Transformative Healthcare and Curry College Partner to Create New Student Training Program in Emergency Medicine

As part of its commitment to creating relevant, experiential learning opportunities for students, Curry College today announced a partnership with Transformative Healthcare to launch a unique emergency medical technician training program.

Beginning in the fall, a cohort of up to 16 select students will start the six-month training to become certified Emergency Medical Technicians with Transformative Healthcare’s Fallon Ambulance Service. With the new Fallon Fellowship program, Curry College students pursuing careers in public health, medicine, or law enforcement can now gain valuable hands-on work experience helping patients in an emergency setting.

The new partnership comes at a critical time as emergency response teams are continually serving as essential healthcare workers at the frontlines of the nation’s COVID-19 response.

“Emergency Medical Services and the Healthcare industry at large are forever changed, in practice, in need, and in precaution,” says Danielle Thomas, vice president, Systems Integration, Transformative Healthcare. “The role of the EMT is anchored in Public Health with extensions into social services and public safety. The COVID-19 response demonstrated this integral role by relying on EMS technicians and providers to deliver testing and surveillance solutions to vulnerable populations in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Fallon Fellowship allows Curry students unique exposure to all aspects of vital care during this unprecedented time.”

The program will launch in September 2020 with a planned second cohort starting in January 2021. The hybrid delivery educational model will allow the students to receive their initial EMT training under the guidance of the Department of Public Health’s requirements for EMS education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This leading solution will be delivered through Transformative Healthcare’s Center for Clinical Excellence in its new, state-of-the-art accredited training institute in Dedham, Mass. After initial training, they will be qualified to sit for EMT certification in the state of Massachusetts, valid for two years and transferable to many states across the nation. Once certified, the Curry cohort will work as EMTs within the ranks of Fallon Ambulance Service, one of New England’s largest ambulance services and the town of Milton’s contracted emergency medical services provider. In their work as EMTs in the Boston-metro service area, students will gain hands-on experience in emergency medicine, healthcare communication, pre-hospital healthcare, public service, and public health.

“With this partnership, we see a natural opportunity for our students studying biology, community health and wellness, nursing or criminal justice to gain critical skills as an emergency medical practitioner that can then serve as a direct pathway to graduate school or a full-time job,” says Michael Bosco, assistant vice president of academic affairs, Curry College. “The new fellowship program is yet one more way Curry helps students bridge theory to practice, and we’re confident it will help them build transferable skills they can apply in any career path they choose.”

Curry is among a group of leading institutions collaborating with Transformative Healthcare to integrate classroom study with real-world work experiences. Northeastern University, Tufts University and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences have recently implemented similar programs to offer new practical training opportunities to students interested in medicine, healthcare management, and medical research.

In conjunction with the accredited medical training, Transformative Healthcare has also designed an accompanying weekly leadership workshop series, where industry experts and Curry students will convene and participate in facilitated lectures covering topics inclusive of leadership in healthcare, healthcare administration, community EMS, tactical EMS, emergency medicine, health industry career pathing, and primary care medicine through the nursing model of healthcare.

Transformative Healthcare Manager of Special Programs Tyler Richards ’12 was instrumental in the inception of the partnership and is excited for fellow Curry students to gain experience as emergency medical services professionals. “Curry College provided me with some of the best memories of my life and an education that has shaped me both personally and professionally,” he says. “I am beyond excited to take an active role once again in the college community by helping to train a new generation of health industry leaders.”