Upstate N.Y. High School Offers EMT Certification

Syracuse Media Group, N.Y.

In addition to earning a high school diploma, some students at Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler will be able to graduate with an emergency medical technician license.

Emergency medical technician is one of several career and technical education programs offered at Fowler.

The city school district announced EMT students can now take the New York state EMT basic certification class during school hours. After completing the course students will be able to take the licensing test beginning in May, 2019.

The training is provided through a new partnership between the district and Upstate Medical University's paramedic program.

EMTs respond to emergencies such as car accidents, violent traumas, heart attacks, childbirths and falls. EMTs perform basic, noninvasive interventions to stabilize patients and transport them to receive further medical care in places like hospitals.

Students are required to wear an EMT uniform during classes and training sessions taught by Upstate. The training covers how to handle mass casualty incidents and remove injured passengers from cars.

Upstate teaches the EMT licensing class every Tuesday through Friday.

Each class begins with students taking a blood pressure reading and listening to the lungs of a classmate.

After graduating, students with an EMT license will have the option of furthering their education to become a paramedic, a professional trained to provide advanced emergency medical care.

Students can earn credits at some colleges for having an EMT-basic license. At SUNY Broome Community College, for example, an EMT-basic license is worth nine credits.