Emirati EMT programme launched in partnership with University of Sharjah and Charles Sturt University, with National Ambulance offering employment opportunities for successful graduates

Abu Dhabi, 22 May 2017

National Ambulance, together with the University of Sharjah (UOS), today announced a new training programme dedicated to UAE Nationals in the Northern Emirates to qualify as emergency pre-hospital care professionals. The one-year Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training course will prepare Emiratis to work on the front-line of medical emergency response with National Ambulance and guarantee employment opportunities for those who successfully complete the programme.

The full-time programme, set to start in 2017-2018 academic year at the University of Sharjah’s College of Medicine and the Clinical and Surgical Training Center, will be delivered by a team of academic specialists from University of Sharjah and Charles Sturt University alongside internationally trained educators from National Ambulance. The programme will take a group of 35 UAE National high school graduates from a non-clinical background through a purposely designed full-time course that will provide them with the theoretical knowledge and work experience they will need to take up employment as an EMT with National Ambulance.  

Ahmed Saleh Al Hajeri, Deputy CEO of National Ambulance, said: “In this year of giving, National Ambulance’s new EMT training programme for Emiratis reflects our commitment to support the local community and deliver the UAE's goals for the future. Together with the University of Sharjah, we are responding to demands of a growing health sector and the need for highly-trained health professionals who come from the communities where we operate. Not only are we providing education to international standards, our guarantee of future employment offers a career path to young Emiratis.”

Professor Qutayba Hamid, Vice Chancellor for the Medical and Health Sciences Colleges at University of Sharjah, said: “This programme is one of many others that are in preparation and will be released later to be a quantum leap in the strategic plan of University of Sharjah to serve the whole community in the Emirate of Sharjah in particular and UAE as a whole.”

The programme includes a number of training modules designed to build students’ knowledge and skills in providing pre-hospital emergency care during emergency situations. These are: a Foundation module, which will run at Sharjah University and taught by faculty members from UOS College of Medicine; a Core module, based on Charles Sturt University curriculum and taught by a team from National Ambulance Training Department team and an Operations module, which will be handled by National Ambulance and is designed to prepare students for the transition from academic learning to an EMT role working on the road with National Ambulance in the Northern Emirates. This will include an internship at public hospitals, ambulance placements, and working at the National Ambulance Communications Centre. Additional international courses will include; Basic Life Support, Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support Course and Paediatric Life Support Course. In addition, students will receive advanced driver training.

H.E. Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing, Ministry of Health said, “I want to praise this initiative and stress the support of the Ministry for such initiatives that contribute to the development of the health care sector. This program is a qualitative step in building national competencies and expertise in the field of medical services and emergency pre-hospital care, and I encourage school graduates to join the program and serve their country through this noble profession."

Rod Hill, Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at Charles Sturt University said: “Academic staff from our internationally renowned paramedicine program have worked closely with National Ambulance on various projects, over many years. We are delighted to continue our partnership with National Ambulance on this new and very important initiative which provides high quality training in emergency pre hospital care.”

Suitable candidates will be selected through a competency-based process including; personal interviews, language and interpersonal communication competency, and theoretical and practical assessments. Interested candidates should visit www.nationalambulance.ae/emt or www.uoscstc.ae/en/Pages/Home.aspx to register their interest and find out about the criteria of admission and application/ assessment process. A number of information sessions will be organized with dates to be announced at a later stage.

National Ambulance provides emergency pre-hospital care in the Northern Emirates through the dedicated 998 emergency ambulance number and smart application. Its primary task is to handle public medical emergency response and provide high standards of emergency pre-hospital care to citizens, residents and visitors across the Emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah.  Last year, National Ambulance dealt with 67,000 calls received from all of the Northern Emirates.

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About National Ambulance
National Ambulance is the leading pre-hospital emergency care provider in the UAE. It was established to serve government and private clients, and commenced operations in 2010.

Supported by a dedicated Ambulance Communications Centre, National Ambulance provides round-the-clock services across the UAE. National Ambulance employs highly qualified staff who use state-of-the-art ambulances equipped with the latest technology. Through clinical governance, National Ambulance ensures high international standards are maintained so patients receive the best possible care.

National Ambulance also provides clinical staff to support public & private events. Excellence at National Ambulance has been recognised through ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification; and its services are internationally accredited through Joint Commission International. 

For media information, please contact:
Nour Saifi, National Ambulance
Senior Communications & Media Specialist
nsaifi@nationalambulance.ae
Tel:  +971 56 329 7744

© Press Release 2017