GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Dozens of paramedic students put the life-saving skills they’ve acquired to the test Monday.
Life EMS held a regional competition to give high schoolers an opportunity to show how they would respond to various medical emergencies.
The event ran for four hours at the Innovation & Education Center in Grand Rapids.
Students cycled between three fast-paced scenarios centered around medical, pediatric and trauma response. Each of those courses are designed to sharpen students’ proficiency before they take their final exams.
“They're using this really ‘try before you buy’ … opportunity to learn about the career and get some experience and see if this is something they would like to invest in for the future,” says EMS instructor Kim Schrader.
“They did not have anything like this when I was in high school,” says EMS Director of Education Tim Newton. “So this opportunity, and the ability to learn while you're in high school, is an amazing opportunity. And it is a pathway that, you know, you don't need to go to college, your direct employment.”
Tim says competitions like the one held Monday can also help curb Michigan’s shortage of emergency service professionals.
Sixty tech center students from Kent, Van Buren, Ottawa and Allegan counties participated in Monday’s competition.
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