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Students from all three high schools start EMT afterschool program at MVHS

The image shows a man standing in front of a projection screen displaying a lecture slide on "The Human Body" from a chapter on "Emergency" in an educational context.
Students from all three high schools start EMT afterschool program at MVHS

Last week, students from all three Mount Vernon City School District high schools began their afterschool Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course at Mount Vernon High School. The course, which began through a partnership with Kool Nerd Prep, provides students with a Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunity which can lead to certification as an EMT. 

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“The CTE Department could not be more thrilled to launch this exciting new EMT training program at MVHS,” said Director of CTE Brian Simmons. “This amazing opportunity will enable students to make life saving contributions to their communities, while earning impressive credentials and a critical boost to their college and career success.”

The course is taught by Dr. Gifford Blagrove, a paramedicine professor at Westchester Community College for 15 years, and Kevin Bunch, a paramedic in Westchester County. During their first week of class, students learned about what it will take to become a paramedic and how the course will help them achieve that. 

A classroom setting with a presentation on a large screen, various signs and posters on the walls, and several people seated in the room.

“At the end, they will be able to take the New York State Board exam, once they pass that they'll get a certificate and start working as EMT’s,” said Dr. Gifford. 

They also covered personal safety, wellness of EMT’s, medical terminology, how to communicate with patients, and documentation in the first week. Stephany Valdovinos, a senior at STEAM Academy who wants to study forensic sciences, believe that this course is one of the first steps to her future career.

“In forensics, I would be seeing the scenes that a paramedic or an EMT would see and have the knowledge that they would have in medicine,” said Stephany. “I feel like I could carry that into what I want to study.” 

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Several students from each high school are taking the course as well as some students in the Right Track Academy alternative program. Stephany, along with her classmate Shannan Thomas and other students at STEAM, heard about the course after their counselor posted it on Schoology. Shannan, a 12th-grade student at STEAM, plans to study to become a plastic surgeon.

“I've always wanted to be a surgeon, and this course teaches me about the terminology, how to save patients, how to benefit my community in any way I possibly can,” said Shannan. “And it helps me in the long run because of what I want to do; it opens up greater opportunities for me than just going to college.”

In week two, the instructors covered human anatomy. In a few weeks, students will begin practicing practical skills of an EMT. The NYS EMT exam has a written portion and a practical skills portion, and this course prepares students for both.

The course provides an entry point for a number of careers in the medical field, opening the opportunity for students to receive a “stackable” credential that they can use in a number of different roles and add onto as they continue their education.

A classroom setting with a teacher standing in front of a projection screen, addressing a group of students seated at desks.
The image shows a person in a red shirt standing in front of a projection screen displaying labeled anatomical diagrams of the human skull.

 

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