Patient Contact Hours as an EMT:

Volunteer or paid work as an EMT is a common and valuable way to gain clinical experience in preparation for medical school. EMTs provide frontline medical care in emergency settings, which often involves assessing patient conditions, communicating effectively, and delivering immediate interventions. For an EMT experience to count toward direct patient care hours, students must be NREMT-certified and actively serving as a provider with a licensed rescue squad or EMS agency. This experience offers exposure to a wide range of patients and medical situations, helping students build strong clinical skills, confidence in high-pressure environments, and a deeper understanding of patient care - all skills that translate directly into preparation the physician career.

Harrisonburg Rescue Squad: https://www.harrisonburgrescue.org/

About Harrisonburg Rescue Squad (HRS):

Harrisonburg Rescue Squad is an all-volunteer EMS agency that provides service to the City of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and parts of Rockingham County. HRS owns and maintains a full fleet complete with ambulances, response vehicles, a Heavy Rescue Vehicle, and a Mass Casualty Incident Response Unit. They offer new member training, EVOC certification, and many other EMS courses free of charge to their membership. HRS has approximately 200 active volunteer members and responds to over 10,000 calls-for-service per year.

Requirements for membership:

CPR and AED certification. EMT certification is not required to apply and there is no previous training or experience necessary!

Responsibilities without an EMT certification

Senior membership is the standard membership category for those who volunteer with our agency. Senior members complete EMT courses as well as emergency vehicle driving certification. They provide patient care during EMS incidents, operate equipment, and become leaders capable of coordinating the activities of other volunteers. Senior members are typically the members who go on to hold operational and administrative leadership positions within the agency.

Interested in getting your EMT certification?

HRS offers an EMT course that aligns with fall/spring/summer semesters (~15 weeks). Registration priority is given to current HRS Members. Non-members may enroll in the EMT course should there be seats available before the session begins. Following completion of the course, members are eligible to sit for the National Registry of EMS certification exam (N-REMT)

HRS has different types of tuition reimbursement or assistance available for members on a case-by-case basis. HRS also offers the use of HRS owned training vehicles so that members can commute to and from classes without the use of their personal vehicles.

Patient Care Hours

Once released as a provider, Attendant in Charge (AIC), you may begin logging direct patient care hours. All training and experiences leading up to promotion to AIC is valuable and meaningful healthcare experience for PA school.

Ready to get started? Begin with an Observer Shift:

https://www.harrisonburgrescue.org/observe

After your observation shift, you may be ready to apply for membership, here's the application along with FAQs: https://www.harrisonburgrescue.org/application-process

*membership requires a 1 year, 36 hr/month commitment

If any further questions please contact: membership@harrisonburgrescue.org

Bridgewater Rescue Squad: https://www.bridgewaterrescue15.org/

About Bridgewater Rescue Squad:

The mission of the Bridgewater Volunteer Rescue Squad is to provide the highest quality professional pre-hospital emergency medical care and rescue services to all citizens of the community in time of sudden illness, injury, or disaster. These services are made possible through the efforts of volunteers who donate their time to respond to emergency calls and maintain high training standards, as well as the voluntary financial contributions of the community.

Observer Shift:

Please complete the items below to begin your volunteer experience with the Bridgewater Volunteer Rescue Squad: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JvSI8iTDJ7y2W66zv1WSAjkfsWJHZNXdK2FFBZNzODA/viewform?edit_requested=true

Membership Application:

https://www.bridgewaterrescue15.org/application