Students Get Certified Through Local EMS Academy
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Pre-health cohort puts in the time and effort, with an eye toward medical careers
video by Stephen Munchel
Cumberland Goodwill EMS is the local ambulance agency in the Carlisle area, answering around 12,000 calls per year. And recently, the organization has teamed up with Dickinson to train the next generation of emergency responders and medical professionals.
“They've assembled a great teaching academy for the EMT Basic and now EMT Advanced certification,” explains Professor of Biology Chuck Zwemer. “Certainly, as a college, experiential learning is imperative, and it'd be hard to find something more experiential than helping in our community as a provider.”
The program involves about 150 hours of classroom and hands-on training—including patient assessment and reviewing traumatic injuries—often in Cumberland Goodwill’s simulation house.
“It's a great steppingstone,” says Cody Wood, captain of the EMS unit. “Talking to somebody on their worst day—how to communicate with them and how to pass along that information—is something that you're going to need to do in any kind of health career. Starting it off at 18, 19, 20 years old with EMS really can set you up for future success.”
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Published May 7, 2024