Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) Certificate Program

The Advanced EMT certificate program, like the EMT certificate program, is accredited by the Alabama Department of Public Health, Office of EMS and Trauma. The Department’s Paramedic program is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoEMSP).

All students admitted into the Department's EMS Certificate Program must be advised by the EMS Coordinator prior to registration. You may contact the Department at the phone number listed below to set up an appointment for advising and to receive a New Student Packet.

For credit students, the criteria for general admission of EMT students to the University are the same as those for all students. Please consult with the University’s Admission’s office for more information about admission policies and procedures. .

Advanced EMT applicants must be Alabama state-licensed Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) and must apply for admission to the department and meet certain departmental admission requirements (i.e., academic standard, criminal background check and drug screen test, etc.).

The basis for the curriculum is the current Department of Transportation (DOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2021 National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards.

Current Alabama state Emergency Medical Technician licensure.

EMS-200 Human System and Pathophysiology (3 hrs, pre-or-co-requisite) or BMD 252 or equivalent
EMS-210 Medical Terminology (3 hrs)

 

To progress throughout the program, a minimum final grade of 80% must be achieved in each course. Students will be allowed to repeat a course only one time. Students unable to satisfactorily complete EMS 140, 141 and 143 will not receive a completion certificate by the department or the University.

The State of Alabama mandates the National Registry of EMT’s examination at the EMT, Advanced EMT and Paramedic levels of practice. Only those students who have met all academic requirements of the program will be eligible to sit for the National Registry examination. All other criteria for progression and completion will be listed in each course syllabus and will be mandatory.

Attendance is mandatory. Those students who have conflicts regarding attendance to classes or clinical internships will be asked to transfer to programs more suited to their schedules.

Students are responsible for payment of all tuition and fees. Tuition and fees are set by the University of South Alabama, upon approval of the Board of Trustees. For current information on tuition and fees, please refer to the University's Student Accounting Office.

Students are responsible for all personal healthcare expenses, including those resulting from injury or illness, while engaged in learning experiences required by the department. Students will be required to show proof of health insurance or a signed waiver while in the program. Students must show proof of all required immunizations.

Students are responsible for all travel expenses to and from clinical and field internship sites. Students are responsible for the purchase of uniforms and required clinical equipment and supplies for their internships. Students also must maintain current Healthcare Provider (CPR) certification and Alabama state EMT licensure throughout the program of study.

Students who take academic coursework at the University for the purpose of attaining paramedic certificate or Bachelor of Science degree in EMS may be eligible for financial assistance (i.e., Pell grant, student loans, etc.).   If you feel you may quality for financial aid please contact the department student advisor.

For more information on financial aid, please contact the University's Financial Aid office.

If an EMS student requires a copy of their Completion Certificate, please call (251) 461-1832 or email Marla Snell or emsstudent. If a student requires a copy of their official transcript, please visit the Registrar's Office.

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician’s scope of practice includes basic and limited advanced skills focused on the acute management and transportation of critical and emergent patients. This may occur at an emergency scene until transportation resources arrive, from an emergency scene to a healthcare facility, between healthcare facilities, or in other healthcare settings.

For many communities, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians provide an option to provide high benefit, lower risk advanced skills for systems that cannot support or justify Paramedic level care. This is frequently the case in rural and volunteer systems. In some jurisdictions, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians are the highest level of out-of-hospital care. In communities which utilize emergency medical dispatch systems, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians may function as part of a tiered response system. In all cases, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians work alongside other EMS and healthcare professionals as an integral part of the emergency care team.

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician’s scope of practice includes basic, limited advanced and pharmacological interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with acute out-of-hospital medical and traumatic emergencies. Emergency care is based on assessment findings.

Additionally, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians provide care to minimize secondary injury and provide comfort to the patient and family while transporting the patient to an emergency care facility. The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician’s knowledge, skills, and abilities are acquired through formal education. The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician has the knowledge associated with, and is expected to be competent in, all of the skills of the EMR and EMT. The major difference between the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and the Emergency Medical Technician is the ability to perform limited advanced skills and provide pharmacological interventions to emergency patients.

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician is the minimum licensure level for patients requiring limited advanced care at the scene or during transportation. The scope of practice model is limited to lower risk, high benefit advanced skills that are effective and can be performed safely in an out-of-hospital setting with medical oversight and limited education.

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician transports all emergency patients to an appropriate medical facility. The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician is not prepared to independently make decisions regarding the disposition of patients. The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician serves as part of an EMS response system assuring a progressive increase in the level of assessment and care.

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician may make destination decisions in collaboration with medical oversight. The principal disposition of the patient encounter will result in the direct delivery of the patient to an acute care facility. In addition to emergency response, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians often perform medical transport services of patients requiring care within their scope of practice.

The following are the minimum psychomotor skills of the AEMT:

• Airway and Breathing
• Insertion of airways that are NOT intended to be placed into the trachea 
• Tracheobronchial suctioning of an already intubated patient 
• Assessment
• Pharmacological Interventions
• Establish and  maintain peripheral intravenous access
• Establish and maintain intraosseous access in a pediatric patient
• Administer (nonmedicated) intravenous fluid therapy
• Administer sublingual nitroglycerine to a patient experiencing chest pain of suspected ischemic origin
• Administer subcutaneous or intramuscular epinephrine to a patient in anaphylaxis
• Administer glucagon to a hypoglycemic patient
• Administer intravenous D50 to a hypoglycemic patient
• Administer inhaled beta agonists to a patient experiencing difficulty breathing and wheezing
• Administer a narcotic antagonist to a patient suspected of narcotic overdose
• Administer nitrous oxide for pain relief
• Add state approved medications

AEMT Program Advisor
Kristen McKenna

University of South Alabama
Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions
Department of Emergency Medical Services
600 Clinic Drive – Suite 400
Mobile, AL 36688-0002
(251) 461-1832