The Des Moines Area Community College VanKirk Career Academy specializes in the health care industry, with a particular focus on Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).

Mike Thomason is the EMT Instructor and explains that students develop assessment skills when it comes to treating patients’ injuries. He notes that he always has had a desire to help people, starting out as a school teacher, but refers to himself as an “adrenaline junkie,” saying that he enjoys going out on calls that involve high pressure situations in order to offer aid. Thomason clears up a common misconception about working as an EMT.

“You don’t have to be immune to everything. If you’re afraid of blood, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You don’t have to be this perfect iron-clad person to enter into EMS (Emergency Medical Services). Just the desire to help, the desire to rapidly get people down the right path, and the other thing is, sometimes if you’re an adrenaline junkie, that’s a little bit of a rush as well.”

Thomason indicates that EMT’s play critical roles in the communities they serve by providing quality care. He adds that the course at DMACC’s VanKirk Career Academy is open to both high school students and adults, and stresses that people don’t need to come in with a wealth of knowledge pertaining to the human body or medical terms beforehand. 

Thomason notes the course is offered in the mornings Monday through Friday for high school students, and then on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6-10pm for adults. Any questions can be directed to the DMACC Perry Advisor Connie Saenz by emailing caoliversaenz@dmacc.edu or EMT Program Advisor Christa Grove at clgrove@dmacc.edu.