Calif. College Offers Paid EMT Course to High School Students

Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

A partnership with Victor Valley College will offer official emergency medical training for students at one local high school.

Beginning in January, VVC faculty will teach a 9 ½-unit EMT qualification course on the Apple Valley High School campus. The collaboration is believed to be the first of its kind in the state, according to Apple Valley Unified School District officials.

The after-school program will allow qualified students to take classes two days a week. Tuition will be paid for by the district and a grant received from the Mourning Sun Children's Foundation via the Ryan Cambridge Memorial Grant Program.

Students will have the opportunity to complete field time through a cooperative effort with the Apple Valley Fire Protection District. EMT students are selected from Apple Valley High's Medical and Health Science Technology Academy, which is a Distinguished California Partnership Academy designed for high school students who want to pursue a medical career.

"We're so pleased to offer our hard-working students this unique opportunity to advance their medical careers," said Apple Valley High School MAHST Academy Coordinator Stephanie Arredondo in a news release. "We are grateful to the leaders of the EMS Academy at VVC for their willingness to provide this instruction to our students."

The VVC EMS Academy operates primarily out of the Regional Public Safety Training Center in Apple Valley. The college conducts multiple academies per year, including paramedic and EMT academies, as well as EMR courses.

Arredondo said the unique program is designed to not only provide the High Desert community with qualified EMS personnel, but also to give students entry into possible successful careers in the medical field.

Completion of the program will allow students to test for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician certification, which will qualify them to obtain employment as EMTs after graduation from high school.

Founded in 2007, the Mourning Sun Children's Foundation is designed to meet the educational needs of young children abruptly left behind by the untimely death of someone close to them.

The Ryan Cambridge Memorial Grant was founded after the death of Ryan Cambridge, co-owner of Conco Construction. Each year, local high schools are given an opportunity to apply for a grant of $5,000 per year for four years.

For more information regarding the MAHST Academy, contact Stephanie Arredondo at stephanie_arredondo@avusd.org.