Officials with the Callaway County Ambulance District still are hoping to generate more interest in their new Emergency Medical Technician course for high school seniors.
There currently are five students signed up for the class - which starts on Aug. 25 and meets every Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. - but CCAD Director Charlie Anderson said ideally he would like to have 15-20 enrolled.
Anderson said the course, which will be offered at a discounted rate of $250 rather than the usual $800, is an opportunity for area teens to gain some valuable skills.
"It'll have everything that the regular class does - they'll do classroom stuff and clinical stuff and ambulance ride-alongs," he said. "It will allow the kids to undergo training that, when they graduate, allows them to take a national registry test where they can get licensed anywhere."
Kelly Drennan, a paramedic and training officer with the district, added that students will walk away knowing "how to manage an unstable airway, how to deliver a baby, basic trauma care, how to use a backboard, how to assist a patient with their medications, scene management, how to deal with special patients and how to deal with hazardous materials."
"By the time they graduate, they will be able to be licensed at the age of 18. They will be able to get a job in an ambulance, or in an emergency room as an emergency technician," Drennan said. "If they are interested in a career in the medical field, this would be a good place to start - it will give them some medical knowledge."