As a Career-Ready Experience, Gettysburg College’s new EMS program connects students who are licensed EMTs with opportunities to assist Campus Safety.
Applying the knowledge and enduring skills gained through the Gettysburg Approach, several Gettysburg students are putting service to others into practice by participating in Gettysburg College’s new EMS program.
The program began as a pilot project during the Spring 2024 semester after several members of the College’s EMS Club approached Campus Safety about ways its members could support the department. These discussions led to the pilot project’s creation. Three students, all selected based on their officer positions within the EMS Club, participated in the project last spring.
Executive Director of Campus Safety Alex Wiltz said the campus EMS program offers an invaluable hands-on learning opportunity for Gettysburg students who are trained EMTs. The students collaborate with Campus Safety officers to provide a high level of medical response service to the campus community as they learn how to handle reactive and proactive situations.
“We found that having EMTs available during the busy weekend hours benefited the community by having a higher level of care immediately,” said Wiltz. “It also helps to not tax the emergency medical system in Adams County by allowing Campus Safety EMTs to complete an evaluation and determine if an ambulance is needed.”
“We found that having EMTs available during the busy weekend hours benefited the [Gettysburg College] community by having a higher level of care immediately.”
– Alex Wiltz, Executive Director of Campus Safety
This fall, Katrina Bennage ’27, Anne Harrower ’25, and Mackenzie Szlosek ’25 became inaugural Gettysburg EMS team members. The students—all registered, licensed EMTs in Pennsylvania—are directed by Campus Safety and supervised by Assistant Director of Life and Fire Safety Michael McCabe. On all calls, a full-time Campus Safety officer accompanies each student EMT.
Wiltz appreciates the value that student EMS personnel bring to the services that he and the members of his department perform for the College. “Taking on medical calls that are often very long calls allows other officers to respond to other incidents occurring on campus,” he said.
In addition to providing EMT support to Campus Safety during daytime and overnight shifts on weekends, the students also receive hands-on training from Campus Safety staff to help with special events at the College that require on-site medical staff coverage. “Student EMTs can fill that role in addition to taking on traditional Campus Safety roles of access and crowd control,” he added.
Harrower said she has personally witnessed the level of dedication Campus Safety staff demonstrate toward the Gettysburg community. “Through working with them, I can see that they genuinely care about students and want to help them and keep them safe. They are also very appreciative of our services and assistance on scene,” she said. “I think one benefit to having student EMTs is that students may feel more comfortable having us help them because they know or recognize us.”
Wiltz said he hopes to continue adding student EMTs to the roster and grow the EMS program with student EMTs so that his department can continue to maintain its high level of services performed for the campus community.
Serving the Adams County community with care
Along with the hands-on experiential learning they receive on the Gettysburg College campus, student EMTs can choose to assist Adams County’s fire and EMS provider, Adams Regional Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Harrower and Szlosek, both health sciences majors, said they furthered their experience handling various emergency situations by working with Adams Regional EMS. They travel with paramedics and EMTs on ambulance calls, and they help with patient care and the transport of patients for treatment to hospitals and trauma facilities in Adams and York counties.
“This opportunity not only allows the students to develop their skills while attending college, but it also helps Adams Regional provide emergency medical services to the community,” said Adams Regional EMS Executive Director Brian Wheeler. “We are grateful for these students who have given their time and talents to Adams Regional as part-time employees so that we can respond effectively and timely to emergency calls across our county.”
“You usually see people on their worst day or during their worst moment. The better you interact with people and handle stressful situations, the more it will make you a better health care provider.”
– Mackenzie Szlosek ’25
The Career-Ready Experiences that members of Gettysburg’s EMS team gain through their work on and off campus build not only practical medical skills, such as performing CPR, administering oxygen, and treating injuries, but also enduring skills. Adaptability, leadership, critical thinking, communication, and compassion are essential for success in health care.
“One of the best skills EMS can give you is interaction with people,” said Szlosek, who received her initial EMS training through AMR of Holtsville, New York. “You usually see people on their worst day or during their worst moment. The better you interact with people and handle stressful situations, the more it will make you a better health care provider.”
“It really improved my confidence because I’m proving to myself that I can perform the skills I need to perform and help people in high-pressure situations. It builds communication—knowing what questions to ask people and being able to communicate information,” said Harrower, who received her EMS training in Pennsylvania from Western Montco EMS Training Institute (now the Freedom Valley Medical Training Institute). She also volunteers and works with Cheltenham Township EMS in her hometown.
Harrower and Szlosek believe that their EMS service to Gettysburg College and Adams Regional EMS will prepare them for careers in health care. Both are interested in working toward becoming physician assistants (PAs). After graduating from Gettysburg next spring, both plan to apply to a PA school so they can continue building their skills and honing their training in health care services. They acknowledge Gettysburg College for providing a foundation in the health sciences through engaging courses and supporting faculty.
“It’s an all-encompassing major that can lead you to all types of career paths,” Szlosek said.
Reflecting on these experiential learning opportunities, Harrower said that she hopes more Gettysburg students will utilize the campus EMS service when they need it. She encourages students seeking opportunities to help others at the College to pursue an EMT certification and connect with the College’s Campus Safety department to get involved.
Through their EMS service, students like Harrower and Szlosek put caring at the heart of our Gettysburg community.
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By Michael Vyskocil
Photos by Abbey Frisco
Posted: 11/18/24
