My name is Eva, and I'm a '25 Mechanical Engineering BE student from Upstate New York. My time at Dartmouth has been marked by the combination of the arts and engineering on campus and you can often find me working on a new project in either the Dartmouth Engineering Machine Shop or Visual Arts Center. In my free time, I love to work on lego sets and watch the craziest reality tv I can find!
Are you passionate about medicine? Do you crave an ever changing atmosphere? Perhaps have an affinity for problem solving? Maybe you love a good challenge? If you answered yes to all of the above, Dartmouth EMS might be for you.
I knew even before committing to a college that I wanted to join an EMS program. I didn't do much research on different programs offered at different schools, but I believe Dartmouth's has everything there is to offer.
Founded in 1991, D-EMS is a student-run licensed support squad that serves to provide health training and emergency response for Dartmouth and the surrounding Upper Valley region. This includes being on call during weekends to address any medical issues that might arise, getting certified to train people in areas such as first aid and cpr, and so much more.
Sounds like something you'd be interested in? Here's how you can get involved once you're on campus!
D-EMS accepts only freshmen and sophomores due to the timing of the process to become a fully certified member of the group, and the application process is one of the more competitive things I've been involved with on campus. Though everyone who applies and is involved with the application process is super kind and helpful, only around 25-30 students are accepted a year out of a pool of approximately 120-150. The application process includes a mandatory information session and then a series of optional dinners, training, and meetings that you can attend so the members already in the club can get to know you a bit more. After this, there is a relatively long application that must be sent in during the first weeks of October and a subsequent interview! Before these parts of the process, there is a ton of time to ask questions and figure out exactly what being in the club entails.
The D-EMS members are looking to induct people who are truly passionate about medicine and helping the Upper Valley in the way of healthcare. What they are NOT looking for are ONLY pre-med students or ONLY students already EMT certified. Though most members are pre-med, there are many different majors and disciplines represented! This provides a different educational perspective for the club and allows for diverse conversation and problem solving. Most applicants are also not EMT certified! I'm not certified currently, but the team does ask those who are not to have a plan to become certified during their time at Dartmouth. This can be through D-EMS sponsored training at Dartmouth or training during off terms in your hometown!
My experience applying was a bit stressful at first since I was so passionate about getting in, but once I did, I found a huge community of like minded people set on impacting their environment in the most positive ways possible.
While many people might associate cold, long, snowy winters with hardship, I've found that winter at Dartmouth is full of potential to be just as fun as other seasons.
