HELENA — Helena College has a strong commitment to working with high school students to begin exploring career options early. These dual-enrollment programs allow students to take classes to explore new opportunities.
High school juniors and seniors interested in the EMT field can sign up for an introductory course, ECP 130. The course gives students the opportunity to explore the basics of the job of an emergency responder such as patient assessment, airway management, injuries, and more. The class integrates lectures and hands-on work, as well as ride-alongs on a St. Peter’s ambulance.
Nick Burkland, Adjunct Instructor for ECP 130 says that this class can help lead to a multitude of career opportunities.
“This is a really good entry-level class for anybody looking to get into the healthcare field. This can lead to a career on the ambulance is the most obvious one, but also with fire departments or as an ER tech or as a CNA in a nursing home. So, there's a lot of different options out there,” says Burkland.
Most high school students are able to take these classes at a reduced cost thanks to the Montana’s Future at Work grant. Classes are on Tuesday and Thursday after school.
And to those students who are perhaps thinking of diving into a career based off of EMT work, Burkland has this to say: “EMT is a very interesting career. There's very few careers like this where, with very minimal training, you can go out and provide frontline patient care,”
Classes begin in January and December 15 is the priority application deadline.
