Paramedics are highly skilled medical professionals dedicated to saving lives and stabilizing critically injured patients. If you’re enthusiastic about the idea of training to be a paramedic but need financial help for schooling, promising options are available. Many community and technical colleges with paramedic programs offer financial aid to qualified students, including grants or scholarships that don’t have to be repaid. In addition, you may be eligible for grants and scholarships through private foundations and community organizations.
NAEMT Scholarship
The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Foundation offers scholarships worth up to $2,000 for students seeking to become licensed, certified paramedics. Membership in NAEMT is required at the time of application and for the duration of academic study. To be considered for a possible scholarship, applicants must write a compelling letter to NAEMT explaining their educational goals and why a scholarship would be beneficial. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial hardship, dedication and willingness to uphold the professional standards of NAEMT.
Bound Tree Medical Legacy Scholarship
Bound Tree Medical offers paramedic preparation scholarships up to $2,500 for applicants whose primary caregiver is or was an emergency medical technician or firefighter. The primary caregiver may include a parent, grandparent, stepparent, foster parent or other adult who shared the applicant’s household and held a caretaking role. Eligible applicants must submit an application form, a one-page essay describing career goals, and two letters of recommendation from non-family members. Applicants must be planning to attend a state-approved paramedical program.
Michael J. Latta Memorial Scholarship
The mission of the Michael J. Latta EMS Scholarship Foundation is to help aspiring paramedics realize their dream of helping others. The scholarship is named after Michael J. Latta who died at the age of 21, before he was able to reach his goal of becoming a paramedic and EMT instructor. To compete for a scholarship, applicants must write a 500-word essay describing how they possess many of Michael’s exceptional qualities, such as courage, determination, persistence and leadership ability. Additionally, applicants are asked to identify community service contributions, academic honors and special awards. The amount of the scholarship varies.
Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship
Honor students with leadership experience enrolled in a qualifying program at a regionally accredited community college may apply for a Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship awarded by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Each year, the organization gives out up to 20 national scholarships, each totaling $2,500. Applicants must have a 3.0 overall GPA and have completed at least half their course work in a emergency medical services program that leads to an associate degree. The award was established in honor of Frank Lanza, a corporate visionary and philanthropist. Paramedic students must submit a scholarship application indicating how they meet the criteria of academic excellence and leadership.
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Dr. Mary Dowd is a dean of students whose job includes student conduct, leading the behavioral consultation team, crisis response, retention and the working with the veterans resource center. She enjoys helping parents and students solve problems through advising, teaching and writing online articles that appear on many sites. Dr. Dowd also contributes to scholarly books and journal articles.