Students learn to be "Campus Ready" at annual EMS conference

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Students learn to be "Campus Ready" at annual EMS conference

When the 26th Annual National Collegiate EMS Conference got underway in Pittsburgh, PA in February, it was with nearly 1,200 representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities in attendance, including Utica College.

This was the third time that students from Utica College’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have traveled to the conference, and along with the 2019 contingent of students was Utica College Nursing Professor of Practice James Monahan.

“The conference gives the students the opportunity to collaborate with other colleges and share ideas. The managers/advisors of the programs can attend the same lectures and skill-building activities as the students or sessions just the managers to discuss topics that are pertinent to today's campuses but also look forward to what is on the horizon for new challenges. The conference also has round table discussions to discuss and problem solve the topic of issues that some programs may have encountered as well as solutions that others have used.”

Utica College EMS is a volunteer emergency medical agency staffed by students and staff members, responding to more than 200 emergencies on campus since its inception in 2015. A branch of the Emergency Management Division of Utica College, UCEMS responds to every medical emergency on the campus, as well as handling non-emergency standbys and providing American Health Association certified CPR/ AED / First-Aid and Narcan classes upon arrangement.

A running theme of the 2019 conference was “Campus Ready,” encouraging the ongoing education of EMTs and preparedness in the event of a campus incident. Topics included awareness of one’s own safety as a medical support provider as well as improved methods of providing safe patient care. Along with the importance of learning CPR, conference discussions put an emphasis on Stop the Bleed, a national campaign that highlights the risks of a patient bleeding from an injury and the importance of providing immediate care to patients in these situations.

“Utica College EMS has been ahead of the curve on this and has been teaching this with our CPR classes or as an independent class, with more to come,” Monahan explains.

This was Monahan’s second year as the manager of Utica Colleges EMS program and second time attending the conference, which is built for both students and managers alike.

“The conference is a great experience for the students who are able to meet and talk with other Collegiate EMS programs from across the country,” Monahan said. “The students are also inspired by a number of well-known speakers as well as hands-on skills that they may never have an opportunity to see or learn from. One of the last speakers we heard from was also telling the students to make sure they give back to the college for the opportunity to be part of an EMS program on a college level.”