Becoming EMTs: Upstate partners with city school district to train students in emergency medical career

Learning to administer a breathing treatment is important — and fun — for these future emergency medical technicians. Standing, from left, are Fowler High School students Bishop Walden, Nye’Kerria Dorsey, Eriya Ndayambaje and Furaha Nyirarugendo. The “patient” wearing the mask is EMT student Najib Ahmed. (photos by Chuck Wainwright)

BY EMILY KULKUS

Emergency medicine instructors from Upstate Medical University are helping dozens of Syracuse City School District students obtain emergency medical technician certification before they graduate high school.

The program is part of the Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler High School, which combines high school with career and technical training in areas such as firefighting and emergency medical services.

In addition to regular high school courses, freshmen and sophomores take one 45-minute class per day dedicated to their specialty career pathway. That increases to 90 minutes per day during the student’s junior and senior years.

Six students graduated from the program in June. This year, 21 students are enrolled in the EMT program. Upon certification, graduates are eligible for a job serving as an EMT in the community.

Brandi Schaefer, right, prepares students to give injections, which they practice using oranges. Pictured, clockwise from left, are Alex Jones, Mya Aung, Ridwan Sirad and Hussein Musa.

This article is from the winter 2020 issue of Upstate Health magazine.