Students at this Columbus school don’t have to wait until college to become an EMT
Before a program at Shaw High School started two years ago, a student who wanted to become an emergency medical technician had to wait until college or attend a private training center.
Now, this Muscogee County school is one of only three high schools in the state certified by the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma to train EMTs independent of a technical college, according to DPH communications director Nancy Nydam. The other two high schools are Heard County and Morgan County.
Approximately 25 Shaw students are on track to complete the EMT Pathway in May and take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam. That would make them eligible for a starting salary of around $38,000, according to Muscogee County School District communications director Mercedes Parham.
“It’s confirmation that we’re headed in the right direction,” said first-year Shaw principal Sureya Hendrick. “… We want them to be able to leave Shaw High School prepared for the workforce, to be able to make a decent living even if they decide not to go to a four-year college or a technical school. We have pathways so they’re able to get these certificates and live a quality life and be productive citizens.”
While the program is only for Shaw students, the school will host an open house for those interested in learning more on Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Leading this pathway is Shannon Weikle.
A Hardaway High School graduate, Weikle has been a paramedic for five years. She came to Shaw two years ago to start the school’s Emergency Medical Responder program, which has been upgraded this school year to include the EMT certification program.
“I see this growing our school,” she said. “It definitely puts us on the map.”
EMRs are trained in CPR, First Aid, patient care and assessments, typically for volunteer firefighters. EMTs receive further training to be licensed and work on an ambulance crew.
“To see these kids come in and know absolutely nothing and be able to learn and grow and exhibit these skills that are needed to actually save a life,” Weikle said, “there are some that I definitely, by the end of this program, if they showed up on scene and wanted to save me or needed to save me, I would be absolutely comfortable with that.”
Shaw senior Hannah Kennard, 17, is one of those students.
“It’s like a contribution to society to help people,” she said, “and this program puts me on a straight path to do so.”
Hannah confirmed that notion when she did a ride-along with EMTs in an ambulance serving last year’s Soldier Marathon. That showed her what she’s learning at Shaw is aligned with reality.
“I got to see all of the protocols that are needed to treat the patient,” she said. “… Everything I’ve learned here I actually applied to the ride-alongs. Everything was spot-on, exactly what I needed to know.”
A $54,000 Career, Technical and Agricultural Education state grant funded the equipment Shaw needed to start the EMT program, including an ambulance simulator.
“Everything that you could possibly think is in the back of an ambulance truck is in there, everything from needles to bottles to sterilization,” said Shaw junior Chance Price, 16, “and we use it all.”
Students engage in hands-on learning by simulating various emergency situations and learning the techniques they need to correctly use the equipment. They also learn how to handle emotional situations, such as informing someone that their loved one has died.
Hearing her mother talk about being a paramedic, Hannah understands the toll of such a stressful job. She also understands the reward.
“You can’t save everybody’s life,” she said. “Sometimes you get to people and they’re already too far gone for your help. But that one life that you do save makes up for it.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
