Center for Trauma and Critical Care Education

Department of Surgery

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CARA Grant Programs

The EMS Scholarship program is made possible by a Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery (CARA) grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  This 4-year, $3.2 million grant was awarded to the VCU CTCEE and the VCU Injury and Violence Prevention Program (IVPP) and will fund three major initiatives.  

  1. Increase diversity of EMS workforce.
  2. Provide access to EMS education to underserved areas.
  3. Bolster EMS training programs with additional information on public health, addiction, response to substance abuse, mental health, domestic and intimate partner violence, and motivational interviewing.

Breaking Barriers EMT Program

This program is an extended in-person Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training course designed for working adults that may have struggled with adequate access to education and employment due to proximity, income, or status. The program includes a traditional EMT course plus additional workforce skill development such as resume building and interviewing. Once certified, these individuals are qualified for employment with ambulance transport services, fire departments, and in hospitals.

EMS Initial Training Programs Tuition Scholarships

The underrepresentation of women and minorities in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the United States is a complex problem that has ramifications for workforce diversity and the provision of healthcare. The development of culturally competent care can be hampered by the lack of various viewpoints and experiences, which can eventually lower the standard of care given to diverse groups (Crowe et al., 2020). 
 
The VCU Center for Trauma and Critical Care Education was awarded a federal grant to address these inequalities by designing programs to help promote diversity in EMS by supporting the advancement and training of minorities, women, and LGTBQ+ in EMS roles. 
 
After prospective students apply to our EMS Initial Training Programs, they receive information about applying for vouchers to cover all or part of their course fees.