Marist High School students learn life-saving skills with hands-on EMT training

CHICAGO (WGN) — At Marist High School, students do life-saving work hands-on, learning the ins and outs of what it takes to be an emergency medical technician (EMT). 

Over the last several months, the pros at the Chicago Ambulance Alliance have coached many seniors. Christine Stephenson and Ronnie Shalabi told WGN News they are both eyeing a medical career.  

“I’ll probably do this part-time while doing college, to earn some money and do healthcare while I’m also doing pre-nursing in college, so this would be a good pre-starter,” Stephenson said.

“I was thinking about going into the medical field, going to med school, and I thought this would be a great way to introduce myself to it,” Shalabi added.

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Along with classroom lessons, students had to do an ambulance ride with a pro, like instructors Tim Jury and Matt Gaber, who helped them manage the physical and mental aspects of the job. 

“EMS is really in need of bright, young people,” Jury said.

“It’s a lot of information they have to retain in a short amount of time, and that information is very important for them to remember because people’s lives are on the line, Gaber said.  

For the Chicago Ambulance Alliance, which partnered with Marist to create the program, it’s just what the doctor ordered, says company president Chris Vandenberg.

“This is a great career path that supports your family, but it’s also a great life skill,” Vandenberg said.  

CAA plans to expand the program next year following the overwhelming endorsement of four seniors who said they were proud to be on the maiden voyage. 

“I feel it was a really great program,” said Ellie Fey, a senior at Marist. “There’s a sense of accomplishment, you know you have cleared one of the hurdles, you passed it.”

Tim Graber thinks it should be part of the core curriculum. 

“It’s very important stuff to know I am of the opinion that it should be a required to graduate like across-the-board course the country,” Graber said.  

If Tim’s a little biased, it’s because his dad is Matt, the instructor, as mentioned earlier, who will be front and center come EMT certification day. 

“It was kind of nice to be able to spend an extra time with him before he goes off to school,” Matt Graber said.

Next fall, the EMTS certification course will be back at Marist and will expand to include 40 students.