News about Emergency Medical Services/Paramedic

Brady L. Breon has been named director of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s paramedic and prehospital medicine program, overseeing the college’s bachelor’s degree in prehospital medicine, associate degree in paramedic science and certificate in paramedic practice.

Breon had been an assistant professor in the college’s prehospital and paramedic program, having joined the faculty in 2005. He has also been a paramedic/prehospital supervisor for Susquehanna Health (now UPMC Williamsport), a flight medic for Geisinger Health System’s Life Flight, an emergency medical services operations manager for Jersey Shore Area EMS, and a paramedic for Loyalsock Volunteer Fire Co. and Lock Haven Hospital.

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PPL Electric Utilities recently offered a Live Line Electrical Safety Exhibit and demonstration for students and first responders at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

PPL, a Corporate Tomorrow Maker partner of the college, takes its mobile electrical safety exhibit across its service territory to teach first responders, contractors, businesses, school students and the public about the dangers of live wires and how to stay safe around them.

The exhibit is a scaled-down 7,200-volt electrical distribution system that features live electrical wires, utility poles and transformers. It was designed in 2016 by representatives from across PPL Electric Utilities’ operations who met in PPL’s Innovation Lab to brainstorm ways to present the information. PPL provides 100 such demonstrations to more than 10,000 people annually.

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“If a career in a health care setting is your calling, your path to a thriving career starts right here at Penn College,” says dental hygiene student Dacia James, who leads a virtual tour of the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. The Williamsport resident (aided by Ally K. Swartz, a paramedic technician major from Bellefonte, and Alexia O. Zelenevskaya, a dental hygiene student from Ephrata) guides viewers through an 11-minute exploration of paramedic, physician assistant, dental hygiene, nursing, physical therapist assistant, surgical technology, radiography and applied health studies, as well as the school’s newest majors: health science and allied health.

“Because tomorrow begins today,” Penn College campuses welcomed scores of high school students for six more Pre-College Programs in recent days. (A variety of programs focused on more of the college’s academic majors were held in June.) The past week’s schedule included three new summer offerings – Diesel Truck & Heavy Equipment, Fundamentals of Emergency Response, and Thingamajig Fabricators – joining returning favorites Automotive Restoration; Design, Build & Grow Landscape & Horticulture; and Graphic Design Summer Studio. All told, the college hosted 211 high schoolers for two sessions of overnight camps this season and 40 middle schoolers during two weeks of My Tomorrow day camps.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology’s paramedic program is accepting applications for a new Bachelor of Science degree in health science: prehospital medicine concentration for the Fall 2021 semester.

The new degree is being offered in addition to the paramedic program’s current certificate and associate degree options. It provides a strong foundation in the natural sciences while preparing graduates to function as competent entry-level paramedics.

Coursework prepares students for administrative and teaching positions within the paramedic profession, as well as providing the necessary foundational knowledge for entry into many graduate-level programs, including medical school and physician assistant degree programs.

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Future health care professionals have access to a learning tool that simulates respiratory symptoms likely to be encountered in the field, thanks to a $2,500 sustaining grant from PPL Foundation to Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The 2020 contribution enabled purchase of a lung sounds simulator, which mimics real-life scenarios essential to educating health care providers.

“PPL is pleased to partner with Penn College to help enhance training for current and aspiring health care professionals,” said Tracie L. Witter, regional affairs director.  “We appreciate the efforts of Penn College Workforce Development to help improve the skills of our community’s front-line workers.”

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Juggling full-time college classes by day and full-time emergency medical technician work by night, Brooke M. Strubel is earning her Bachelor of Science degree in emergency management and homeland security in just two and a half years. For a young woman who recommends getting out of your comfort zone to achieve your highest potential, this past year, intensified by a global pandemic, has offered an ideal environment in which to enhance her people-centered skills.

“I never thought that I’d be working during a pandemic … but it’s an experience that I won’t forget,” said the soon-to-be Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate from Strasburg. “Challenges get you out of your comfort zone, and that is the area in which you will find yourself, your passions, your strengths and, yes, even your weaknesses. This is the area in which you will thrive and improve. Everything you learn advances your knowledge and leads to personal and professional growth.”

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In January, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s paramedic program will launch a hybrid instruction option that combines in-person and online learning.

Designed to provide flexibility for EMTs who want to complete a paramedic education program while continuing to work, the lecture portion of the paramedic coursework will be both livestreamed and recorded for later viewing by those who use the hybrid instruction model. For students who prefer the traditional experience, lectures will continue to be held in-person.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology has established a new scholarship to support students completing Workforce Development programs in practical nursing and emergency medical technician who wish to further their education.

The scholarship provides assistance for practical nursing graduates interested in the Nursing, LPN to RN program at Penn College and graduates of the EMT course interested in pursuing one of the college’s paramedic majors.

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In a word, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in “uncertainty.”

Kyle G. Stavinski, a 2015 graduate of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s emergency medical services major who is a full-time critical care flight paramedic and educator for Geisinger’s Life Flight, part-time paramedic with Susquehanna Regional EMS and a part-time paramedic instructor at the college, says that, while danger has always been inherent to the work of emergency medical technicians and paramedics, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new causes for uncertainty.

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Jeffrey L. Hutchins, an adjunct faculty member who has served various roles as a paramedic and firefighter since graduating from The Williamsport Hospital & Medical Center Paramedic Training Institute in 1997, was recently hired as director of the Lycoming County Department of Public Safety. “Hutch is in the process of quickly getting up-to-speed in his new role,” said Bambi A. Hawkins, learning laboratory coordinator for Penn College’s paramedic program. “He will be missed in the Susquehanna Regional EMS paramedic supervisor position, where he also served as a pre-hospital field preceptor for our paramedic students, but we are fortunate to retain access to his expertise and services for the part-time faculty role.”
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Dr. Gregory R. Frailey, the medical director for Pennsylvania College of Technology’s paramedic and physician assistant programs, recently received the Robert D. Aranosian, DO, FACOEP Award for Excellence in Emergency Medical Services.

The award is presented each year by the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians to a member of the organization or of the emergency medicine community who has made contributions to the field of EMS that furthered the operation, teaching or development of the specialty through actions, dedication and deeds. It is one of the organization’s highest honors.

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Career Day brought hundreds of ninth-12th graders to campus on Thursday to explore more than 30 activities offered by employees and students to help high-schoolers learn about the wide variety of career options available to them. The event is coordinated by the College Transitions and First Year Initiatives Office.

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Students in paramedic majors were led through a variety of hands-on rescue operations and tactical paramedic activities to wrap up the summer. The two-week training, led by the Central Area Fire Chiefs Association, included vehicle rescue and ropes rescue operations at the CAFCA training facility, confined-space rescue at Frito-Lay, and water rescue on Lycoming Creek and the Susquehanna River. “The goal of these sessions is to make these future paramedics more aware of the challenges and intricacies associated with the many aspects of vehicle rescue in an effort to make them better prepared to treat both the patient being rescued and the rescuers who may be injured during these often-dangerous activities,” said Christopher T. Boyer, director of Penn College’s paramedic technology programs.

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Eyewitness News reporter Morgan Parrish talked Wednesday with students in Penn College’s physician assistant and emergency medical services/paramedic programs about their imminent assignments during the Little League Baseball World Series. Parrish interviewed Reshma Sherpa, of Morrisville, North Carolina, at Madigan Library, where PA students had finished an exam; as well as Nick S. Dwyer, of Moon Township, and Carly Rae Stahl, of Lewisburg, at Susquehanna State Park, where EMS/paramedic students were training for water rescues. Parrish’s piece aired during WBRE/WYOU’s Wednesday evening newscasts.