June 11, 2004
40 paramedics graduate
MGHS School of Emergency Medical Technology honors those
who complete
15-month program
The Marquette General Health System School
of Emergency Medical Technology welcomed 40 special students to its campus on Sunday, June 5.
Graduates and Site Coordinators gather for
the School of Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic graduation
held at Marquette General
Hospital. (MGH photo)
There, The School of EMT graduated 40 of its students who successfully
completed a 15-month, 1,250-plus hour paramedic program.
According to Mark Norris, Director of the School of Emergency Technology
and site coordinator at Marquette, the program trained individuals at a higher
level than Michigan and the National Standard Curriculum requires.
Mark Norris, Program Director of the School
of Emergency Medical Technology at Marquette General, congratulates
Steve Boase (Marquette
Site) on his successful completion of the School’s Paramedic
program. John Howko, Director of Education at MGHS, looks on. (MGH
photo)
The paramedic program, which introduced students to the highest
level of pre-hospital care, was teleconferenced from MGHS to
Doctors Park (Escanaba),
Dickinson Health
System (Iron Mountain), Keweenaw Memorial Health (Laurium), and Baraga
County Memorial Hospital (L'Anse).
“Students were trained to care for a variety of patients in many types
of situations,” Norris said. “Some of these included motor vehicle
accidents, chest pain to serious heart attacks, medical emergencies, multi-system
traumas, disasters, respiratory difficulties, pediatric emergencies, and childbirth.”
According to Norris, some of the instruction included training in emergency
vehicle operations and responding to hazardous material situations.
“The paramedic needs to be proficient in the topics of advanced airway
techniques,” he said.
This program consisted of both didactic and clinical hours. The didactic
hours included lectures, quizzes, homework, and practical and written exams
after
each module. The clinical hours featured rotations through different areas
of the hospital, such as the Emergency Department, EMS, Respiratory Therapy,
Intensive Care Unit, Acute Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
and the Operating Room.
The site coordinators were: Gerald Topolinski, Nationally Registered Paramedic,
Instructor/Coordinator (NREMT-P, I/C) and Mike Stevens, NREMT-P, I/C (Doctors
Park); Jake Smith, EMT-P, I/C (Dickinson County); Gary Wadaga, NREMT-P,
I/C and Tim Dorsky, NREMT-P, I/C (Baraga County); and Gerald Primeau, EMT-P,
I/C and Rick Koski, EMT-P, I/C (Keweenaw Memorial).
For more information on the School of Emergency Medical Technology, contact
Norris (mnorris@mgh.org) or Cheryl Koppinger (cjkoppinger@mgh.org)
at 225-7590
or 1-800-562-9753, ext. 7590
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