Thriving in Times of Change.

Thriving in Times of Change.

Enrollment in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program at NICC was stagnant in the region when COVID-19 arrived in Iowa in 2020. Understanding the obstacles COVID-19 created for face-to-face learning and hands-on training prompted instructor Jesse Coulson and his team to look for alternative instructional modes to reach students and help them succeed. In the past year, EMT program enrollment spiked in response to the new ways of bringing education to students and meeting students where they are.

Q: In what ways did changing how, when and where students learn impact the growth of the EMT program?

A: Traditionally we only offered our programs on campus, Peosta or Calmar. Even before COVID-19 hit we struggled to get the minimum number of students to sign up for a class in Calmar, and we also started to see a decline in our enrollment in Peosta. I started to ask departments what we could do to impact these numbers. The solution? Make attending classes more convenient for students. We started to run programs with live lectures via Zoom.

Q: What are the direct, measurable results after making these changes?

A: We found success in two different ways. First, the HyFlex model and its integrated face-to-face and online approach was working! We were seeing 90 percent plus pass rates on the first attempt at state tests. Second, we realized with this format we could reach a larger area in our district. The northern part of the district is very rural and it is hard to send some of your responders a distance to attend a class. We are now offering a district-wide HyFlex course. The majority of the class is lecture, so the students can learn at home or in their stations as a small group with a live instructor. We then coordinate lab sessions based on our enrollment demographics.

Q: What barriers to program completion for students were mitigated?

A: In a word, “access.” We removed barriers to access because of the environment everyone faced and are now able to serve students in many rural areas of northeast Iowa.

Q: How does the promise of more EMT-certified employees being available for hire affect the overall community’s health and safety?

A: Nationally as a profession, the hiring pool has been depleted and existing providers are exhausted! Being creative, and working together, we are finding ways to grow our recruitment pool and get more EMTs on the street. This naturally improves the health and safety of communities.

Learn more about our EMT training, visit www.nicc.edu/emt.

Jesse Coulson, Emergency Services Program Developer