Online Ambulance Training: Overview of Education Options

Ambulance personnel--both attendants and drivers--are normally emergency medical technicians, also called EMTs. Basic emergency medical technician education is available online from several kinds of providers, though practical training and ambulance driving classes are not available through the Internet.

Online Education Options for EMTs

Online education is available for emergency medical technicians, prevalently at the EMT-Basic (EMT-B) level. There are a variety of companies and institutions that offer such training, beginning with businesses that offer classes commercially and including colleges and hospitals. Many options are hybrid programs, consisting of online study paired with traditional classroom components. Some programs are fully certified by appropriate state authorities to award students EMT certification upon successful completion.
Organizations that offer online EMT training resources, including training films and interactive media, may also provide access to more comprehensive and advanced programs in an in-person format. Programs of this sort are often follow-ups to the EMT-Basic training; they are brief, intensive classes that may be packaged as a trip and include airfare and lodging expenses with training costs in a single package. Prospective students should be especially careful to ensure that training offered through a private, for-profit company based online is accredited and will help them to achieve career goals.

Course Format and Objectives for Online EMT Training

EMT-Basic training provides introductory information for care of patients in pre-hospital conditions, beginning with assessment of the situation. It is extremely important for medical professionals arriving at the scene of an emergency to determine the seriousness of the patient's condition and what sort of treatment they might require. They also need to determine if and how to transport the ill or injured person so as to avoid further injury. Class lessons covers basic human physiology, legal boundaries, pharmacology, critical thinking, respiratory arrest, cardiac conditions, substance abuse, childbirth and trauma.
Web-based classes in basic emergency medical technology utilize a college's preexisting online education system, which often consists of proprietary software that allows users to access their class from any computer that connects to the Internet. Alternatively, correspondence courses that use downloaded or mailed media may also be available. Distance-learning EMT courses often provide video or multimedia demonstrations as well as textual learning and test materials; therefore, candidates may be required to have certain compatible hardware or software to enroll. Student-instructor correspondence is typically conducted via e-mail and instant messenger services, while class-wide discussions may be hosted on message boards or through e-seminars.

Advanced Training for Ambulance Personnel

Although only EMT-Basic certification is required to work on an ambulance, there are advanced levels available. Although higher levels of training are less commonly hosted online, EMT-Bs may wish to pursue EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) or even EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P) certification from the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).