community College District and the citizens of Dallas County have funded a state-of-the-art allied health building that will house EMS, nursing, radiologic sciences, biology and chemistry programs. It is estimated for completion in fall 2009.
After completing either the EMT-Basic or Paramedic Program, you will be eligible to take the National Registry exam. After passing the exam, you will become a National Registry EMT-Basic or National Registry EMT-Paramedic. Once that process is completed, you will be eligible to apply for certification or license with the Texas Department of Health Services.
Many area hospitals hire EMTs and paramedics to work as techs in their emergency departments. Completing the Brookhaven College EMS Program is a great first step in pursuing this career goal. Also, Brookhaven College is the only Dallas County Community College to offer an Associate Degree in Paramedicine. Holding this college degree is necessary to receive a license as a paramedic and it is a plus when being evaluated by a potential employer.
Many, but not all, area fire departments will require you to have your Texas Department of State Health Services EMT-Basic or TDSHS Paramedic certification prior to employment as a firefighter. The first steps include completing the Brookhaven College EMT course and successfully passing the National Registry of EMTs Exam. You may then choose to go on to an area fire school or complete the Brookhaven College Paramedic Program. Since most of the EMS faculty are firefighters as well as paramedics, they can provide you information about the area’s fire schools.
Brookhaven College EMS Program classes will meet on a traditional fire department work schedule where a class meets on a rotating three-day schedule. Classes will meet on an A-shift, B-shift or C-shift class schedule.
Class would meet the first day, then again three days later and then again three days later and so forth.
For example: The C-shift class begins on a Tuesday, meets again on Friday and then again on Monday. The only exemptions are Sundays and major holidays when the college is officially closed.
Certain instructors have class on Saturdays of the three-day rotating schedule, others do not. No classes meet on Sunday.
Classes do not meet on college-designated holidays. Since EMS is a 24-hour, seven days per week career, prospective students should anticipate hospital and ambulance clinical rotation scheduling on holidays.
The EMT-Basic class will complete most of the classroom portion, take the midterm exam and then be scheduled into clinical rotations by the clinical coordinator. These clinical rotations are not confined to class days.
The paramedic class is different in that clinical rotations begin after certain classroom portions have been completed. Rotation areas are intended to correspond to classroom learning. For example: once the airway management class is completed, students will begin operating room clinical rotations.
Note: These clinical rotations are not confined to class days.
During your class, the process for signing up for this exam will be explained. The National Registry exam is a computer-based adaptive-test. It is given by the NR at their designated sites.