By Catherine Martin
Columbia Daily Tribune
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Leyna Craigmile, 17, doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do after high school, but she does know she wants to go to college and eventually become a nurse.
Leyna said her No. 1 college choice is Missouri State University. But before she moves on to higher education, she already is getting a sneak peak at the medical field. Leyna is one of 27 high school students taking the Columbia Area Career Center’s new emergency medical technician course.
An advisory committee decided to add the course because it offers students an opportunity to go directly into the workforce or offers students such as Leyna a chance to bulk up their resumes before college, said Dean Martin, part of the advisory committee and the course instructor.
Martin has a background working as a firefighter and in law enforcement and has worked as an EMT and paramedic. He even worked at ground zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. He said he sees the class as a great chance for many students.
“As a kid growing up in New York City, I didn’t have an opportunity like this,” he said. “Not everyone wants to go to college, and this prepares them to go directly into the workforce as an EMT. ... This would have been a program I would have been interested in.”
During a class this week, Martin taught the students about lung conditions such as wheezing, crackles and rhonchi and asked the students what they would do for each patient and what they would expect to find when listening to the patients’ lungs.
The class also allows students to practice EMT skills such as taking vital signs and placing a patient on a board in case he or she has a broken neck or back. The activities keep students engaged and prepare them for a state test they will take in the summer. The test includes a written exam and a practical portion. All students must be 18 by the time they take the exam, but the course does not require any other prerequisites.
Throughout the year, students will learn CPR, how to administer oxygen and other vital EMT skills. They also will focus on safety procedures, which are a major part of the state exam.
Leyna and her classmate Tim Ross, who also wants to go into a medical career in the future, said they have enjoyed the preparation the course has given them.
“Even though it’s a lot of book work, it’s all essential,” Tim said. “In other classes it might not be, but this is all necessary to do the job. It makes class easy to stay up on.”
The class can only take 30 students at a time because of the clinical portion, and Career Center Director Linda Rawlings anticipates easily meeting that number next year.
“What a great credit to take away with you out of high school,” Rawlings said. “You can work and build your resume and go to school all at the time same time. ... Not many 18-year-olds can say that.”
Copyright 2011 The Columbia Daily Tribune