28 complete
EMT training
~ Urged to continue in healthcare field ~
COLE BAY--St. Maarten is now equipped with almost thirty new professionals licensed to perform pre-hospital care and advanced first aid, following a Windward Islands Emergency Medical Services (WIEMS) training course last month.
“Twenty-eight healthcare volunteers, security professionals and technical engineers have their Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT) Basic Certification, allowing them to handle on-site patient care for trauma or medical needs and patient assessment,” said WIEMS Medical Director Dr. Glen Bryson at a graduation ceremony Sunday for the candidates who passed the six-week course.
The EMT Basic Certified caregivers are one step above the first-responder care level, and two steps away from EMT Paramedics. Bryson urged the caregivers to continue assisting in patient care and management.
“This knowledge gives you an opportunity. Most of the time people do not realise the amount of work that goes on before the people [caregivers] go out on the road,” he told an audience in attendance at Port de Plaisance Resort during the certification ceremony.
Sixteen of these candidates had been re-certified in accordance with accreditation regulations, while another 12 were first-time participants in this course, Dr. Bryson explained.
The EMT Basic Certification (basic and as a healthcare provider) is based on the standard established by the American Heart Association (AHA), and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Nigel Lalman, a WIEMS volunteer for some months now, received his licence along with the two dozen others and had said he intended to join Dutch St. Maarten’s Ambulance Department.
“I’ve learnt how to save a life. There is a lot to medical [care],” Lalman told The Daily Herald about his experience.
“Candidates learned about splinting broken bones, calming patients after trauma and evaluating the medical care, which represent some of the skills that are needed to get the patient stabilised on the way to the hospital,” Lalman said. He plans to continue in medical care field.
Red Cross Assistant Commander Christine Gonzagues has hopes of becoming a nurse and having this certification is one more step on her journey to achieving her life’s ambition. “It is my hope to pursue my dream of nursing,” Gonzagues said, adding that her next plan was to pursue the hospital’s LPN course for nurse certification.
She underscored the importance of having knowledge in emergency care response and treatment, saying that at least one person per household should know first aid and CPR. “It is important to know, because the life you save may be yours,” she said.
The candidates in this year’s round of the biannual training in conjunction with professionals from the U.S. came from various backgrounds and levels of knowledge, and included Sheriff Security Service guards, airport Fire Department workers and employees of utilities company N.V. GEBE, Dr. Bryson said.
Ray Carty is a GEBE employee who completed the course for the first time. He said the knowledge could prove valuable to him or his loved ones some day and suggested that healthcare skills were good to have. “If I came up to an emergency scene, I know what to do as a healthcare provider.”
Dr. Bryson insisted that resorts and other agencies should follow suit by having their employees certified and trained in first aid and assistance, to aid in taking care of incident victims.
