Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Designed to prepare competent entry-level Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency,

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) respond to emergency calls, perform services under medical supervision, and transport patients to medical facilities.

Graduates of the EMS programs are eligible for testing through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), which is mandatory for Virginia certification. 

Students may test at the EMT, AEMT (Advanced Emergency Medical Technician) and Paramedic levels after meeting program requirements for that level. 

Graduates of the Associate in Applied Science Degree (A.A.S) in Emergency Medical Services are eligible to sit for the National Registry Paramedic cognitive and psychomotor examination.

This program offers three stackable levels of certification as well as an Associates of Applied Science in EMS. 

The Associate in Applied Science Degree in Emergency Medical Services is designed to produce high-quality, entry-level paramedics who can serve the community with advanced life support care via the National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards (NEMSES).

EMT Program Requirements

The process of becoming an EMT in Virginia requires the following:

Prerequisites for Basic Level Programs

Eligibility to attend an Emergency Medical Responder or an Emergency Medical Technician course in Virginia requires that you must:

(1) Be proficient in reading, writing and speaking the English language.

(2) Be a minimum of 16 years of age at the beginning date of the certification course.  If less than 18 years of age, you must provide the course coordinator with a completed parental permission form with the signature of a parent or guardian verifying approval for enrollment in the course.

(3) Have no physical or mental impairment that would render them unable to perform all cognitive and psychomotor skills required for that level of certification.

(4) Hold current certification in an Office of Emergency Medical Services approved Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) course at the beginning date of the course.  This certification must also be current at the time of state testing.

(5) Not have been convicted of or found guilty of any crime, offense or regulatory violation, or participated in any other prohibited conduct identified in state EMS regulations as follows:

(A) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any crime involving sexual misconduct where lack of affirmative consent by the victim is an element of the crime.

(B) Have never been convicted of a felony involving the sexual or physical abuse of children, the elderly or the infirm.

(C) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any crime (including abuse, neglect, theft from, or financial exploration) of a person entrusted to their care or protection in which the victim is a patient or is a resident of a health care facility.

(D) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any crime involving the use, possession, or distribution of illegal drugs except that the person is eligible for affiliation or enrollment five years after the date of final release if no additional crimes of this type have been committed during that time.

(E) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any other act that is a felony except that the felon is eligible for affiliation or enrollment five years after the date of final release if no additional felonies have been committed during that time.

(F) Are not currently under any disciplinary or enforcement action from another state EMS office or other recognized state or national healthcare provider licensing or certifying body.  Personnel subject to these disciplinary or enforcement actions may be eligible for certification provided there have been no further disciplinary or enforcement actions for five years prior to application for certification in Virginia.

(G) Have never been subject to a permanent revocation of license or certification by another state EMS office or recognized state or national healthcare provider licensing or certifying body.

(6) All references to criminal acts or convictions under this section refer to substantially similar laws or regulations of any other state or the United States.  Convictions include prior adult convictions, juvenile convictions, and adjudications of delinquency based on an offense that would have been, at the time of conviction, a felony conviction if committed by an adult within or outside Virginia.

(7) Be clean and neat in appearance.

(8) May not be under the influence of any drugs or intoxicating substances that impairs your ability to provide patient care or operate a motor vehicle while in class or performing clinicals, while on duty or when responding or assisting in the care of a patient.

AEMT / Paramedic Program Requirements

Prerequisites for Advanced Level Programs:

To be eligible to attend an Advanced Level EMS course in Virginia you must:

(1) Be proficient in reading, writing and speaking the English language.

(2) Be a minimum of 18 years of age at the beginning date of the certification course.

(3) Hold a current certification as an EMT or higher.

(4) Hold, at a minimum, a High School or General Equivalency Diploma.

(5) Have no physical or mental impairment that would render them unable to perform all practical skills required for that level of certification

(6) Not have been convicted of or found guilty of any crime, offense or regulatory violation, or participated in any other prohibited conduct identified in state EMS regulations as follows:

(A) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any crime involving sexual misconduct where lack of affirmative consent by the victim is an element of the crime.

(B) Have never been convicted of a felony involving the sexual or physical abuse of children, the elderly or the infirm.

(C) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any crime (including abuse, neglect, theft from, or financial exploration) of a person entrusted to their care or protection in which the victim is a patient or is a resident of a health care facility.

(D) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any crime involving the use, possession, or distribution of illegal drugs except that the person is eligible for affiliation or enrollment five years after the date of final release if no additional crimes of this type have been committed during that time.

(E) Have never been convicted or found guilty of any other act that is a felony except that the felon is eligible for affiliation or enrollment five years after the date of final release if no additional felonies have been committed during that time

(F) Are not currently under any disciplinary or enforcement action from another state EMS office or other recognized state or national healthcare provider licensing or certifying body.  Personnel subject to these disciplinary or enforcement actions may be eligible for certification provided there have been no further disciplinary or enforcement actions for five years prior to application for certification in Virginia

(G) Have never been subject to a permanent revocation of license or certification by another state EMS office or recognized state or national healthcare provider licensing or certifying body.

(7) All references to criminal acts or convictions under this section refer to substantially similar laws or regulations of any other state or the United States.  Convictions include prior adult convictions, juvenile convictions, and adjudications of delinquency based on an offense that would have been, at the time of conviction, a felony conviction if committed by an adult within or outside Virginia.

(8) Be clean and neat in appearance.

(9) May not be under the influence of any drugs or intoxicating substances that impairs your ability to provide patient care or operate a motor vehicle while in class or clinicals, while on duty or when responding or assisting in the care of a patient.

Application AEMT - Paramedic 2024

Program Accreditation

Southside Virginia Community Colleges EMS Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Education Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

9355 – 113th Street, N. #7709

Seminole, FL 33775

727-210-2350

www.caahep.org

Committee on Accreditation for Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP)

8301 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 111-312

Rowlett, TX 75088

214-703-8445

FAX 214-703-8992

www.coaemsp.org

Program Outcomes