Ambulance Ready: Christian Hospital Offers Basic EMT Course for Public

If you’ve had a dream of helping people in the medical field, then Christian Hospital might have the perfect course for you.

Beginning in June, the hospital will be offering emergency medical technician-basic course, which will allow people to become certified emergency medical technicians.

Christian Hospital Clinical Supervisor Shannon Watson said the course is a standalone course involving 144 classroom hours and 36 clinical hours. This is the second time the course is being offered, Watson wrote in an email to Patch.

The only prerequisite for the course is a high school diploma or GED.

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The course is designed to provide an entry-level coursework to work on an ambulance and consists of learning: of the ability to obtain a patient assessment, vital signs, establishing an airway, bleeding control, wound care, splinting, electrical defibrillation, childbirth, vehicle rescue and driving an ambulance.

Once the course is completed, students will be tested for their Missouri EMT-B license and be able to do a national registry practical exam.

Watson said that the EMT-B course is the basic course, and there are advanced courses to become an advanced EMT or EMT-Paramedic, but they are not required to work on an ambulance.

“There are very few advanced EMT's or EMT-Intermediates, and I do not know anyone in the area that hires for that position,” she wrote. “Paramedic is the top level and they perform the most duties like intubation, IV's, medication administrations, etc.”

The course runs June 3 – Oct. 7 and costs $1,500.

For more information, check out Christian Hospital’s website or call 314-653-5271.