Future emergency medical service (EMS) professionals will be able to put themselves on the path to becoming paramedics with upcoming classes offered by the National EMS Academy and Acadian Ambulance.

Emergency medical technician (EMT) classes will be held by the National EMS Academy at seven Louisiana campuses – Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Covington, Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Orleans and Thibodeaux – this spring.

National EMS Academy is a division of Acadian Companies that offers EMT, paramedic, and anatomy and physiology programs in Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee.

Following program completion, students have the opportunity to jump into medical careers, including EMT, paramedic, critical care medic, nursing, physician assistant and nurse practitioner.

Like paramedics, EMTs provide emergency medical care, assess injuries and transport patients to medical facilities. Acadian Ambulance has job openings in Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee and Mississippi, and those who graduate and pass the national registry exam are eligible to join the company and begin their careers.

The EMT program includes 12 weeks of training, starting in March. The course teaches students skills and subjects like the emergency medical service system; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; anatomy, physiology and pathology; patient assessment; patient movement; and the roles and responsibilities of an EMT.

EMTs work in emergency rooms, dispatch centers and many emergency departments, and the need for EMTs to fill these positions is great.

“Southwest Louisiana is in critical need of EMTs to help strengthen our emergency medical services workforce,” said Taylor Richard, senior director of staffing, National EMS Academy. “EMTs play a vital role in our communities, not only by ensuring safe transportation to hospitals and medical centers, but also by providing life-saving care when it’s needed most.”

As of May 2023, the average salary of an EMT in Louisiana is $35,660, an average hourly rate of $17.14 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The annual mean wage in Lake Charles is $30,630. The region has one of the lowest concentrations of EMTs in Louisiana.

The program is a hybrid course where students will be taught partly online and partly in the classroom. Students will participate in 100 hours of an online course and attend two four-hour days a week in person to develop hands-on skills. They will also work two 12-hour shifts to earn ambulance clinical time.

Orientation for the program will be on March 4 and 5. Class begins March 17 and will end in late May.

Students must be at least 16 to take classes and 18 to take the national exam. A high school, GED or HiSET is required.

Tuition is approximately $2,000 for Louisiana students, said Natalie Robert, communications specialist, Acadian Companies. Students who pass the National Registry exam are eligible to work with Acadian Ambulance and have their tuition reimbursed.

Students can enroll for the class by visiting BecomeAMedic.com.