2008 Woodie Awards
EMS travels to Baltimore in an attempt to defend their title
Jamie Schnieder
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: News
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In attendance were 600 collegiate emergency medical services providers from over 75 colleges and universities from around the country.
The nine members of MCEMS were hoping to defend their title of first in the nation in the Medtronic EMS Skills Competition. They were unfortunately unable to do so; however, they did return with a lot of valuable information that will strengthen the service they provide to the College. Jackie Patino '08, Secretary, "The conference was a great experience. It allowed us to gain a lot of insightful knowledge that pertains to the college-aged person. I especially enjoyed going to the lectures because they were geared towards providing better care for college students"
Dennis Kumral '09, Infection Control Officer, attended a lecture entitled "Infectious Disease Prevention," which discussed the importance of having a disaster plan in place. At the lecture, Kumral gained a lot of valuable information that can be used to go along with the College's newly passed Pandemic Response Plan. The squad is looking at the newly received information to see how it can be used to work with the Pandemic Response Plan and strengthen the College's plan of action in the case of a campus wide endemic.
Scott Kramer '09, Second Lieutenant, and Les Polk '08, Captain, attended a Regional Round Table where they compared MCEMS to other EMS organizations found at colleges and universities around Pennsylvania. "Our organization is very unique in the way it is run. We were able to assist others in giving them ideas based on what has worked for us," said Polk.
Members of MCEMS have been working hard both on and off call to help improve the services provided to the College. Over the past semester, they purchased new, smaller and lighter first-aid bags (the bags that carry all of the basic supplies needed when on a call), in hopes that this will allow for a quicker and easier response.
In December, all members took a special class which instructed them how to administer epinephrine. This will allow for a life saving medicine to be administered to any person on campus who is in need, whether it has been prescribed to them or not. The squad will soon be getting epinephrine auto injectors along with a special certification from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to carry them. "We will be able to administer epinephrine to patients experiencing severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis," according to Kramer. A storage system for the injectors, which involves a member of the crew carrying them on his/her person, is now in the works due to the temperature constraints of the truck.
MCEMS is also planning a Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) class that will be open to all members of the College Community.
"All of the MCEMS in attendance enjoyed the Conference and it provided a kick-start to the year so we can continue to provide superior emergency medical care to the College Community," said Polk.