LONGHORN STUDENT EMS EDUCATION

The Department of State Health Services just published the pass rates for the national EMT exam of every EMT certification program in Texas and as usual LHSEMS is on the top of the pile. With a 97% pass rate, there is only one program out of 132 in the entire state with an equal or greater number of students that achieved an equal or higher pass rate for 2011. Check out the results at this link: Statewide EMT pass rates for 2011

Some of the other notable programs:

Rice University                                                        88% ( with half the students)

UT Southwestern                                                    93%

UT Health Science Center ( San Antonio)        81%

Ask yourself the following questions:

•  On what basis does LEMS leadership characterize LHSEMS as inferior? 
•  Who is doing the evaluation and what are their credentials compared to DSHS and NREMT?

But the key question is why. Is it merely a coincidence that the instigator, LEMS director of operations Kirk Meyers, began to harass LHSEMS merely days after becoming the only EMT-Intermediate in the club? Was this just his way of claiming alpha status within the club? Surely no one has that much ego……….

Kirk’s influence over LEMS is coming to an end soon. Elections are coming up and it looks like Kirk has decided to move on. Good riddance! Under his leadership, UT students have seen their chance to do EMS standbys at Longhorn football games basically evaporate, there is still no FRO (despite all the promises), and the $900 on-campus EMT certification program refuses to work with him, thus depriving the UT student body of that option.

IS UT better off now? Let’s let the students decide.

Due to unresolved disagreements with the UT student government group known as Longhorn EMS (LEMS), LHSEMS will not hold an EMT certification class on the UT campus this spring.

Beginning in April 2011, LEMS made a list of demands that they wanted LHSEMS to implement into the EMT program. Some were easily accomplished and LHSEMS agreed and has since made these changes. But the majority were unreasonable and LHSEMS refused to do these; at that time, LEMS withdrew their demands. LEMS has recently renewed the same list of unreasonable demands. In addition, LEMS has interfered with my role as course coordinator by supplying the Fall 2011 class with inaccurate information concerning the state EMT application process. Because of these actions, LHSEMS has decided that it is time for LEMS to find another EMT program. I am convinced that the driving force behind all these demands is Kirk Meyers, the #2 person on the LEMS staff; the moderating voice has been John Suffredini, the current leader of LEMS. Elections are coming up in February and it looks like John will be stepping down and Kirk will assume the leadership role in LEMS. With the loss of John’s leadership, I see nothing but conflict on the horizon.

My hope is that LEMS will quickly find another EMS education program more to their liking that is willing to come to the UT campus this spring and put on a similar program for a similar out of pocket cost to the UT student ($1000), with 90% of the students passing the course and a 93% pass rate on the national EMT certification exam. LHSEMS has achieved those stats over the past five years and stands ready to do it again as soon as we find a new campus sponsor for our program.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.