The St. Mary Medical Center EMS Training Institute was recently awarded Accreditation for its Paramedic Training Course by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. The EMS Institute’s first group of graduates completed their course in May and are eligible for State Certification.
“Providing paramedic training, which is a step beyond EMT training, was a natural progression for the EMS Institute at St. Mary Medical Center,” says Bob Boby, RN, director of St. Mary Medical Center EMS Training Institute. “Our course is accelerated – nine months versus 18 for other courses. That means it’s more intense, but our students are dedicated.”
The Paramedic Training program is the latest addition to the hospital’s already successful EMS Training Institute. There have been eight EMT classes and the second Paramedic Training Course is currently in progress. Established in 2008, the Institute recently expanded to become part of the vocational curriculum for juniors and seniors at Hobart High School, as well as Porter County Career and Technical Education Programs.
The EMS Institute at St. Mary Medical Center offers students a comprehensive curriculum which includes collaboration and participation from a variety of hospital departments, including Emergency Department, Laboratory, Respiratory Therapy, Operating Room, Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Catheterization, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics. Several community EMS services also participate in the training, including the Hobart Fire Department, Lake Station EMS, South Haven Fire Department, Superior Ambulance, U.S. Steel Fire and Security, Burns Harbor Fire Department, and Northwest Ambulance Services.
For more information about the Paramedic Training Course or the EMS Training Institute at St. Mary Medical Center, call Bob Boby at (219) 947-6874.
Photo: St. Mary Medical Center’s first Paramedic Training Course Graduating Class