NYIT to Assume Operations of A-State EMT & Paramedic Programs

JONESBORO, Ark. – New York Institute of Technology and Arkansas State University have reached a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will allow the Jonesboro-based medical school to assume operation of the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic programs previously offered by Arkansas State University.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this outstanding program and ensure that we continue to train these much-needed medical professionals in Northeast Arkansas,” said Shane Speights, D.O., dean of New York Institute of Technology’s Arkansas campus. “Since opening our Arkansas campus in 2016, New York Institute of Technology has been committed to community health, specifically to improving access to healthcare and health education. This new endeavor in emergency medical services fits perfectly with that mission.”

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New York Institute of Technology will begin offering an EMT certificate and a certificate in Paramedics on the Jonesboro campus beginning in the fall of 2024 (July 1).

A-State previously announced that its Emergency Medical Services programs would no longer be offered on the Jonesboro campus. Shortly thereafter, New York Institute of Technology, which operates a locations of its College of Osteopathic Medicine on the A-State campus through a private-public partnership between the two institutions, reached out to A-State to express interest absorbing the programs, and a preliminary agreement was reached.

Sara Walker, M.S./N.R.P., who has served as A-State’s EMS program director since 2015, will join the New York Institute of Technology faculty this summer and will remain in charge of the program through and following the transition.

“I’m very proud of the program we’ve built at A-State, and the transition to New York Institute of Technology will only help improve it,” Walker said. “By partnering with an institution that operates a medical school, we will now have access to resources like advanced simulation equipment and a gross anatomy lab. We have the ability to provide our future EMTs and paramedics with an extremely high level of training, and I’m very excited about that.”

The EMT program prepares students for entry-level practice as an Emergency Medical Technician and requires 12 credit hours to complete. It trains students in basic lifesaving skills, including CPR.

The Paramedic program prepares students for entry-level practice as a paramedic. The curriculum requires 51 credit hours for a technical certificate in EMT/Paramedic. The program trains students to perform advanced lifesaving procedures, such as intubation, IV medication administration, and advanced cardiac life support procedures.

For more information on the EMS programs, visit https://www.nyit.edu/arkansas/emergency_medical_services_program or contact New York Institute of Technology’s Arkansas campus at 870-680-8829.

press release