Daniel Teague of New Castle, Delaware, wants to change the face of EMS with the help of his recently acquired National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Scholarship from Columbia Southern University (CSU).

“The field of EMS is in desperate need of passionate leadership and research development to become everything that it should,” said Teague, a 10-year veteran of EMS. “I will utilize the opportunity given by Columbia Southern to become a force behind that concept.”

The NAEMT scholarship is awarded only to its members. Teague’s scholarship will cover up to 60 hours and will be applied directly to his tuition for up to three years or until the completion of the selected degree program, whichever comes first.

Teague plans to use the award to pursue an online bachelor’s degree in emergency medical services administration. He also hopes to further his education later to the graduate and post-graduate level so he help improve his career field.

“We must continue to pursue the goals of the International Board of Specialty Certification and NAEMT to legitimize our field. Until we have an army of providers who are formally educated and actively involved in research, we will continue to suffer shortfalls in staffing and the pitfalls of not being respected as genuine clinicians,” Teague said. “If I am certain about one thing in my field. It is that programs like CSU’s EMSA degree and the efforts of NAEMT are the seeds of success that will allow my field to grow exponentially.”

To learn more about Columbia Southern University visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu/EMSA.