Emergency Medical Technician
Develop the skills, confidence and calm under pressure needed to save lives when every second counts. The emergency medical technician (EMT) program prepares students to provide pre-hospital emergency medical care and patient transportation in both critical and routine situations.
Through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on training and real-world experience, students learn to assess, stabilize and safely transport patients using standard emergency medical equipment. From responding to trauma calls to performing life support procedures, the program builds the technical and decision-making skills required to act with professionalism and care in any emergency.
📌 REQUIREMENTS
To attend a Zoom information session, please register in advance for one of the available
dates listed on the schedule of upcoming information sessions. After registering, you'll receive a confirmation email with details on how to join
the virtual session.
EMT CERTIFICATION: To receive your EMT certification, you must take two courses which can be taken simultaneously. These courses are HEAL 100 and HEAL 161 (10 units with both courses combined). We will help you arrange one ambulance ride along and one hospital rotation as your clinical experience.
COURSES: SPRING 2026 HEAL 100 and HEAL 161
Students gain practical experience in local emergency departments and on ambulances, applying what they learn in real medical settings. The program also integrates anatomy and physiology, trauma care, emergency vehicle operations and professional conduct. Upon successful completion, students are eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) and Los Angeles County certification exams — key steps toward a rewarding career in emergency medicine.
ABOUT THE EMT PROGRAM
The EMT program at Citrus College continues to uphold the high standards set in its early years. Recognized for its academic rigor and hands-on training, the program is approved by the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS). Instruction is provided by the program director along with a team of highly qualified paramedic and EMT professionals, each bringing extensive field experience and advanced academic preparation to the classroom and laboratory settings.
Students entering the program train with state-of-the-art equipment, including the SimRescue extrication trainer and the Zoll X Series Advanced portable 12-lead EKG monitor, among other industry-standard tools. Citrus College is also one of the few EMT programs in Los Angeles County that conducts its clinical rotations with local ambulance providers and hospitals, including some of the region's busiest trauma, STEMI, stroke and Emergency Departments Approved for Pediatrics (EDAP). These clinical experiences provide students with unparalleled exposure to real-world emergency care environments.
The Citrus College EMT program has also been selected as a training site for EMT and tactical medicine instruction for Los Angeles-based federal agents, further underscoring its reputation for excellence and its longstanding leadership in public safety education.
HISTORY OF THE EMT PROGRAM
Continuing its tradition of leadership and innovation, Citrus College established one of the San Gabriel Valley's first emergency medical technician (EMT) programs in 1971. The program was directed by Mrs. Marilyn Collins, BSN, MICN, MHA, one of Los Angeles County's first ten mobile intensive care nurses (MICN) and a pioneering figure in prehospital care. Under her guidance, firefighters and private provider agencies from across the region received rigorous EMT training, preparing them to deliver critical, life-saving assistance to the sick and injured in emergency situations. Mrs. Collins' tenure helped shape a new standard of emergency response in the San Gabriel Valley and positioned Citrus College as an early leader in public safety education.
The program is currently led by instructor Al Laicans, B.A., paramedic, who has taught at Citrus College for more than ten years. A graduate of the UCLA–Daniel Freeman EMT and Paramedic programs, Mr. Laicans has served in a wide range of roles within the EMS system, including EMT, paramedic, firefighter-paramedic, field training officer, paramedic coordinator and division trainer in Los Angeles, Orange and Imperial Counties, as well as in Clark County, Nevada. He represents EMT programs on the Los Angeles County Provider Agency Advisory Council and has instructed thousands of EMT students in the classroom while mentoring countless EMTs and paramedics in the field. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to student learning and to the continued excellence of Citrus College's EMT program.