EMT Program Making a Difference

By Ausia Hoke

A bright light shines in your eyes as you feel a rush of pain to your head. You can hear someone’s voice crying out, but as you attempt to focus, you realize the voice is your own. Bewildered, you search your surroundings with your eyes, hoping for some kind of salvation. Finally, your eyes rest on the light once again. It moves again, and you see it’s a flashlight and
behind it, a face. The face, fortunately, is your rescuer, an Emergency Medical Technician. RCC hosts its own EMT program each term at the Table Rock Campus. The campus offers fully operational classrooms which include a lab room where emergencies are simulated. There is also a separate building which houses ambulances used for training.

Three levels of education are offered in the EMT program, including Basic, Intermediate, and Paramedic. For students who are interested in a career as a paramedic or a firefighter, the Basic level classes are the place to start. Entry requirements include a placement exam, current CPR certification, and proof of required immunizations. Students enrolled in the Basic level are given twelve to forty-eight hours of clinical opportunity in which they participate in real life Emergency Room and ambulance situations. Upon completion of the Basic level, students are then able to take the State and National Certification exam to become certified as a basic EMT. Students who want to pursue a two year Associates degree can then enter into the Paramedic level classes through a competitive application process based partly on GPA, experience, and overall preparedness. The final phase of the Paramedic level includes completing a Field Internship in which students spend 300 hours of time on an Advanced Life Support Ambulance where they respond to actual 911 emergencies.

The EMT program at RCC is considered to be very successful. According to Gary Heigel, RCC’s EMT program coordinator, most students have job offers waiting for them upon completion of the Associates degree. Even still, the EMT program requires immense dedication and commitment in order to become an accomplished Emergency Medical Technician. Required coursework can be intense for many students. If you are interested in this career path it is important to be able to work well under pressure. Heigel says this can be a very satisfying career choice “for those students who want an interesting job and have the ability to communicate effectively in a variety of situations and with a variety of people”.

Students who have graduated from the EMT program have become employed by many emergency services in the Rogue Valley and beyond, including Mercy Flights, American Medical Response, and most fire departments in Jackson and Josephine Counties. Some students even continue on to a nursing or Physical Assistant career. Working as an Emergency Medical Technician can be a very rewarding experience for someone who can derive satisfaction from knowing that they are helping others. Heigel says that the best part of being involved in the emergency and medical field is “knowing that what I do makes a difference in people’s lives”. For more information on RCC’s EMT program, visit the website.