For firefighters and paramedics, a matter of seconds can mean the difference between life and death. 

That means for every student enrolled in HSC 306X — EMT for Fire Services — each hypothetical scenario they complete is timed to the second.

“In emergency medicine, there’s a thousand ways to skin a cat,” said Joey Virtuoso, who teaches the course in UNLV’s Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences program. “Each situation is unique, and students need to find the best way to address those situations. That’s why they’re up against the clock, so they can learn how they can do things quicker. We need to be able to perform, because that’s what the community demands.”

The Course: EMT for Fire Services

EMT for Fire Services provides students with an immersive introduction to emergency medicine through the lens of a firefighter and prepares hopeful EMTs for the national registry EMT exam.

It is also one of UNLV’s newest classes in the School of Integrated Health Sciences.

Who teaches this class?

EMT for Fire Services is taught by Virtuoso, the fire captain of Station 32 for the Clark County Fire Department (CCFD). Station 32, one of two CCFD stations on The Strip, is at the busy intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue.

Virtuoso is a Las Vegas native who began his career in CCFD’s Explorer Program, which introduces participants aged 16 to 21 to the world of firefighting. He is also a certified paramedic who helped organize the family reunification center after the Dec. 6, 2023, campus shooting.

Who is taking this class?

“I have pre-med students, students who want to go into nursing, and other students pursuing medical-related professions,” he said. “Some students have a baseline interest in becoming an EMT. We even have some student-athletes in this class. We are trying to shape the future of public service.”

Virtuoso said the eclectic mix of students in HSC 306X strengthens the educational experience for everyone. 

“It’s full of diversity, which benefits the value of the class,” he said. “I’m speaking from a certain perspective, but our students might be coming from a different perspective. Let’s spread that wealth of knowledge and experience because it makes us all better.”

What are students learning in HSC 306X?

The class is a unique joint partnership between UNLV and fire department in which students complete their homework and quizzes online before meeting for an on-campus, hands-on demonstration every Friday morning.

With assistance from CCFD, Virtuoso brings fire trucks and emergency vehicles to campus so students can get as realistic an experience as possible. Students take the information they learned during the week and apply it to a scenario Virtuoso has created, almost exclusively from calls to which he’s responded.

He also emphasized how important emotional intelligence is to the success of the student experience.

“Emotional intelligence is a big part of this class. A lot of the time, we don’t have much to reference when we’re out on a call. We can’t go back to the office and look through a book. We have to take the knowledge we have and put it to use right there,” he said. “The team dynamic and communication with your fellow paramedics to render care in seconds is crucial.”

Students must also complete two 12-hour ride-along shifts with medical providers before the end of the semester. 

Virtuoso believes in the power of students seeing themselves in these roles. To personalize the experience, he has brought in firefighters from every rank within CCFD, including Fire Chief Billy Samuels. 

Every Friday morning, one of his emergency vehicles can be found near the Cottage Grove parking lot in between the Beam Engineering Complex and the Science and Engineering Building. 

It is where students complete their mock scenarios, which include trauma patient assessment, airway management, cardiac arrest management, splinting, bandaging, and more.

Why are you so passionate about teaching this class?

“This is the community I serve and live in. And that’s the message I portray to the students,” he said. “The people in our community — these are our neighbors. We are making an impact in our neighbors’ lives. All the basic foundations of public service are at the heart of this class.”

Virtuoso emphasized that students interested in careers as a firefighter or a paramedic must always be mindful that they are pursuing a public service; that they work for the people.

“As firefighters, we live here. We sleep here. We shop at the grocery store near our station because we work 24-hour shifts. We are in the heart of our community,” he said.

“It is a lovely profession, and I try to show the students that the main nuts and bolts of what we do is not just community service, but being a good neighbor as well.”