EMS Certification Training

The Mutual Aid- Excela Health Paramedic Program is a 1000-hour certificate course providing classroom, laboratory, clinical, and field experiences to Paramedic Students. The Program’s curriculum meets the National and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s requirements for paramedic training. Graduates of the Paramedic Program are permitted to sit for the National Registry-Paramedic cognitive and psychomotor exams, and are eligible to receive thirty-nine (39) credits to the University of Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Program.

The goal of the Paramedic Program is “to prepare competent entry-level Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and/or Emergency Medical Technician, and/or Emergency Medical Responder levels.” The program is designed to meet the constantly changing needs of the paramedic profession, and provide the necessary education and experiences to meet the demands of the student and the communities in which they serve.

Mutual Aid- Excela Health Paramedic Training Program was established in 2022 (formerly the Mutual Aid-UPMC-CEM Paramedic Training Consortium, established in 2013) to meet the requirements of National Accreditation for Paramedic Education. Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, Inc. and Excela Health together display regional, State, and National recognition for pre-Hospital excellence in patient care and education.

Mutual Aid- Excela Health Paramedic Training Program is accredited by the Commission on Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) by the recommendation of The Committee on Accreditation of Educational Program for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP.)

Brian has been appointed the Program Director for the Mutual Aid-Excela Health Paramedic Training Program since January 2025. Brian’s responsibilities include the creation, development and management of the Paramedic Program, as well as the continuous evaluation of the Program’s curriculum, instructors and students. He also oversees all aspects of the Program’s laboratory, student minimal skills competencies, clinical and field sites, ensuring all aspects of the Program is compliant with CAAHEP Accreditation Standards.

Brian is a second-generation Paramedic who’s journey in EMS begin in January of 1998. Brian became a Nationally Registered Paramedic in 2002, and received his Bachelor of Arts from Saint Vincent College in 2003. Since 1999, Brian has been employed by Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, Inc. During this time, Brian has served as an EMT, Paramedic, Paramedic Preceptor, Paramedic Supervisor, Education Coordinator, Clinical Director and Senior EMS Education Specialist. Brian has over twenty (20) years of experiences teaching EMT, Advanced EMT and Paramedic certification classes, as well as American Heart Association programs such as CPR/First Aid training, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). Brian also instructs various classes for the National Association for Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and International Trauma Life Support (ITLS). Brian is a regional exam evaluator with EMS West, as well as an adjunct instructor for the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg School of Nursing and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

As an experienced education administrator and instructor, his personal and professional goals is to promote life-long initial and continuous education experiences for all students in the prehospital setting. Brian is committed to quality education for every student, and hopes to inspire a new generation of prehospital professionals.

William A. Jenkins, M.D., FACEP, is the Medical Director for Mutual Aid- Excela Health Paramedic Training Program. Dr. Jenkins is responsible for overseeing all medical aspects of the Program, including curriculum and exam development, classroom and laboratory instruction, as well as student evaluations.

Dr. Jenkins received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, and was appointed Chief Resident during his Emergency Medicine Residency, also at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Jenkins has experience as a Flight Physician with Stat Medevac Aeromedical Transport Service, as well as an EMS ground Physician for the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety. He has received numerous awards, appointments, and positions for academic and educational excellence throughout his many years of service to the medical community.

Dr. Jenkins is currently the EMS Medical Director for Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, Inc., and is a Tactical EMS Medical Director for the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team. He is also the Medical Director for the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety. Dr. Jenkins is a Diplomat for the American Board of Emergency Medicine, and is a Fellow for the American of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Jenkins is currently the Director for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Excela Frick Hospital, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Westmoreland Emergency Medicine Specialists.

The Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, Inc. Training Institute EMT Training Program is a 160-hour certificate course providing classroom, laboratory, clinical, and field experiences to EMT Students. The Program’s curriculum meets the National and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s requirements for paramedic training. Graduates of the EMT Program are permitted to sit for the National Registry- EMT cognitive and psychomotor exams.

The goal of the EMT Program is “to prepare competent entry-level EMTs in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains with or without exit points at the Emergency Medical Responder level.”

Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, Inc. EMT Training Program was established in 1990 to meet the constantly changing needs of the emergency medicine profession and provide the necessary education and experiences to meet the demands of the student and the communities in which they serve.

Mutual Aid- Excela Health Paramedic Training Program is accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of EMS, regional office of EMS West.