Emergency Medical Services
Due to the requirements of the State of Alabama for EMS Licensure, no student will be admitted to any Wallace Community College Emergency Medical Services program who cannot meet the following essential functions:
- Have the physical agility to walk, climb, crawl, bend, push, pull, or lift and balance over less than ideal terrain;
- Have good physical stamina, endurance, which would not be adversely affected by having to lift, carry, and balance at times, in excess of 125 pounds (250 pounds with assistance);
- See different color spectrums;
- Have good eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity to manipulate equipment, instrumentation and medications;
- Be able to send and receive verbal messages as well as operate appropriately the communication equipment of current technology;
- Be able to collect facts and to organize data accurately, to communicate clearly both orally and in writing in the English language (at the ninth grade reading level or higher)
- Be able to make good judgment decisions and exhibit problem solving skills under stressful situations;
- Be able to make good judgment decisions and exhibit problem solving skills under stressful situation;
- Be attentive to detail and be aware of standards and rules that govern practice; and
- implement therapies based upon mathematical calculation (at the ninth grade level or higher);
- Possess emotional stability to be able to perform duties in life-or-death situations and in potentially dangerous social situations, including responding to calls in districts known to have high crime rates;
- Be able to handle stress and work well as part of a team;
- Be oriented to reality and not be mentally impaired by mind altering substances;
- Not be addicted to drugs or alcohol;
- Be able to work shifts of 24 hours in length;
- Be able to tolerate being exposed to extremes in the environment including variable aspects of weather, hazardous fumes, and noise, and
- Possess eyesight in a minimum of one eye correctable to 20/20 vision and be able to determine directions, according to a map. Students who desire to drive an ambulance must possess approximately 180 degrees peripheral vision capacity, must possess a valid Alabama driver’s license (if a resident of another state is employed in Alabama), and must be able to safely and competently operate a motor vehicle in accordance with state law.