Plans for an EMT training program at Sussex Technical High School are coming together.
The Board of Education heard from district officials at a meeting last month, who briefed them on the need for the program and how the district proposes to implement it.
Jason Peel, the district’s Director of Human Resources and Support Services, told board members that the new program would help fill a growing need for EMTs in the First State, with more than 80 openings statewide for EMTs each year. He also noted that EMT training is a viable school-to-work pathway, and a jumping-off point for other healthcare careers like paramedicine and nursing.
Recent changes to state law lowering the age for EMT training from 18 to 17 years old makes the program more viable at the high school level, Peel said.
Sussex Tech assistant principal Holly Langley told board members that student interest is high.
“We put out an interest survey, just to see if anyone would be interested, and we had 43 students reply,” Langley said. “So we held a meeting with students just to kind of give them an initial, ‘this is what it is, are you sure you want to do it?’ And there are a lot who are interested.”
Some of those students are already taking a course at the Delaware Fire School, which is working with Sussex Tech on developing the program, she added.
Under the district’s proposal, the year-long course would meet daily. The curriculum is being developed in coordination with the Delaware Fire School. Students would have to have at least 180 hours of classroom time, Peel said.
“They have to do 180 hours,” he explained. “They also have to have these 10 patient contacts, so it's not just ride along and watch. They have to actually engage with 10 patients and that'll be documented.”
Sussex Tech assistant principal Holly Langley noted that with a 90 minute class meeting five times a week, actual classroom time would be closer to 250 hours. Students would also have to complete a national exam, Peel said.
“And then in the end, they have to take a cognitive exam, a written test, and then they have to take a practical, they have to do skills,” he said.
The district is eyeing a class limit of 25 students, although Peel notes that some students may not complete the program when they get a taste of emergency medicine as a career.
“It's likely that they will see something that they've never seen before in their life that could be very traumatic,” Peel said. “So we have students that may opt out, but we've got to be upfront with parents about what this is and what type of experiences students will have.”
The admissions process would include an interview with the prospective student. Priority for the program would go to students in the health professions and criminal justice programs, as well as students who are members of their local fire department.
The district has established an advisory group, with representatives from the Delaware Fire School and Delaware Tech’s EMT program, as well as Sussex County EMS and local fire and ambulance companies. Langley said the advisory members have been very supportive so far, with some offering to donate equipment to help the program get started.
“And as soon as we mentioned, they [said], ‘I have this, I have this, I have that,’” she told board members. “And so they're willing to donate some of their stuff that they can't use anymore.”
The next step in the process for Sussex Tech is to get certification from the state to be a licensed training agency. The district will also need to hire a part-time instructor to run the course and reach out to the 43 students who have already shown interest to schedule meetings with those students and their parents.
