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An ethic of servanthood

Student EMTs provide immediate care in emergency medical situations

Messiah College has more than 70 clubs and organizations, ranging from music to sports, to cultural groups and government. One of the most important groups is the Messiah College Emergency Medical Services team.

Comprised of an average of 10-15 students per semester, with 6-7 of those students being Pennsylvania-state certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), the group provides 24/7 emergency care to the campus community.

Working with the Department of Safety, the student EMTs are dispatched when a call comes in for a medical incident on campus. Often on the scene within the first minutes of the call, the students assess the situation, gather pertinent details and determine next steps, while stabilizing the patient until the local responders arrive.

The EMS team adds a level of care that helps ease patient anxiety. And, these students are all volunteers. They’ve each invested their own time and money necessary to complete the many hours of training to become certified, and now take the skills they’ve learned to serve the campus community.

“It really comes down to an act of service because it’s rarely convenient,” says EMS Chief Zach Gibson ’15. “Even on the smallest calls, though, I feel blessed. I have these skills that I’m learning in my classes, and I can share those with people to guide them through that experience. I think a lot of people are in the same boat; we like to help people.”

Zach Gibson ’15

And, surely, anyone who has benefited from the EMS team is grateful for their service.

To learn more about the Messiah College EMS team, visit http://www.messiah.edu/info/20571/ems_response.

Written by Erin Bray ’10
Photos by Corey LaQuay ’18