Behind the Sirens

By Bhagwat Kumar     1/23/13 6:00pm

The members of Rice University Emergency Medical Services usually have little time for small talk. Their on-the-job interactions are almost always with people in distress, and this often-thankless job leaves these people in uniform anonymous. Still, these Rice students manage their schoolwork and their lifesaving responsibilities with impressive tact. A few REMS members told me their stories and talked about how they have become involved with Rice's more than two-decade-old first-responder organization. Students on REMS are still on alert throughout the day, ready to help as soon as they're needed.

Karen Li

Wiess College junior Karen Li, who is majoring in psychology and biochemistry, is one such student.

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"I wanted to join EMS to get some hands-on experience treating patients, learn some valuable skills that can help save someone's life, and actively and directly do something that can benefit other Rice students," Li said.

When Li is on duty, she must contact whomever was on duty before her, retrieve the REMS cart, radio and pager from him, and relieve him of duty. She then drives to the Rice University Police Department to sign out the keys to the cart under her name before examining the REMS bags and doing a quick inventory check. If anything is missing, Li must restock before setting off on her day.

After this preparatory work, Li continues with her day as she otherwise would, going to class, eating lunch, doing homework and talking to friends. The only restricted activities are anything that would require her to get out of her uniform, such as exercising or leaving campus. Li said she also tries to sit toward the back of classrooms while she's on duty in case she receives a call.

In the event that she gets a call, Li's pager alerts her to the details of the situation telling her where to go and the emergency she will be facing. She then turns on her radio, informs RUPD and the "InCharge" - one of the officers who run the REMS program - that she's on her way and then tries to reach the scene as quickly as possible. Usually, the In-Charge is already present, and Li's role is to help with any task within her range of abilities, as measured by her certification. She is certified to take vitals, keep the patient calm and help with necessary paperwork. Once the student has been helped, Li helps clean up the scene, debrief and carry on with her day.

"The number of calls I get during that 12-hour shift can range drastically," Li said. "I've had days with zero calls and days with five or more."

While Li is not special-events trained, which is required for duty at a party or similar event, she said that shift is generally more hectic and pressure-filled than daytime duty. Most Emergency Medical Technicians also get more one-on-one patient interaction at parties.

"Being on EMS has given me a lot of exposure to what it is like to be in emergency situations," Li said. "It has been really rewarding since I feel like I have real medical skills that can benefit my own peers."

Alex Hilser

Since his freshman year, McMurtry College junior Alex Hilser has been a consistent member of REMS and came into the program with previous interest and experience.

"I started with the fire department back in New York when I was in high school," Hilser said. "[When I came to Rice], I was a certified firstresponder, but not an EMT. So, I got into the first EMT Basic class I could, got my national certification and joined REMS."

Hilser explained that REMS only takes on members with EMS Basic training or higher and that the Rice program provides the necessary training for that certification each year. Hilser himself is currently certified EMS Intermediate, which means he has the ability to administer more treatments and has undergone more training than the nearly 500 hours required for EMS Basic.

"Every month, we offer additional classes for further education," Hilser said. "Classes include subjects like hazardous materials."

Even the most basic commitment is substantial, Hilser explained.

"At minimum, you must maintain your certification, work 48 hours with an outside ambulance service and volunteer at least two 12-hour shifts a month," Hilser said.

Still, even within the organization, the commitment ranges. Hilser said some of the leaders of the organization will likely spend nearly an additional school-year worth of hours with the program.

Hilser was abroad last semester, but he is quickly picking up where he left off within REMS.

"I'm currently working an average of two shifts a week," Hilser said.

Hilser is currently studying kinesiology and intends to go into medicine upon graduation, but one of the most interesting aspects of the REMS program is that not every student in the organization is currently pre-med or intends to enter a medicine-related field in the future, Hilser explained.

Faroukh Mehkri

Offering another perspective, recent graduate Faroukh Mehkri (Martel '12) shared his experiences with REMS. While at Rice, Mehkri was the public relations and communications lieutenant, and he now works as a reserve lieutenant for the program and helps out when needed at special events.

Mehkri has deferred his acceptance into medical school for a year and has remained in the Houston area and maintained a close relationship with REMS.

"I'll be working at the Will Rice [College] public party this weekend," Mehkri said.

But his relationship with the program extends beyond helping out as a reserve at specific events. In fact, he has been helping train new EMT Basics this semester and hosted workshops.

Mehkri then explained how REMS is also part of a larger network of collegiate medical service organizations.

"We belong to a group known as the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation," Mehkri said.

Mehkri further clarified that the range of services offered by student EMS services varies greatly depending on the university. Some universities, like Rice, offer first-responder services, while others serve as transporter organizations, which bring students to nearby hospitals. The distinctions are based on the universities' allot-

ted resources and the associated liabilities of such programs.

Mehkri is among the majority of REMS members pursuing a career in the medical field, but he does not cite the medical or technical components of the job as the most important aspect learned from the program.

"I think that the most valuable thing I learned from the program was leadership," Mehkri said. "It gives [students] self-confidence gradu-

ating from Rice as leaders. Even students that aren't necessarily natural-born leaders coming into the program leave as stronger and more confident leaders."

Reed Thornburg contributed to this article.

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