The Free State College of Emergency Care (FSCoEC), under the Department of Health, made the move to offer higher education programmes through accreditation from the University of Johannesburg in 2018.
The FSCoEC initially focused on the Diploma in Emergency Medical Care (DEMC) programme, which is a mid-level qualification at an NQF level 6. In 2020, we started offering the Higher Certificate in Emergency Medical Care programme, which is an entry-level qualification at an NQF level 5.
We are currently phasing over into a new partnership with a university in Bloemfontein, and will be resuming the tertiary qualifications as soon as possible. Please visit the site regularly to check for updates on when the next intake will be open for applications.
Our Medical Rescue training is facilitated by a World Rescue Assessor, and is currently undergoing significant redevelopment with the aim to offer a tertiary qualification course.
Our College was the first Provincial Training College in 2021 to roll out an online training platform used to facilitate and manage Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) offerings for employees of the FS EMS.
The college is centrally located in Bloemfontein, on the premises of the National District Hospital. The college is conveniently located next to the Free State School of Nursing.
The lecturers facilitating our programmes have years of operational experience within their disciplines of Rescue and Prehospital medicine. All our lecturers are qualified Emergency Care Practitioners (ECP), including various rescue and other qualifications obtained in their careers.
Many of our staff have graduated in their respective postgraduate studies, which include Postgraduate Diplomas and Master's programmes, ensuring that learners are engaged and immersed in the curriculum of all programmes we offer.
Our clinical practice component is praised for ensuring that learners not only bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application but also experience patient management in authentic environments. This clinical experience is vital for learners to be prepared for the prehospital environment post-graduation.