Health ministry starts designation process for emergency medical technician training colleges

The health ministry said it was starting a process to designate colleges that train first-level emergency medical technicians for the 2029 academic year, citing a need for national oversight after the field's rapid expansion.

Students entering in the 2029 academic year will be eligible to sit the first-level emergency medical technician national examination only if they major in emergency medical technology and graduate from a designated university or junior college.

Emergency medical technology departments increased to 71 in 2026 from 39 in 2023 after universities were given autonomy over departmental enrollment quotas. A January 2024 revision to the Emergency Medical Service Act created the basis for the designation system.

Reviews will examine courses, practical training operations, teaching staff and assistants, and facilities and equipment for practice in emergency situations.

"The designation system is for the government to systematically manage the quality and practical competence of emergency medical technician education," Son Young-rae, director general for regional essential public health care at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said.

The ministry and the National Medical Center's Central Emergency Medical Center will hold information sessions for university officials on Aug. 25 in Seoul and Aug. 27 in Daejeon. Ten applicant colleges will undergo pilot designation assessments using the same standards as the regular review and receive tailored consulting on areas needing improvement. Colleges that meet the facilities or equipment requirements in the pilot assessment will be exempt from review in those areas during the regular process.

The formal process will open at the end of 2026, with on-site reviews from March through June 2027 and final designation results in April 2028. The ministry said it plans to continue checking compliance with designation standards and training environments after colleges are designated, and to establish re-designation and conditional designation procedures through a revision to the law.