High school juniors interested in a career saving lives as an emergency medical technician have a new opportunity through a partnership between Dutchess BOCES and Empress Emergency Medical Services. The Career and Technical Institute’s Emergency Medical Technician program debuts this month.
The first year of the two-year program covers the following 12 topic areas, which may qualify students who successfully complete the program to take the Certified First Responder exam at the end of the school year. Topics include CPR and AED, scene safety/size-up, primary and secondary assessment, vital signs, airway management, bleeding and shock, splinting/fracture management, burns and soft tissue injuries, medical emergencies, obstetrics and childbirth, EMS operations and legal/ethical responsibilities. A half credit each of English and science is incorporated each year.
This means that if they were to volunteer with a fire department or an entity that accepts the first responder certificate, they would be able to help stabilize patients at the scene, according to Joanne Williams, coordinator of health occupations at BOCES.
Instructor Danielle Bohlmann has more than 18 years of EMS experience, first as an EMT-B, then as a paramedic. She is a certified instructor coordinator with the state and can teach everything from CPR/First Aid to Paramedic (ALS) courses. She is also an EMS coordinator for a local fire department.
“When I look at pre-hospital medicine, I see a lot of potential. We are healthcare professionals,” said Bohlmann, who herself completed a Dutchess BOCES healthcare program in 2005.
Founded in New York in 1985, Empress provides emergency and non-emergency services throughout Westchester County and the Hudson Valley. Deputy Chief David Grass, Empress’ assistant director of education, said, “The more people we can open up to this industry and occupation, the better it will be for everyone.”
Students who complete both years will be eligible to take the EMT exam. Through their work as EMTs, they will be exposed to other occupations, including nursing, patient or laboratory technician, respiratory therapist and more, which may give them an edge if they choose to pursue one of those careers.
The decision to offer the program at CTI was based on student interest and the market, Principal Nick Millas said.
“We track the labor statistics and try to identify the gaps we have to help with workforce development to meet the needs of industry and look for student interest,” he said, adding, “We knew we have students who are part of ambulance corps and are junior firefighters.”
According to the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany, demand for EMT and paramedics is expected to grow 25% between 2022 and 2032. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows a national growth rate of 6% through 2033, which is higher than average. The median pay for the job in 2024 was $46,350.
“There is an EMS crisis nationwide based on the shortage of personnel in the field, whether its EMTs or paramedics, which results in a shortage of staffed ambulances in communities,” said Dutchess County Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Response William Beale. He was happy to hear about the launch of the program and noted that Empress provides two basic life support ambulances and one advanced life support fly car to the county.
“This gives students an opportunity, first-hand, to be certified and receive the practical skills training to prepare them to enter the workforce right out of high school or while they are in high school, and that is unique and has never existed before,” Beale said, referring to that fact that New York lowered the age for EMTs from 18 to 17, making this possible. “Dutchess BOCES offering an EMT program at the high school level complements the county executive’s overall initiative on improving emergency medical services in Dutchess County,” he added.
To help students get a true sense of the work, BOCES is purchasing an ambulance simulator that represents the back of an ambulance in which students will work.
Empress brings a level of expertise to the program and will support the program with speakers, advice, and in the second year, opportunities for ride-alongs with EMTs to help students practice their live skills in a real-world environment, Grass said.
“We see this as a win-win as it’s part of giving back to the communities we already serve,” he said, explaining that Empress will have first-hand knowledge of students and will be able to interview them for openings. “This new program, as you build it out, can supplement and help fill personnel gaps and vulnerabilities in the system in both career and volunteer capacities. Congratulations,” Beale said.
