EMT Students Face-Off During State Competition in Osseo
Saturday at Osseo Senior High, the school’s cafeteria briefly resembled a makeshift triage area. More than a hundred students from schools all across the metro came with a variety of supplies used by emergency medical technicians.
Every one of the tools they brought could help save someone’s life. Osseo senior Kianna Toure and her team tried to do just that, in a hypothetical sense.
“I’m kind of nervous, but I know that with my team, we’re gonna do really good,” Toure said. “And just all of us, we work so well together, so I feel like we’re gonna kill it today.”
She’s referring to the 34th Annual Emergency Care Competition. It’s where 36 teams compete for EMT supremacy by responding to scenarios and treating victims played by a group of volunteers.
“Each scenario is 20 minutes long and they’re being judged by professionals in the field,” said David Casella, Osseo’s OEC program director. “And they’ll have two victims that they’ll have to treat with a variety of injuries.”
Each of these students are part of EMT programs in their respective high schools. Saturday’s event is the culmination of everything they’ve learned since the start of the school year.
“It’s the closest thing they’re going to get to real life pressure in an emergency situation,” Casella said.
One the students receive their assigned scenario, they immediately get to work.
The response involves things like checking vital signs and wrapping the victim with bandages. During the process, they communicate with each other to ensure they’re following the proper steps.
All the while, a clock counts down, because in real life, a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
Students Consider Future Career as EMTs
Ultimately, the competition prepares them for a potential career in the medical field.
“Yeah for sure, I think it would look amazing on a resume,” Toure said.
Yet in the end, the real winners are the people the students may someday save.
“All this effort, they’re really coming together to help be better providers for the community,” Casella said.
The winner of Saturday’s competition came from Spring Lake Park High School. Kianna Toure’s team from Osseo finished 26th.
Osseo Senior High School
