Osage – Mitchell County Regional Health Center’s Emergency Medical Services Department is striving to improve and enhance emergency services for future years to come and currently has a variety of employment opportunities.
The MCRHC EMS department employs four types of healthcare professionals. Emergency Medical Responders, Emergency Medical Technicians, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics.
An emergency medical responder is a person who is certified in providing basic care outside of the walls of a hospital. They have more skill than someone who is trained in basic first aid and CPR.
Emergency medical technicians are trained to assess and perform emergency medical procedures necessary to maintain a patient’s breathing and cardiovascular circulation until the patient can be transferred to an appropriate destination for advanced medical care.
In comparison to an EMT, the advanced EMT is able to do patient assessment, basic airway management, and administering medicinal treatments beyond the EMT level.
A paramedic represents the highest level in MCRHC EMS employment. A paramedic performs a variety of medical procedures from standard bandaging or splinting to cardiac monitoring and advanced life support and administering medications, including intravenously.
In addition to the above positions, the MCRHC EMS department employs ambulance drivers who are in the process of obtaining a level of certification.
According to Jodie Anderson, Human Resources Director at MCRHC, all of the opportunities within the EMS department are considered on-call positions, where a person is placed on the schedule in case an emergency were to occur.
“When EMS staff are on call they are paid to simply be available for an emergency. When they are actually dispatched through the Mitchell County Communications Center they receive a higher wage for the time they are on a emergency call,” Anderson said.
MCRHC’s call volume is approaching 725 calls per year, averaging approximately two calls per day with variances from day to day.
Anderson said for an EMS staff to remain an active member of the MCRHC team, they are required to work 48 hours of call time every two months.
According to Anderson, MCRHC currently has job opportunities for a driver, an EMT and a paramedic. Anderson did add, however, that the department is consistently looking to add all levels of EMS staff in order to provide the most effective, efficient coverage possible for emergency services throughout Mitchell County. |
