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A Descriptive Analysis of Demographic Factors of Students Enrolling in an EMT Course

Author: Mark Cicero | |

Associate Authors: Janette Baird | Kathleen Adelgais | Linda Brown | Marc Auerbach

Introduction

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) are the primary emergency care providers in the out-of-hospital environment, and thus this workforce serves as an entry point to the healthcare system. Diversity in the healthcare workforce has been demonstrated to improve communication, reduce bias, and build the relationship between patient and provider. Additionally, diversity in education has been shown to improve intellectual engagement, motivation, and critical thinking. However due to difficulty in reporting and poor characterization of the workforce, there is limited accurate, comprehensive demographic data on who is an EMT. Thus, the first step is to start counting.

Methods

This is a descriptive analysis of demographic factors (gender, race/ethnicity, education) of all students enrolling in the UCLA initial EMT education program from June 2021-May 2022. As part of the enrollment process, students are asked to complete a demographic survey. Candidates are asked their gender, race/ethnicity, and level of education. All students are required to complete the survey; however, they are allowed to select “prefer not to answer” to any question.

Race/Ethnicity and education responses reflect similarly the 2020 US Census and while no definition was provided, gender responses include how one perceives and/or expresses their gender. Multiple responses were accepted in choosing race/ethnicity.

Results
The study population included 952 students entering EMT training over a 12-month period. Students entering the program reported their gender as 38% female, 60% male, 1% nonbinary/third gender, and 1% prefer not to say; race as 43% White, 31% Hispanic or Latino, 22% Asian, 6% other ethnicity, 6% Black or African American, 4% prefer not to say, 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native; and education attained as 32% some college credit, no degree, 29% bachelor’s degree, 27%, high school graduate, diploma, or equivalent, 6% associates degree, 2% master’s degree, 1% prefer not to say, 1% trade/technical/vocational training, 1% doctorate.

Conclusion

The accurate collection of demographic information for those entering EMT training serves a starting point for which to investigate learner experience, student success, and workforce diversity. Future research is needed to determine if diversity in the EMS training impacts outcomes.