ASHLAND – Northern Maine Community College will expand its class offerings in Ashland to offer residents of the community, especially those impacted by lay-offs and downsizing, an opportunity to train in a different career field. For the first time in several years, NMCC will offer a session of its Basic EMT class in Ashland. The course, which will begin Sept. 2 on-site at the Ashland Fire and Ambulance Department, will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6-9 p.m. through December. In addition, class meetings will be held on two Saturdays each month in September, October, November and December.
The entry-level course prepares ambulance and rescue personnel, police officers, and firefighters to administer pre-hospital emergency care. In addition, a lab component that accompanies the five-credit offering provides practice in patient assessment, airway management, CPR, automatic external defibrillation, oxygen delivery, dressings, and shock control. The course follows the US DOT national curriculum for EMS training. Students who successfully complete the course are eligible to sit for the national registry examination.
According to Daryl Boucher, coordinator of NMCC’s EMS program, the course offering will provide both an option for displaced workers and others in the Ashland region looking for a career change or additional training, as well as help meet an immediate local need.
“Ashland Ambulance is a paid volunteer service and they are in need of licensed personnel to assist with emergency calls and coverage,” said Boucher. “The course will be available for dual enrollment for high school students, as well as displaced workers.”
Students successfully completing the course will be able to provide basic emergency care to ill and injured individuals, effectively manage airway, breathing, or circulation problems; effectively manage trauma patients, develop a plan of care for patients with various medical conditions, appropriately document patient case work, list the medical and legal considerations in providing emergency care, and meet all of the objectives established by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians for EMT-Basic.
In addition to the class session being conducted in Ashland, the clinical component of the course will also be offered locally.
“Clinical opportunities will be completed with the Ashland ambulance service, so students will get to precept with a potential future employer, so they will already know the ‘ropes’ so to speak,” said Boucher.
For more information on the Basic EMT class being offered in Ashland, contact Boucher at 768-2756 or by e-mail at dboucher@nmcc.edu. To register for the course, call 768-2787 or visit the NMCC Web site at www.nmcc.edu.