History of the EMS Profession

Since the enactment of the National Highway Safety Act of 1966 and the formal beginning of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the common goal of the EMS field, has been to reduce unnecessary death and disability. This public need has increased the job demand for EMS providers, thereby creating a reciprocal shortage of qualified personnel to fill these positions. Due to the increased pressure placed upon EMS providers, EMS educational institutions providing emergency medical and paramedic training have yielded to the pressure of increasing the number of pre-hospital medicine courses and conversely decreasing, to a certain extent, the didactic quality of these courses.

Barry University's Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program provides high quality state-of-the-art first response education and training skills essential for public safety. Because there are clear expectations for improved health, value and efficiency in the EMS field, the need for a quality EMS program in an accredited higher learning institution is a logical progression for the EMS community.