“I’ve been in EMS my whole life in one way or another,” said RN EMT-P Susan Prezzano, who entered the field in 1971. “I am an ER nurse, a paramedic, and an educator.”
She presently teaches for Empress EMS in Rhinebeck (formerly Northern Dutchess Paramedics, or NDP) and at the Empress EMS Academy in Poughkeepsie.
Her passion for the field was sparked by her father, who was a police officer in Carmel.
“When I was little, my dad would pick me up from school, and we’d drive around in the police car, and we’d go to accidents, we’d go to the hospital, and so it just kind of fit in place.”
Career started in nursing
Her medical education began with a nursing degree.
“I went to Grasslands in Valhalla to become a nurse, and I challenged out the rest of my degrees,” she said.
“Challenging out” of medical degrees means that one takes exams to obtain qualifications, such as becoming a paramedic, without additional training, because one is already knowledgeable of the subject matter and can pass the certification exams.
However, to become a flight nurse, she did have to take an EMT course.
“I took a whole EMT class because I wanted to fly, and you have to be state-certified. So, I took an EMT class, then I challenged out of the paramedic class and became a flight nurse. I was with the State Police on one of the first flight crews in New York State, when they used nurses from Saint Francis. I flew for four years. I loved it. It was great, but I had a young family, and I didn’t want to be up in the air all the time.”
Moved to Dutchess County in 1982
Now a resident of the Town of Gallatin in Columbia County, she moved to Dutchess County in 1982, where she first worked at Vassar Brothers Hospital (now Vassar Brothers Medical Center) for five years in the ER, then went to Saint Francis Hospital (now MidHudson Regional Hospital), where she developed and implemented their trauma center in 1992, which she oversaw until 2004.
“I started teaching EMT classes at Dutchess Community College, and I taught paramedic classes there for a few years before I came to Northern Dutchess Paramedics (now Empress EMS). I started in Quality Assurance, got the New York State sponsorship and the AHA (American Heart Association) sponsorship and started doing classes up here,” she said.
“I usually teach two EMT classes a year — sometimes three — and there are also continuing education and CPR classes.”
She said most of the students in northern Dutchess are volunteers.
“We didn’t have paid ambulances up here until Northern Dutchess Paramedics started 24 years ago. When we became certified, we started teaching the volunteers as a grassroots project.”
The course work for EMTs is the same whether they are paid or volunteers.
“It’s a state certification. The difference between the Academy and up here is that we don’t have classes five days a week. We do classes two, sometimes three evenings a week, because most of our people have full-time jobs.”
Of being involved in EMS, she said, “It is my life. I love caring for patients and seeing them get better, making a difference in their lives.
“I am very passionate about caring for patients, as well as teaching people how to do it correctly, to be compassionate with patients. Sometimes EMS can be very frustrating. Frequently, people call an ambulance because they need a ride to the hospital,” rather than because they have a true emergency. “You have to be patient with your patients; you have to be sincere in caring for them and not be judgmental. That can be a difficult boundary.”
Impact in community extensive
Susan’s colleague and fellow educator Cheryl Hillbrant attests to her impact in the community.
“Sue is a huge icon in the EMS world, especially in within Dutchess and Ulster County. She doesn’t take enough credit for everything she’s done. She’s amazing,” said Cheryl, who works for Empress in Rhinebeck in addition to volunteering in Tivoli. “If you talk to EMTs or paramedics who have been in the field for a long time, they will know who Sue is,” Cheryl said. “And she’s probably taught them.”
Susan said that after NDP was acquired by Empress in October 2025, Deputy Chief David Grass, Assistant Director of Education at Empress, suggested she come to Poughkeepsie to meet people.
“When I walked in the door, everybody knew me,” she recalled. “They were like, ‘Hi, Sue,’ and Dave said, ‘I guess you don’t need any introductions, do you?’ ”
Family plays a big role
A mother of four with 12 grandchildren, Susan is very family oriented. Besides visiting her nuclear family who live in the region, she enjoys spending time with her cousins and visiting her son and grandchildren who live in Georgia. She also enjoys going to the beach and reading.
“One thing I’m very proud of is that I have been very respected both in the EMS community and the nursing community. I have a box of awards from lots of places, but I don’t display them. I was state president of the Emergency Nurses Association at one point and on the committee for the American Trauma Society. I’ve done a lot of stuff. I am fortunate to have been given so many opportunities and make so many friends,” she said.
