Spots still available for enthusiastic volunteers needed to fill EMT Class starting in January
Veterans Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service ... Spots are still available for the face-to-face NICC EMT Class in Waukon beginning in January. This class is not offered locally each year, so the fact it will be held in Waukon is a convenience. Drake Tilson of Waukon is a newer EMT with the Veterans Memorial Hospital Service, and is pictured above with other members of the service crew. In the accompanying article he explains why he feels being an EMT and serving the community is a privilege. Registration for the EMT class must be completed prior to the orientation night January 8 and can be completed by using the QR code that also appears with this article. Submitted photo.
Drake Tilson ... Submitted photo.
Spots are still available for the face-to-face Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Class in Waukon beginning in January. This class is not offered locally each year, so the fact it will be held in Waukon is a convenience. This 138-hour course will conclude in May. Registration for the class must be completed prior to the orientation night January 8.
The number of Emergency Medical Technicians in this area has dwindled over the years as licensed EMTs have retired. Allamakee and northern Clayton Counties are fortunate to have many emergency response services, but nearly all of them are in need of more EMTs on their service to share the call time, ensuring local emergency services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Drake Tilson of Waukon is a newer EMT with the Veterans Memorial Hospital Service. He explains why he feels being an EMT and serving the community is a privilege, in the following, “I read this quote years ago and it really resonated with me. To this day I have no idea who ‘said’ this, but I find myself using it frequently to articulate why I got into Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and why I continue to work in EMS. ‘You’re going to be there when a lot of people are born, and when a lot of people die. In most every culture, such moments are regarded as sacred and private, made special by a divine presence. No one on Earth would be welcomed, but you’re personally invited. What an honor that is.’”
The EMT class prepares the students to provide pre-hospital assessment and care for patients of all ages with a variety of medical conditions and traumatic injuries. Areas of study include an introduction to emergency medical services systems, roles and responsibilities of EMTs, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting, and providing patient transportation.
Enthusiastic, willing volunteers wanting to truly help people are needed to fill this class. The class will meet two nights per week, Mondays and Wednesdays, from 6-10 p.m. and clinicals will be held in person. Students who successfully complete this class and the certification examination will be able to volunteer on their own community’s ambulance service or rescue squad, as well as be prepared for careers in emergency services.
For more information, contact Jacob Dougherty, Paramedic, EMS Manager, or Cheryl Livingston, Paramedic and Class Instructor, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411. Registration information can be found and completed at:
https://nicc.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&in...
