There's a shortage of trained personnel to help in emergencies and a new program through Nicolet College is designed to train more people.
The launch in January of the new EMT-Paramedic training program at Nicolet College is set.
Paramedic classes start on Nicolet’s Rhinelander Campus Jan. 20 next year.
The one-year, 44-credit technical diploma is being made possible through a partnership between Nicolet and Lakeshore Technical College.
Nicolet College Fire and Emergency Medical Services Specialist Ray Lemke outlines how the partnership with Lakeshore works...
"...offering the paramedic courses here. The Monday-Tuesday sessions are going to be broadcast lectures from Lakeshore Technical College to Nicolet College. Then on Wednesday's and Thursdays the practical skill labs will be facilitated right here out of the Rhinelander campus..."
Lemke says students will be able to complete all classes here in the Northwoods. EMT's perform one level of emergency care, but paramedics provide a higher level of care...
"...The EMT program is approximately 180 hours in length while the paramedic program averages around 1,100-1,200 hours of training. It allows paramedics to do advanced interventions for the patient, a larger cadre of medications they can administer and a wider variety of skills they can do to provide life-saving techniques..."
Lemke says with the training here in the Northwoods, there's a far better chance that individuals will stay and live here. Students who graduate here can apply those credits to the two-year Paramedic associates degree at Lakeshore, located in Cleveland, Wisconsin, just north of Sheboygan.
More information is available at Nicolet College.
