Questions about Campus EMS

[Cory]

I have looked into this a little, and all of the colleges I have thought about maybe going to have campus EMS. So I noticed there are some on here (social group) and I was wondering what those of you thought about it. Just in general. Some jobs suck, some jobs don't, does this job suck. And of course all of these questions are in regards to your experience.

-Cory-

 

[Markhk]

You should be realistic about what that campus organization does.

The range of EMS programs on campus is pretty diverse, and have organizations that do BLS event standbys only to EMT-I in rapid response vehicles (e.g. Emory) to a full on ALS rig (like VT or Brown) integrated into the 911 system.

You should figure out what you'd be happy with in terms of an EMS organization...I know some people would rather not be the campus sober monitors if that's the only thing the EMS group does.

 

[medicdan]

Cory, I can give you much more information offline (via PM), but I am involved in a College EMS Program (in several ways), and find it to be a great experience alongside my education. I have come to believe that we are a critical part of the school's infrastructure, and despite the fact that we are often undervalued as a club, we are still a licensed ambulance service, inspected by the state OEMS, and that gives us wider credibility and status.

At my school specifically, we dont handle high acuity or particularly high volume calls, but we know that we serve an important role re: the city's ambulance service-- acting as a buffer for them, making sure they only transport semi-real ALS emergencies. Dont expect your campus to have 3 full transporting ALS ambulances-- but be realistic in looking for an EFR or QRS, with heavy emphasis on event standby, and possibly ETOH on every call.

I have gotten involved in the leadership of my group, and participated in a national collegiate EMS foundation conference, and look forward to more participation in the future.

There are several other members here who are involved-- do a search for NCEMSF, and despite the fact some may deny their affiliation, they have some cool stories...

What schools are you looking at? What do you expect to see in a college EMS service?

Dan

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

There are some that run well, other that don't. I've never been a fan of my schools Campus EMS. Besides the fact that it's based on "civil service style exam" so it's hard to get in with some of the top kids in the nation competing, they are also very cliquish and don't do enough EMS work to actually keep their skills up.

Here, they don't have an ambulance and have to literally run to calls (the in charge does have a fly car but it has no lights sirens as it should not. Some of the guys on the squad i wouldn't take a ride down the road with in their POVs). They are a team of about 70 covering a campus of 6000 undergraduates. Since they take 2 calls per day on average, none of them get any real experience. When the stuff hits the fan, they can't handle it. Also ALS is literally 3 blocks down the street for one of the stations, and 2 blocks down the street in the other direction for the other fire station. We spend thousands of dollars a year to train them (equipment doesn't cost that much since they don't do that many runs that takes equipment) and most don't even work in their hometowns. When we have ALS that can get here oftentimes faster than they can run, its not worth it. On a cmpus with about 1000 premeds, we have enough people who know CPR, and we have AEDs everywhere. We'll be ok for the 3 min it takes ALS to get here.

Its a waste of money IMO since they have no real skills and most choke on calls for more than just intoxicated person. (My friend fell down a lfight of stairs and his foot was no longer aligned like it should be. The in charge EMT-B wanted to reduce the fracture. No Xray, no facture reduction training, no nothing! Myself and another EMT-B both not on the school squad yelled at him not to do so but he still wanted to. We implied that if he tried we would physically prevent him from causing more harm to our friend.

I think it just irritates me that they think they are better than the rest of the premeds just beacuse the have 110 hours more of training, and when confronted with real EMTs that have worked on the street or even just in IFT, they still think they're better because they scored the highest on the "civil service style exam" The paramedics from the ALS fire departments don't really get along with them and claim that they are just like kids running around on the playground. One of the medics I work with in the hospital told me he'd lose respect for me if I ever joined them!

That being said, there are a lot of good Campus EMS squards out there. Quite a few good ones in NJ. I know University of Dayton has a pretty well run one. UCLA is also good from what I hear.

 

[medicdan]

Agreed ^^^. The quality and consistency of Campus EMS squads varies greatly-- and changes over time-- remember, the student body changes completely every 4 years. There needs to be a strong sense of institutional memory and protocols that stand the test of time.

For some examples of well run services, check out NCEMSF (Nat'l Collegiate EMS Foundation)-- and specifically the following schools (UVMRescue, VTRescue, RIT Ambulance, EmoryEMS, MIT EMS, many of the SUNYs, etc.)