Emergency Health Sciences posts 100 percent first-time pass rate for SAFD paramedic exam

The Emergency Health Sciences program announced that 100 percent of the 22 students who took the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians’ Cognitive Exam this fall passed on the first try, exceeding the national rate of 74 percent during the same time period.

Mark Dieterle, director of initial education in the Department of Emergency Health Sciences, said that the program consistently sees at least 90 percent of students pass on the first try, but that this class is the first to achieve a 100 percent first-time pass rate in recent memory.

“Part of it certainly is the dedication of the students and their working to put forth the effort to learn the material,” Dieterle said. “The other part of it is the work of the faculty and staff.”

The 22 students are San Antonio Fire Department firefighters and made up the 48th class of SAFD paramedic trainees, Dieterle said.  The City of San Antonio contracts with the UT Health San Antonio to provide paramedic training to firefighters.

The same group of students also passed the NREMT Psychomotor Exam, a hands-on, skills-based test, on Nov. 1.