Each school day, students from Elizabethtown Area High School can be found learning how to save lives. They are part of a new program that offers emergency medical technician (EMT) training through Northwest Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
"We are all interested in going into the medical field, and this is giving us an opportunity to have field experience before we even graduate from high school," said Claire Thomas, a senior at Elizabethtown Area High School. She is one of five students in a morning class that meets at the station in Elizabethtown. Ten students also meet every day in the afternoon.
The class takes students through various stations covering everything from bandaging wounds to CPR.
"We provide health care services for the community, and this is a way to continue that while also focusing on the education component of our mission," said Ryan Runkel, who teaches the class. "There is a big demand right now for EMS providers, so this is great that the school district is interested in this program and that the students are interested in participating."
Junior Ainsley Raybold said the class is fun but challenging. "I love the hands-on training," she noted. "Ryan puts us through some very tough situations."
For senior Makenna Heisey, the class is providing an opportunity to learn new things and then prove that knowledge. "The tests are pretty difficult," she stated. "They are not your typical school tests, because they cover a lot of material in a very specific way. That's definitely the most challenging part of this class."
In addition to classroom time, the students complete clinical hours with the EMS staff. "I love being able to go out in the field and actually be on call," said junior Emma Kreider.
Matthew Smedley, a senior, said what happens out in the community is just as educational as what happens in the classroom. "This course is giving us a really good opportunity to experience what happens before someone gets to the hospital," he said of the ambulance rides, which have found students doing everything from administering oxygen to intubating patients.
The class is also providing an opportunity for students who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine to see if it's a good fit for them, said Claire, adding, "It's a way to have some experience in the medical field and gauge your level of interest or see what's really involved in a career like this before you actually decide to go into it, just in case it's not for you."
The students will graduate from the class on Saturday, June 5, and will then seek EMT certification by taking a two-part test consisting of written and hands-on elements.
Runkel said he hopes to expand the class to other school districts and is also working with Elizabethtown College to offer a class for the community.
"One of the things the students don't even realize they are getting out of this class is they are learning how to apply quick thinking in emergency situations," he noted. "Every day, they are honing their critical-thinking skills."
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