This is the EMR course, though the Texas State EMS Office calls it Emergency Care Attendant (ECA). The curriculum meets National EMS standards.
This 56-hour class provides training similar to what EMS professionals receive. The class includes the Red Cross EMR textbook and digital instructor materials. It also provides syllabus conversion guides to help educators update their course materials quickly.
Online Study
EMR courses are designed to prepare students for careers as first responders. The Texas Department of State Health Services regulates and certifies EMS professionals. To become a certified EMT in Texas, a student must pass the National Registry exam and apply for certification through DSHS.
EMT-Basic certification is an important step in a student’s career as a first responder. The course is available online through a variety of reputable EMS schools. The 11th edition of Emergency Medical Responder: First on the Scene includes a comprehensive textbook and digital skills videos to help students learn and prepare for the most common situations they encounter as EMS providers.
The online portion of the emergency medical responder course Texas takes place at students’ convenience, allowing them to work through the didactic coursework at their own pace. After completing 44 hours of online didactic assignments, students will meet for the face-to-face skills portion of the class.
Skills Session
Students take the online didactic portion of the EMR course at their own pace. They can review a lesson as often as needed until they understand the subject. This is much more effective than learning in a brick-and-mortar classroom, but it often creates stress and leads to short-term memorization without retention.
After completing the didactic portion of the class, students attend a skills session day in Texas. This is usually one of the student’s favorite portions of the class. They can put their knowledge into practice and participate in hands-on sessions like vehicle extrication and low and high-angle rescue.
This class is designed to provide high school and college-aged students with training similar to what EMS professionals receive as they prepare to enter healthcare, public safety or law enforcement careers. The National EMS curriculum requirements and educational standards are guidelines for this program.
NREMT Exam
The online portion of the didactic part of the EMR class is completed from home using your computer. You will participate in mandatory discussions and have a mentor to contact for questions.
Once you have completed this section, you will move on to the hands-on or Skills Session. During the skills session, you will work alongside Fire and EMS personnel in a hands-on environment. You will learn how to treat patients experiencing various medical emergencies and transport them to a hospital if needed.
The NREMT exam is a computer-adaptive test, meaning that the questions you will receive on the exam will vary in difficulty depending on how well you are doing. The exam contains 70 questions and will take you 2 hours to complete. Ten are unscored “pilot” questions used to evaluate future exam questions. When taking the exam, be sure to read all the provided explanations of each answer choice and think about the bigger picture before deciding which option is the best for a given situation.
Certification
Once you’ve passed the NREMT EMR exam, you’ll attend a skills session where you will put your knowledge into practice in a realistic setting. You can choose the date and time that works best for your schedule.
After your EMR class, you can apply for National Registry and Texas state certification as an Emergency Care Attendant. ECAs function as first responders and can perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until more advanced EMS professionals arrive at the Scene and transport the patient to a hospital for further treatment.
The curriculum for the EMR class uses a popular textbook written by industry experts. It features eight units of materials covering medical emergencies, trauma, anatomy and physiology, and the role of the Emergency Medical Responder. It also includes digital instructor materials for use by teachers and a syllabus conversion guide to help them update their existing classes. The course also allows students to gain 4 hours of education that will count towards National Registry recertification. This can be CAPCE-accredited education, accepted by the EMS office, or college courses that meet the National Registry Alternative Education Policy.
