<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0kssNN_1DzW9Lnf00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0kssNN_1DzW9Lnf00" width="833" height="833" ></figure>CHAD DRURY – Ottumwa Courier, IowaOTTUMWA — Hoping to address a persistent shortfall in the field and continuing its message of outreach to those beyond its walls, Indian Hills Community College is embarking on a year-long program as part of its continuing education offerings.The college will begin a hybrid EMT academy covering two 16-week sessions. The full academic year program will give traditional students, as well as those currently in the workforce, an opportunity to become a paramedic.The first 16 weeks will consist of hybrid coursework, followed by a second 16 weeks of clinical hands-on experience with a local agency, such as a hospital or fire department. The program runs each Wednesday between Sept. 16 and May 19, from 5:30-8 p.m..“We’ve been moving more toward online things with materials and educational tools, things like that. It’s so much easier to have a live class, both in-person and online, and have engagement,” said Preston Potts, IHCC’s program director of emergency medical services. “You still have things like quizzes, and get those students at home engaged in the class.“We really stay with that student the entire time, rather than just, ‘Here’s the information. Come back three months from now and see what happens.'”Part of the new curriculum evolved from a four-county summer internship program developed by Tim Richmond in conjunction with the college in 2023. The new academy expands on that, allowing anyone over 17 to sign up, whether they are still in high school, or carrying a full-time job in some other sector of the workforce.“We have several high school academies throughout our 10-county area, and the high school director approached us on being able to put an EMT academy together and how that would work,” said Amy Hammack, IHCC’s executive director of continuing education and workforce solutions (CEWS). “Preston has put it together so it’s a hybrid option, so basically anybody in the 10 counties can participate.“We had such a good response with that summer program, and Becky (Zesiger, director of high school programs) actually put out a survey asking all of the school districts in our area that she works with, what interests they would have.”As part of the academy, students will learn various aspects of EMS, from CPR to critical thinking in emergencies.“EMT is focused more on how you approach things at a scene: how do you assess a scene? How do you find your patients? How many patients do you have? What resources are you going to need?” Potts said. “It’s not just for trying to be a paramedic; it’s everything we do with emergencies with trauma, learning how to splint, learning how to stop bleeding.“I mean, it’s the basics of all health care essentially,” he said.After the two 16-week portions are over, students are eligible to test and become certified, which will allow them to work in the state.“They immediately can have a job and start doing hands-on; after they pass their national registry exam, then they’re able to work in Iowa,” Potts said.“Then, if they want to come back the following February, they could enter the paramedic program, and then from February to November, they would be completed in their paramedic,” Hammack said.The academy costs $2,400 and is offered as both credit and non-credit, and students can apply for tuition assistance through the college’s GAP Tuition Assistance Program.The curriculum is led by members of the college’s EMS advisory committee, as well as Potts, who is a paramedic. The committee was crucial in helping develop the program.“It was good to get their input because they’re out in communities they’re trying to serve, and seeing the shortage and the problems they were having,” Hammack said.Potts was aware of the struggles to lure people into the EMT field, but said strides have been made with higher pay. The career path was hollowed out during the pandemic because of burnout and low wages, and filling the pipeline has been a challenge.“I’ve seen the wages rise, because they weren’t competitive in general. It’s not just Wapello County, but it’s a national crisis right now, and we’re being hit hard in our area,” he said. “The resurgence right now is a very good thing, and I think people’s attention is on it now.“Just from my paramedic class, we have a couple people working toward getting their instructor and trying to help out in the future. You start off small with EMT skills, and then you start with a lecture here and there. We’re on the right track with this right now.”© 2026 the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa). Visit www.ottumwacourier.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<h2>EMS Training</h2><h2>IA College to Offer Hybrid EMT Training Program</h2>Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa is launching a yearlong hybrid EMT academy, offering 32 weeks of training and certification that can qualify students to work in Iowa.</div></body>

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CHAD DRURY – Ottumwa Courier, Iowa. OTTUMWA — Hoping to address a persistent shortfall in the field and continuing its message of outreach to those beyond its walls, Indian Hills Community College is embarking on a year-long program as part of its continuing education offerings. The college will...

IA College to Offer Hybrid EMT Training Program

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CHAD DRURY – Ottumwa Courier, Iowa. OTTUMWA — Hoping to address a persistent shortfall in the field and continuing its message of outreach to those beyond 

IA College to Offer Hybrid EMT Training Program

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