Become an EMT; Auxiliary of VMH offering two full scholarships

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital has announced they are offering full scholarships for two individuals from the community to attend the Emergency Medical Technician (E.M.T.) course held this winter in Waukon. The course will be co-sponsored by Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and Veterans Memorial Hospital. The classes will begin January 7 at the NICC Waukon Center.

There is a great need for more EMTs in the area so the hospital Auxiliary, in an effort to help recruit, will pay the NICC college credit fee for two individuals this upcoming semester. Classes will meet twice per week with additional clinical time at Veterans Memorial Hospital and other larger medical facilities. The course will run January through mid May. A written and practical exam are then required, with licenses being awarded to all those with passing grades in both categories. More information on the class calendar can be found at www.nicc.edu/solutions.

Upon completion of the course and obtaining the EMT license, these two individuals will then be hired by Veterans Memorial Hospital and will begin taking ambulance calls. EMTs are paid an hourly salary when they are on a call, plus an hourly “call time” salary is paid while EMTs are on-call and are within the required 5 minute response time of the hospital.

The EMT profession is great for individuals who have recently become empty nesters or have taken early retirements, anyone who is seeking a rewarding, professional hobby, or would like a second job for additional income.

Applications for these EMT scholarships are available at the front desk of Veterans Memorial Hospital, as well as on the hospital’s website at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com. For more information, contact Human Resources at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.