Our Program
Advanced Life Support, student-led, around the clock.
Operations
UVM Rescue staffs our ambulances with at minimum a Crew Chief and a Driver. Crew Chiefs are responsible for the leading patient care and crew safety on calls. All UVM Rescue Crew Chiefs are Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians, ensuring that we run Advanced Life Support crews on every call. Drivers are responsible for knowing the fastest and most efficient route for call locations in addition to the safe maneuvering of the ambulance and assisting with patient care on-scene. Our crews usually are complete with two more members, a Third and a Fourth, who aid in patient care.
Behind the scenes, we have 9 officers who deal with the administrative responsibilities of being a non-profit, student-run, volunteer ambulance service. Our officer positions include the Director of Operations, Training Officer, two Financial Officers, Public Relations Officer, Equipment Officer, Vehicle Officer, and two Personnel Officers.
Operations
Training
At UVM Rescue, we take pride in our extensive training programs that allow us, as volunteers and primarily undergraduate students, to be held accountable to the same standards as other full-time professionals in our district. Every member on UVM Rescue completes a 14-week probationary period where they constantly train and test their EMS skills, medical knowledge, and the ability to work effectively within a team of providers. Once one's probationary phase is completed, training continues as our members continue to immerse themselves and practice their skills and knowledge. Members may also decide to go through more training to become a Crew Chief, Driver, or both. On average, becoming a driver requires another four to five months of training, and becoming a Crew Chief takes nine to twelve months. Continued education is also achieved through our regular squad trainings, where we practice working together to learn new medical tools, practices, and procedures.
Training
Application Process
The first step in applying to UVM Rescue is to set up an interest meeting. These meetings are scheduled by emailing our Personnel Officers at personnel.rescue@uvm.edu. Each meeting lasts about 30-45 minutes and is held at our station with up to 5 interested students. During this time, interested applicants will receive a tour of our quarters and information about the Squad.
If you are interested in applying following the Interest Meeting, you will be given an online application via email or in-person. If our Personnel Officers decide to move forward with the application process, they will then reach out and schedule an interview time. Following the interview, an applicant may receive an invitation to schedule 3 observation hours. Again, this is up to the discretion of our Personnel Officers.
During observation hours you will ride along on calls and experience the day-to-day of our Squad. Following observation hours applicants should receive a decision within two weeks.
If you are interested in joining or have any questions please email our Personnel Officers or give our station a call!