This school year, twelve Bethpage High School students had a rare opportunity: to graduate from high school already qualified to work in emergency medicine.
The students were enrolled in Bethpage's first-ever EMT program, offered through the district's 21st Century program. The certification course met two evenings a week from 6 to 9 p.m. for eight months, combining lecture with hands-on lab work and medical training. Coursework covered trauma care, life-saving medical procedures and rapid patient assessment. Students also had the opportunity to shadow EMT professionals during emergency room rotations.
The program was led by certified EMT educator Peter Shanhai, whose combination of expertise and enthusiasm left a lasting impression on students. Our teacher is one of the most incredible teachers I've ever met, said senior Paridhi Miglani. He worked as an EMT through 9/11. I truly wouldn't have passed this class without him. He always brought such a positive energy to the classroom and taught with excitement that made us want to be there every day.
The course culminated with students sitting for the certification exam through the Nassau County Emergency Medical Service Academy. This week, four students took the exam and all four passed. The remainder of the class will sit for the exam later this summer. Several students also plan to pursue the national certification exam, allowing them to work as EMTs in other states during their college years.
Students came to the program with a range of goals. For Benjamin Maciel-Siedman, who begins the pre-med track at Davidson College in the fall, the hands-on clinical experience was invaluable. I learned so much during the ER rotations and getting to see what emergency medicine is actually like in real life, he said. For Miglani, the motivation was equally practical: I wanted to have an alternate income stream in college.
For all twelve students, the certification means leaving high school with a credential that is both immediately employable and genuinely meaningful to their communities.
To learn more about Mr. Shanhai's journey as an EMT, click here to read his interview with Bethpage's student-run newspaper, The Eagle's Cry.
