August 14, 2017

EMTs work to stabilize the patient during an emergency scenario at Mesalands Community College.

Mesalands Community College has expanded their course offerings in Allied Health, to offer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) courses starting in the fall, in partnership with the Santa Fe Community College Emergency Medical Services Program. The EMT-Basic courses will prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary to stabilize and safely transport patients, in non-emergency and in life threatening emergency situations.

Last week, an emergency scenario of a sick patient in a rural area, took place at the Mesalands campus. This emergency situation was organized by Matthew Williams, the EMT Adjunct Faculty at Mesalands. The Tucumcari Fire Department, the Police Department, Care Flight, and Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) providers were involved in this scenario, to demonstrate the various responsibilities of EMT professionals.

“We had a lot of different local agencies involved in this scenario; because it is a very diverse field. You have to be able to adapt very quickly and nothing is ever the same,” Williams said. “In critical situations like these, we need to provide a higher-level of care and we need faster transportation. Sometimes, like today, Care Flight can’t land because they have restrictions. In this case, we still have the same licensed professionals providing a higher-level of care for the patient.”

EMTs load the patient in the ambulance to transport to the hospital.

Williams has over 10 years of experience in the EMS field. He is currently a National Registry Paramedic and a New Mexico Instructor/Coordinator. He explains the significance of EMT training.

“Nationally, we have a shortage of EMS providers, especially at the volunteer level,” Williams said. “Our goal is to expand our training as much as possible, to help us provide the best basic care, because in the end, we are talking about people’s lives.”

The EMT courses will begin this fall at Mesalands and will give students an overview of the human body, basic life support, trauma, medical and environmental emergencies, medical/legal aspects, and other related topics. The College will offer an EMT-Basic course and a laboratory course for 11 credit hours and a Basic Clinical course for one credit hour. Courses will begin on Tuesday, August 22 and will be offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 5:30-9:00 pm and on Thursdays, 6:00-9:00 pm. Clinicals will be arranged later in the semester. Completion of these courses will allow students to test for state and national licensure to practice as an EMT-Basic, under the guidance of a medical director. Financial aid is available for those who qualify, including, a Jerry Jacob’s Memorial Scholarship for EMS professionals. For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office at Mesalands at (575) 461-4413, ext. 136.

Students that would like more information regarding the EMT courses at Mesalands Community College, should contact the Allied Health Department at (575) 461-4413, ext. 134. Limited spaces are available.