Waynesboro Schools, BRCC partner on EMT program for high school students

A new program is available for students at Waynesboro High School who are interested in certification as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).

“Students will end up with 10 college credits when they complete the program,” Waynesboro Schools Director of Secondary Instruction Dr. India Harris said.

The course is offered through the high school’s CTE program and as a dual enrollment program as a partnership with Blue Ridge Community College. Grant funding provides BRCC with a mobile EMT program and the purchase of older ambulances.

Waynesboro High will serve as a satellite for BRCC and BRCC staff will provide training for Waynesboro High students.

Students will be trained for ambulance care and “they’ll be full EMTs,” Harris said.

After graduating Waynesboro High, students with the certification may choose to transfer to a paramedic program at BRCC or go into Health Sciences.

“This is just a fantastic way. I’d say it’s more than just getting your feet wet,” Harris said of the program.

The new EMT program is one of several offered at the CTE on Main Street which solidify the paths of students and enable them to determine in high school what career paths are not for them.

“You learn what you like and you learn what you don’t like,” Harris said.

The EMT program provides triage opportunities and teaches students how to think on their feet and think in emergency situations as EMTs.

After high school, students can work part time as an EMT while pursuing a degree of their choice.

According to Harris, the hope is that the high school will be able to offer more options in the future at the CTE.

“It’s just an example of BRCC efforts to work with local school systems,” Waynesboro High Principal Bryan Stamm said of the new program.

He said that, through BRCC, students will complete one of four semesters of requirements for the higher education program, and will also have opportunities to complete clinical hours with Augusta Health and Waynesboro Rescue Squad.

Stamm said the program will “give them a good start if they wanted to pursue their advanced paramedic [certification].”

The new EMT program at Waynesboro High supports local community while also fulfilling a local need for more paramedics and EMT staff.

Waynesboro Schools has a focus on preparing students for the workforce after high school.

“They don’t just graduate, but they have opportunities to graduate with certifications that make them highly employable,” Stamm said.

The opportunities for Waynesboro students in high school also prepare them for higher education if they choose to attend a four-year university or college.

Stamm said that the high school will continue to add more programs for students that meet the needs of Waynesboro families and are a way to support businesses in the area.

“How can we mesh those two?” Stamm said school administrators ask when planning new programs. “It just benefits all. It benefits our kids, it benefits the community, it benefits the economy.”

Stamm is excited about continued partnerships between Waynesboro Schools and community organizations, including BRCC.

“If it’s good for our kids and our community, we’re going to do anything to make it happen,” he said.