EMERGENCY Services

ACADEMY DESCRIPTION: Students in the Emergency Services Academy learn life-saving skills through hands-on emergency scenarios and labs. Students build skills in leadership, confidence, and collaboration.

CERTIFICATIONS- Students have the opportunity to earn several professional certifications as they work towards EMT status; first aide, CPR, CPR Instructor, Emergency Responder, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). These certifications help to make program students stand-out applicants to their future medical programs. They allow them to begin working in the medical field and begin building vital medical experience.

COLLEGE CREDITS- Many of the courses in this academy are college level material. Students can earn articulated college credits when they earn a B or better in these courses. Articulated courses include:

Exploring Health Careers, Medical Terminology, First Aid & CPR, Emergency Medical Responders, Emergency Medical Technician, Anatomy & Physiology

COMMUNITY SERVICE- OEC is committed to giving students the opportunity to become an asset to their community in many ways. They can be involved in teaching CPR classes, providing First Aid at events, training Boy Scouts, and the Adopt-a-Family Program, which provided families in need with gifts during the holidays.

OEC requires service hours for course completion. These hours can be from events and labs hours. These community service hours can also be documented on student transcripts.

CAREER FIELD- Emergency medical services include careers such as paramedic and EMT (emergency medical technician). Emergency medical services professionals respond to emergency situations such as heart attacks, head injuries, car accidents, fires, and crime scenes. They do what is necessary to stabilize and transport patients via an ambulance to a hospital, if needed, for continued care from a physician. Depending on the type of role and level of certification, emergency medical services professionals provide basic first aid or life-sustaining support such as CPR.

This field is projected to grow 15 percent by 2026, much faster than average. The need for these services is constant. About half of the people in this field are employed by ambulance services, 28 percent by local governments, and 18 percent by hospitals. Jobs in this field often involve working nights, weekends, extended shifts, or on call.

The different levels of careers include:

• Emergency Medical Responder (EMR): These professionals provide basic medical care while awaiting other emergency medical services to arrive. Other job titles include Emergency Care Attendant and Certified First Responder.

• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-Basic or EMT-B): An EMT cares for patients at the scene and during transport in an ambulance. This professional can assess the patient and manage trauma, cardiac, and respiratory emergencies. It is the common entry-level position and it is a requirement before continuing with paramedic training.

• Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-Intermediate or EMT-I): In addition to the basic skills, this professional has received additional training, and in some states can administer IV fluids and give allowed medications.

• Paramedic (EMT-P): A paramedic has more extensive training. Their skills include starting IVs, advanced airway management, resuscitation, interpreting EKGs, and administering medications.

(Emergency Medical Services Jobs and Careers, Andrea Clement Santiago, September 2018)