19th Annual NCEMSF Conference
Collegiate EMS Providers Gather to Learn, Collaborate, Network, and Compete
Baltimore, MD - The nineteenth annual conference of the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF) was held February 24- 26 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. A total of 959 representatives of campus-based EMS organizations from 99 colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada attended the conference, setting new records for both.
NCEMSF is a non-profit organization committed to scholarship, research and consultancy activities and to creating safer, healthier environments on college and university campuses throughout North America. Comprised of over 250 college campus-based emergency medical service (EMS) agencies trained to respond within minutes and provide care tailored specifically to campus emergencies, NCEMSF's purpose is to support, promote, and advocate for EMS on college and university campuses. The annual conference is the cornerstone of the Foundation and creates a forum for communication and an environment where ideas can be exchanged and problems solved.
"Beyond providing for the acquisition of medical knowledge, campus-based EMS allows student participants to develop certain life skills including leadership, team work, communication, and decision making, while simultaneously positively impacting other people's lives," said Dr. George Koenig, NCEMSF President. He continued, "These crucial skills serve participants well no matter what careers they ultimately choose."
"Perhaps what is most impressive about campus-based EMS is that it is students helping fellow students - the vast majority of organizations are led by students attending those colleges or universities. The enthusiasm, optimism, and dedication that exists amongst this talented group of young, professional adults is contagious and truly awe inspiring," commented Dr. Koenig.
This year's conference program included over 110 lectures, roundtable discussions, expert panels and skills labs packed into two and half days of amazing programming ranging from the treatment and management of various traumatic and medical emergencies to EMS research to leadership development and strategic planning for the collegiate EMS agency. A series of roundtable discussions took place in which leaders and advisors from various university squads reviewed common problems facing their squads and challenged themselves to find innovative, feasible solutions. The conference also featured several skills labs focusing on airway management, advanced ECG interpretation, improvisational splinting and transport of patients and simulated assessment scenarios.
Dr. Darren McAuley delivered the Major John P. Pryor, MD Memorial Lecture "Moonlighting in the Big Leauges" and shared his own inspirational experiences as a pre-hospital provider in college and relayed how the lessons he learned helped shape his career and propel him to where he is today.
The Richard W. Vomacka Student Speaker Competition afforded pre-selected conference attendees the opportunity to deliver a relevant high-quality seminar to their peers on a topic of their choosing. The competition was judged on the initial abstract submission, session slides and lastly presentation style, content, applicability and ability to relate and interact with the audience. Sean McMullen from Arizona State University, won the competition with a seminar entitled "Crawl, Walk, Run: Adapting Military Training Techniques to Civilian Environments." The original student research competition was won by Bartholomew Grabman of Willamette University for his work analyzing factors affecting EMS response times.
Several individuals and campus EMS organizations were recognized at the conference with annual awards for service.
* Collegiate EMS Week Award - University of Dayton
* Collegiate EMS Video of the Year - Emory University
* Collegiate EMS Web Site of the Year - Syracuse University
* George J. Koenig Jr. Foundation Service Award - Jennifer D. Siegel
* Collegiate EMS Advisor of the Year - Paul Smyth (Syracuse University)
* Collegiate EMS Provider of the Year - Kush Das (George Washington University)
* Collegiate EMS Organization of the Year - Binghamton University
Emory University and Rice University were recognized for having completed NCEMSF's Striving for Excellence program, a rigorous self-evaluation and three year accreditation process demonstrating adherence to current best practice patterns. The recipients represent benchmark organizations that others strive to emulate.
Fifteen universities also received special recognition in honor of their milestone anniversaries ranging from 10 years of service to 50 years of service to their respective campuses.
The annual Physio-Control Collegiate EMS skills competition in which team's clinical, leadership and creativity skills were tested was won by Cornell University. Virginia Tech Rescue Squad won the advanced life support version of the competition and the privilege of representing the whole of campus-based EMS in the annual JEMS Games at EMS Today in Baltimore later this week.
For more information about NCEMSF or the 2012 Conference, including a copy of the complete program, please visit the Foundation´s website at www.ncemsf.org. The 2013 NCEMSF conference is scheduled for February 22-24, 2013 in Washington, DC.