By Carter Frye
Grand Haven Tribune
WEST OLIVE, Mich. — Careerline Tech Center emergency medical services (EMS) students gathered at Kirk Park on Wednesday to take part in realistic training exercises.
Responding to simulated real-world scenarios at the park serves as the course’s annual Capstone project, giving students a chance to practice the skills they’ve been learning in the classroom over the last year.
The class split into teams and rotated through multiple situations that included responding to a grill explosion, tending to a cardiac arrest patient, carrying a patient with chest pain up a stairway, and conducting a beach rescue.
Students partnered with Grand Haven Township Fire Rescue, Trinity NOCH/EMS and multiple program alumni to complete the training.
Kim Schrader, a full-time EMS instructor and certified emergency medical technician (EMT), has been with the program for the past 18 years and taught it for the past 12 years.
“For some of them, this is almost a job interview,” she said. “They’re able to meet these folks and find out what it’s like. If they start talking, we’ve actually had people who got hired from their experience. We use a phrase at Tech called social capital. They’re building social capital today.”
Alumnus Kevin Roon, a full-time EMT with Life EMS in Grand Rapids, volunteered at the event for the second straight year after graduating in 2023.
“This is super helpful, especially having the other alums come in with the way that (Schrader) has the class set up,” he said. “It’s amazing for students.”
Taking the class can serve as a chance for students to see what the field is really like before they graduate, Schrader said.
“It’s a neat opportunity for kids to try before they buy,” she explained. “Some kids come back and go, ‘That was the best thing ever,’ while some kids come back and say, ‘Boy, I don’t need to do that.’ We’d rather have them find it out now, especially when there’s no cost to them to be in our program. Other than their uniform shirt, we cover all costs and actually pay for their first attempt at the National Registry.”
Some of the students took the EMS course to prepare themselves for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam. Successful completion of the exam allows students to obtain their (EMT) license or their Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) license.
Schrader said that a few students will take their tests in the next two weeks.
“They will be working on an ambulance within the next month or so,” she said. “So, it’s really exciting.”
Zeeland East High School senior Drayden Fitchett says he was inspired to join the class by the people in his life who he looks up to in the EMS field.
“I originally wanted to go into the fire side of things full time,” he said, “but through this class I’ve really learned a lot about the medical field. I just love everything about it.”
Fitchett is set to join Life EMS as an EMT and the Zeeland Fire Department part-time when he turns 18 later this year.
“It’s been the greatest experience of my life,” Fitchett said. “My favorite part of the class is going out and doing real-world things, helping real-world people. It just gives you a different look at life. You show up on people’s worst days and help them, and that’s just something that really hits home to me.”
Other students are planning to use the EMS course as a resume-booster for similar endeavors, such as medical school or roles within public safety.
After completing the public safety and security course at the Careerline Tech Center last year, Grand Haven High School senior Camden Nelson opted into the EMS class to round out his skills.
“I love Tech Center, so I wanted to find a way to continue to go to Tech Center,” he said. “And with the goal of becoming a police officer, EMS would be a great program. I got lucky that I’ve been able to go to Tech for two years to build up my resume and skills.”
Nelson has received an offer to join the Kent County Sheriff’s Office as a police cadet. He will start at there in September after completing infantry school at Fort Benning this summer. Now that he has completed the EMS course, Nelson says he is planning to test for his EMT license and potentially work part-time as a technician or firefighter as well.
After the training exercises, which ran from 8:30 a.m. to noon, the group held an awards ceremony to cap off the year. Schrader handed out encouraging prizes, such as the Hot Tamale award for a student who has “been on fire” lately.
“It’s fun,” Schrader said. “We have kids that say, ‘I haven’t had an award since elementary school.’ And if I get to some of their open houses, I’ll see those awards on the board. I think it’s just important for all of them to recognize that they bring something to the team. Some are naturally born leaders, some need some extra coaching, and some are really good team players.”
Some members of the class are also fresh off a first-place victory at the fourth annual InterTech EMS Competition , which took place at the Life EMS Innovation & Education Centre in Grand Rapids on April 28. CTC students have taken first place every year since its inception in 2021.
The EMS class is one of 30 courses that span eight career pathways at the Tech Center. Students spend half the day learning at the facility while earning elective credit at their respective schools.
They are also eligible to earn scholarships. At an awards ceremony last week, Tech Center students earned almost $300,000, according to Schrader.
Although many of the classes at the Tech Center are open to high school juniors and seniors, the EMS course is only for seniors because of the licensure upon completion. Their classroom at the Tech Center headquarters includes an ambulance simulator and an area to pull vehicles in for exercises. Schrader said that they plan to add a Fire Rescue course to the class list next year.
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