Northeastern Junior College celebrated the launch of its first paramedic course on Saturday.
The course is part of the college’s EMS/fire science program. NJC was already offering Emergency Medical Technician training, which is the basic level for those who work in EMS but it is vastly different from a paramedic, which is the highest level on an ambulance and is responsible for ensuring correct care is given. For those interested in enrolling in the new paramedic program you must have completed EMT or Advanced EMT training first.
“We’re excited, this is a huge project, one of the biggest projects any of us has been associated with. This isn’t just a new class but about 14 classes combined into 45 days,” said Brady Ring, director of NJC’s EMS/fire science education programs, explaining that the EMT program NJC offers is 10 credits, whereas the paramedic program is 45 credits, which is “almost an associate degree in itself.”
“I’m excited that this team is going to be the frontiers. I’m excited and honored to be a part of this,” said Lisa Werts, paramedic program director.
The idea for the paramedic program came from a steering committee that Ring was part of. During a committee meeting, he learned about the Colorado Practice-based Health Education Grant Program created through Senate Bill 22-226, which is designed to increase practice-based training opportunities for health professions students and part of that included creating new EMT and paramedic programs. Ring knew it was an opportunity NJC couldn’t pass up, Northeastern administrators agreed and the college was successful in getting a $496,000 grant to start the paramedic program.
Last year, the Community College of Aurora provided a satellite program on the Sterling campus while Northeastern waited to receive approval to begin classes from the Committee on Accreditation for the EMS Profession, part of the Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. With that accreditation process completed just three weeks ago, NJC is now able to start offering its own paramedic courses.
There are eight students enrolled in the first class, most are from eastern Colorado but a few are traveling from Kansas. One class member, Chris Zimmerman, from Goodland, Kan., who is an assistant EMS chief and has been in EMS for a little over 10 years and at the A level for a little over 8.5 years, shared that in Kansas paramedic programs are associate degree programs, which means they take 18 months to complete, whereas NJC’s program will take just eight months, with a full year given to finish everything including clinicals.
“We like this accelerated program, it works with our schedule,” he said adding, “I think the rapid acceleration will help us keep the retention level.”
In addition to the accelerated pace, NJC is also offering a hybrid program meaning classes are conducted online via Zoom while labs will take place at Northeastern, which is a benefit for students who are likely working one or more jobs while completing the program.
Michael Siedelberg from Wiggins said he is excited to be a paramedic after five years of being an EMT, “there’s that point in rural medicine where you want to do more for your patient but you can’t and sometimes you’re the only guy out there, that’s just the way it works rurally.”
A third student, Fritz Gilbert, from Limon who has been in EMS for six or seven years, was going through a paramedic class and was one test away from passing when he was in a car accident. Now, he is looking forward to finishing his paramedic credentials.
Another student, the EMS director for Genoa Volunteer Fire Department who also works for Limon Ambulance Service and is a member of the Agate Fire Protection District, has been an EMT for three years and got her Advanced EMT credentials in December. She said, “I wanted to take this class because it’s hard in rural America, in rural counties you have a transport of an hour and there’s times you need a paramedic.”
Mack Land, paramedic clinical coordinator, made it clear to the students that they will be playing a crucial role when they become paramedics.
“You guys are the doctors on the scene, you have to figure everything out. That being said, you have to know everything that a doctor does or might have to know on the scene and now you’re going to be taught that,” he said.
Land also offered some words of encouragement.
“This isn’t going to be easy. There’s going to be a time at some point when you’re going to want to quit. You’ve got to get over it, work through it,” he told the students. “There are so many times I’m mad or frustrated about something and I get a night’s rest and feel better. I hope nobody gets to that point but if you do just know that you can do it, you can make it past that point. You guys are trailblazers. This is a huge accomplishment just to be here.”
Dr. Derek Wright, the program’s medical director, who has worked in rural hospitals since 2015, told the students he primarily has interacted with EMS when receiving ambulances in the ER and arranging transfers as necessary.
“I always appreciated the assistance and skills of paramedics when they show up when we had a critical case, so I certainly have respect for the skills you have and will work on,” he said, telling the students he intends to be fairly available to them when needed.
David Farrow, the new Dean of Career and Technical Education at NJC, who represented President Mike White, told the students that their stories and reasons for wanting to complete the paramedic program are inspirational and referred to them as pioneers.
“What you all are doing, your skill is going to really impact lives and save lives,” he said, telling the students “There are many skills that people have but there’s just something special about a person who hears that 911 call and goes there and has life and death in their hands. So, thank you for the time and effort that you’re putting into this.”
The students were then introduced to their instructors, Otis McKay, who brings paramedic experience from Denver; Scott Logan, who just retired after spending 11 years running the State of Wyoming Office of EMS; and Mark Werts, who has been a paramedic for 41 years now and is currently working for the City of Yuma.
They spoke about their intentions for the program and reiterated the great responsibility that paramedics have. Logan shared that when he worked in Nebraska paramedics in the emergency room were able to do everything except order labs and X-rays and were also the respiratory therapists for the hospital, “all kinds of things we’re able to do,” Logan said.
He went on to point out that the goal is to make sure all students are competent when they finish the program.
“I don’t expect you to be excellent, I expect you to be competent. Don’t beat yourselves up if you don’t think you’re where you want to be, you’re comparing yourself to the other folks you work with because it’s going to take time. It will take you a good four or five years to truly be comfortable in everything you’re doing. The key is to be confident and be willing to learn,” Logan said.
Over the course of the program, students will get hands-on experience through work in the lab and also go out into the field in an ambulance and into hospitals and clinics. At the end of the program, students will complete a capstone, where they are in charge and leading the team to make sure they can handle it. Once they graduate most students already know where they want to go but for those who don’t the program will help them find job opportunities.
The NJC Foundation is currently seeking donations to provide lunches for students attending the paramedic program. NJC is the nearest program for learners within a 130-mile radius in Northeast Colorado and the closest for many surrounding states. That means many students face long drives or hotel costs for weekend classes, so the Foundation is aiming to ease their burden by providing lunch on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the program.
Donations, either monetary or in-kind are being sought to cover 34 lunch days now through Oct. 29. It is estimated that each lunch cost about $200, totaling $6,800. You can donate $200 to purchase one lunch, $400 to purchase both lunches for one weekend, make lunch to donate, or donate another amount. By raising enough funds to cover the meals, each student will save $680 over the course of the program.
If you are interested in donating contact the Foundation at 970-521-6777, foundation@njc.edu, or visit www.njc/edu/foundation.
If you would like to find out more about the paramedic program, contact Werts at 970-521-6871 or lisa.werts@njc.edu or Ring at 970-521-6708 or brady.ring@njc.edu.