This February, Northern Vermont AHEC offered its first Vermont Emergency First Responder (VEFR) course to 20 students free of cost, thanks to our partnership with the Vermont State EMS office. The demand for this training was high – we received over 100 total requests for admission, which was a fantastic show of just how many people are searching for opportunities to learn how to help others.
The attendees of the class ranged from local high school students with their sights set on a career in medicine, to members who were already affiliated with a local EMS service, to students from UVM who were looking for ways to become involved in their first responder community as they pursue their pathway to medical school. We even learned that one of the students in this VEFR course had consistently worked with AHEC through their time in high school, attending both our MedQuest and HERO programs before starting their undergraduate study at UVM! That is a great example of AHEC’s health careers pipeline in action.
As the Instructional Coordinator (I/C) for Northern Vermont AHEC, I have been involved in Vermont EMS and EMT education since 2015. Something I always come back to is how inspiring it is to begin a new class. Each time I start a new course, I get to meet a group of people who have chosen to devote their free time to learning how to help others. It is always exciting to see how many people want to engage with their communities and make them better and NVTAHEC has always strived to help those people find their path.
Keep an eye out in the future for more VEFR courses from Northern Vermont AHEC, we’re excited to be offering more opportunities just like this one in the future.