BMLH Announces EMT Training Program, Continuing-education Classes

WARE — Baystate Mary Lane Hospital will partner with Carol Benoit of Quality EMS Educators Inc. to offer a basic emergency medical technical program at the hospital this fall.

Classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 10 p.m. beginning Sept. 28, and will include 150 hours of class time and 10 hours of observation time in the Baystate Mary Lane Hospital Emergency Room. After successfully completing the basic program, students will be eligible for the state certification and licensing examination. Candidates must be at least 18 years old to take the exam.

“By partnering with Quality EMS Educators of Worcester to offer this basic EMT training program at the hospital, to date over 55 community members have taken this course right here in Ware,” said Mark Tuttle, nurse manager of the hospital’s Emergency Department. “Our EMTs are a vital part of the safety infrastructure of our community, and the first link in the chain of care for our residents. Many of the candidates that have completed this EMT course are now providing essential emergency care in the communities they live in.”

Tuttle, a former paramedic turned emergency nurse, added that “being an EMT is the first stage into the exciting field of emergency medicine and all of its complimentary career opportunities.”

The cost for the Basic EMT Program is $600 for the class and $100 for books. The terms of payment are $350 due to Quality EMS Educators on the first day of class on Sept. 28, with the balance due Oct. 28. Checks, MasterCard, and Visa are accepted.

In addition, the hospital’s EMT Continuing Education Program has announced the schedule of classes for this summer and fall.

According to Tuttle, “our 2010 training program provides EMTs in our communities with the necessary EMS continuing-education credits necessary to maintain their EMT license. In additional, these classes are offered by Baystate Mary Lane Hospital Emergency Department physicians and nurses who look forward to meeting with EMS providers monthly to not only offer education, but strengthen the bond of community service that is a the root of emergency medicine in our community.”

Classes are held, free of charge, on the fourth Wednesday of every month, unless otherwise noted, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the hospital’s main conference room, and refreshments are served. The 2010 schedule is as follows:

July 28: M & M Rounds, Dr. Roger Lafleur

Aug. 25: Making Sense of Acute Behavioral Changes, Dr. Paul Gerstein

Sept. 22: M & M Rounds, Dr. Roger Lafleur

Oct. 27: Environmental Emergencies, Dr. Jeff Gutterman

Nov. 17 (third Wednesday): Pediatric Emergencies, Dr. Richard Romano

Dec. 22: M & M Rounds, Dr. Roger Lafleur

Pre-registration for classes is required by calling Baystate Health Link at (413) 967-2488, or toll-free outside the Ware calling area at (800) 377-4325.