Heroes Wanted
Facing unprecedented challenges for emergency workers nationwide, Emergency Medical Technology faculty at South Texas College explain how the program is still appealing to students serious about making a difference in their communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the current shortage of emergency medical professionals, but even with the challenges, faculty with STC’s Emergency Medical Technology Program say the program is still fielding scores of students who have their heart set on helping others.
All patients become part of her extended family when they are being taken care of, according to Lisa Lopez, a South Texas College student on the verge of earning her degree as a paramedic.
A sick elder instantly becomes her grandma, she says. A child being rushed to the hospital immediately becomes one of her own children, and will be cared for just the same. Such is the mentality of the typical emergency medical professional.
A former stay-at-home mom, Lopez, 26, said a life-long interest in health care prompted her to begin at STC in fall 2018 with her Emergency Medical Technician Basic Certificate. Now three years later she is studying for her Emergency Medical Technology – Paramedic Associate of Applied Science degree.
“I realized at that time that I needed a career, and I needed to get my foot in the door,” Lopez said. “Being a people person has always worked hand-in-hand with my future career. As a health care provider, I always consider whether the people I’m caring for are one of my family members. Who better to do it than me?”
These days Lopez says she manages a full-time job with a 911-provider in Willacy County while attending college full-time and juggling a family.
“You definitely have to be driven in order to succeed in this line of work,” Lopez said. “There is no ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality here. Anyone who joins this field knows that patients’ lives are in their hands here. I always work with the mentality that I want my patient treatment to be the best that it can be, and when I observe other students I’m always making sure that they want to do more. You can always do more.”
Citing the most sweeping survey of its kind involving nearly 20,000 employees working at 258 EMS organizations, the American Ambulance Association (AAA) reported that overall turnover among paramedics and EMTs ranges from 20 to 30 percent annually, with ambulance services facing 100 percent turnover over a 4- year period.
The association, which advocates for ambulance service organizations, paramedics and EMTs serving on the front lines nationwide detailed its findings on the current EMS workforce shortage in a letter addressed to Congress last fall.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the current shortage and highlighted the need to better understand the drivers of workforce turnover. Ambulance crews are suffering under the grind of surging demand, burnout, fear of getting sick and stresses on their families, the association wrote in its message.
“Even though we offer a very challenging program, this is one of the most rewarding fields you can enter. There is no other feeling than when you know you have saved somebody's life. People are always in need of others to help them, and we encourage students to discover that they just might be the perfect fit here.”
Even with the challenges, Carlos E.Tello, EMT Program Chair, says the program is still fielding scores of students who have their heart set on helping those who are often having the worst day of their lives.
“It’s a remarkable trait in the students who are applying to the program; we know they love helping people, and they genuinely want to help mankind. We encourage this and urge them to consider our program,” Tello said. “We are here, and we're open for business. COVID or not, we are still here. “
The Emergency Medical Technology Program at South Texas College prepares students not only for entry-level work as EMTs, but also provides Advanced EMT, Paramedic and First Responder level instruction.
Utilizing a teaching staff with over 250 years of combined experience, EMT program faculty includes Licensed Paramedics, registered nurses and healthcare practitioners from all corners of the industry. Collectively they utilize industry-standard EMS equipment ranging from simulators, ambulances used for operations training as well as a simulation center that mimics the feel of a hospital where students are able to work inter-collaboratively with other healthcare programs.
The EMT Basic Certification is comprised by an engrossing 512-hour curriculum that can be completed in as little as 4 months which provides the opportunity for students to either begin working with EMS providers or go on to acquire an Associate of Applied Science in Emergency Medical Technology.
A student graduating with an EMT Certificate or Associate of Applied Science degree is prepared to fill positions in emergency medical services, private ambulance companies, air ambulance services, industrial settings, and hospitals.
In the EMT program, learners can progress from Basic to Advanced EMT, then finish with Paramedic in about two years. After they earn their associate degree in Emergency Medical Technology, it opens the door to the RN track, which they can complete in about one more year, according to Tello.
“Even though we offer a very challenging program, this is one of the most rewarding fields you can enter,” Tello said. “There is no other feeling than when you know you have saved somebody's life. People are always in need of others to help them, and we encourage students to discover that they just might be the perfect fit here.”