EKU Students Near Perfect on National Registry Examination for Basic EMT Graduates
RETURN TO NEWS SUMMARY EKU HOME PAGE WHAT'S HOT? NEWS ARCHIVES PHOTO GALLERY PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING		EKU students recorded a near-perfect showing on the National Registry Examination for emergency medical technicians in December 1999. Out of 38 students who took the exam after completing EKU's Basic EMT course, 37 passed, well above the state average of 50 percent, according to Michael Blakeney, coordinator of the Basic EMT training program. The remaining student passed on the second try. Most of the students came from Madison and surrounding counties. Several were members of the Berea Police Department; others were area industry employees, nursing students, nurses, among other professions or majors. Blakeney and Jimmy Cornelison teach the Basic EMT course at Eastern. "We have the equipment and the facilities here, and those two factors are very important," Blakeney said. "As faculty, our standards are very high and we really do care about our students." Most of the students who take the Basic EMT course are not seeking a degree but, rather, a certificate. The NRE credential then certifies them to work in 10 states, but most will stay to work as EMTs in their home communities. "The more people you have with this level of training significantly raises the quality of life in a community," Blakeney said. "They contribute in many ways." Many eventually go on to be paramedics. EKU offers one of only two associate degree paramedic programs in the Commonwealth. EMTs can respond to an emergency, assess a patient, stabilize the patient through non-invasive care techniques and provide transportation to a medical facility. Paramedics can initiate intravenous fluids, administer life-saving medications, use a cardiac defibrillator and other life-saving procedures. Ten years ago, most Kentucky counties east of I-75 had no paramedics. EKU received a federal grant in 1991 to take its paramedic program to off-campus sites, and that shortage has been alleviated in recent years, according to Blakeney. "We've reached a point where there is a minority of counties without paramedics, or Advanced Life Support." For more information about EMT and paramedic programs at EKU, call 606-622-1028.