Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps

4780 SUNY Stony Brook, NY 11790

HQ Office

631-632-6737

Headquarters

631-632-6899

Fax

631-632-4108

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September 11th, 2001 Never Forget

Dedication to members of the SBVAC family serving in Iraq

page devlog

Joining SBVAC will give you the opportunity to...

-Gain valuable and practical medical experience while providing a community service

-Learn how to think and approach stressful situations

-Participate in the comraderie of an ambulance corps

-Provide EMS coverage at concerts and campus events (e.g. 3 Doors Down,Jimmy Eat World, Dave Chappel, Seawolves sporting events)

-Contribute to educating the community about common health issues (Teddy Bear Clinics, Campus Alcohol Education w/ Suffolk PD)

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Prospective Members,

SBVAC provides the Stony Brook University campus and neighboring community with 24 hour, 365 days per year 911 Emergency Medical Services with a highly trained staff of Emergency Medical Technicians ranging from basic to paramedic levels. By merit of our Crew Chiefs (a senior ranking crew member), our crews are confident, skilled, and knowledgeable; all traits which go into an expeditious, safe, and helpful transport to the Emergency Room.

SBVAC is one of the best agencies to join if you are new to EMS. Our instructors and TAs teach a comprehensive "pre-EMT" training curriculum which covers different aspects of EMS and human physiology in preparation for Emergency Medical Technician class. The initial training requirements are challenging but bear a discrete purpose: you will undergo a greatly rewarding experience and gain confidence in your skills as an EMS provider. After being taught basic First Aid, Professional Rescuer CPR, and ultimately obtaining an EMT-Basic certification (or even higher), you will be able to knowledgably lend a hand anytime and anywhere. For those certified EMTs who wish join our corps, you can also benefit greatly from our Continuing Medical Education and Crew Chief Training programs.

Stony Brook University is well known for its diversity of students, and SBVAC is fortunate to benefit from these individuals who bring their experiences and knowledge to the corps. However, what is most important is that all our members share the common passion of helping others in their time of need. Even though our members do not receive financial compensation for their services, treating patients and being on ambulance calls is very rewarding in itself.

I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you at the informationals, where I or any other member of the corps will be able to answer any further questions you have. Thank you for your interest in the Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corp.

Drew Nunziata
Former Chief of Operations, 2005~2006

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Some Important Things You Should Know...

[1] SBVAC recruits a probationary class every spring and fall semester of the school year. Recruitment is closed during the Summer Break. There will be a set number of informationals at the beginning of each semester that prospective members are strongly urged to attend. These informationals are important because you will learn about the application process for SBVAC and sign up for an interview time slot.

The Informational Dates for the Fall 2008 Semester are:

Thursday September 4, 8:00 PM, Student Activities Center Ballroom B

Friday September 5, 8:00 PM, Student Activities Center Auditorium

Sunday September 7, 8:00 PM, Student Activities Center Ballroom B

Monday September 8, 8:00 PM, Student Activities Center Ballroom B

For Directions to the SAC, please refer to square C5 here. The Union is in square D4.

[2] At the informational, interview times and dates will be announced. You will then have to attend an interview. If for some reason you did not attend one of these interview meetings, you can fill out an application at the interview site. However, interview times and places will be announced at the informationals. The interviews are NOT held at SBVAC headquarters.

[3] At the interview, instructions will be given to you on how to find out whether or not you were accepted into the corps. The number of people SBVAC can accept each semester is dependant on the number of outgoing members and also the number of instructors available. You MUST bring a completed application to the interview.

[4] If you are accepted, you are required to attend the orientation meeting. Failure to do so will invalidate your acceptance.

Click here to download the SBVAC probationary member application

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Some Commonly Asked Questions...

So do I need to be an EMT or have a driver's license to join?

While other EMS agencies may have these requirements, SBVAC does not require ANY prior experience with EMS or health care of its applicants. In fact, the majority of probationary members in SBVAC are people who have have not even set foot in an ambulance before. SBVAC has its own EMS education curriculum (called probie class), where the probationary members are taught a comprehensive overview of EMS skills and knowledge over the course of a semester. You can learn more about probie class and SBVAC's approach to EMS education here. SBVAC also trains its own EVOs (Emergency Vehicle Operators) for those who already hold a driver's license.

Is it true that I have to dedicate a lot of time to the agency if I get accepted?

Yes, it is true that there is a significant time commitment involved in SBVAC (especially for probationary members). Every member in SBVAC is required to do a weekly shift, as well as some other mandatory commitments. In addition to these basic requirements, probationary members are required to attend "probie class" every Sunday. Many members dedicate even more time than is required to the company, such as attending driver/crew chief trainings or standbys for other agencies. However, the bottom line is that you can control how much time you put into SBVAC.

I'm not a student at Stony Brook University, am I still eligible for membership?

Yes. Most of our members are students, but application for SBVAC is open to anyone.

Do I have to be 18 years of age or above to join?

No. The minimum age to join is 17 years of age with proof of parental permission.

So, is SBVAC just doing shifts on the ambulance?

Yes...and no. SBVAC's #1 uncompromising priority is patient care and advocacy. Apart from that, accepted members will find that their fellow SBVACians are in general a fun and very friendly bunch of people. Accepted members should prepare themselves for participation in fun, long-standing company traditions (such as the Midnight Barbeque) that are too top secret to mention on this website. Oops.