Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — If a local emergency medical technician aspires to be a paramedic, he or she has to leave the valley.

This fall, however, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is offering a video conferencing paramedic course in Steamboat Springs, working alongside the Yampa Valley Medical Center.

"It's a pretty exciting opportunity for EMTs to be able to go to paramedic school," Steamboat Ambulance paramedic Terry Lyons said. "You don't have to pick up your life and move to Denver."

The telecourse will include three semesters of classroom and clinical work done locally and then participants will have to complete 500 internship hours outside of the county. There are six slots available for local emergency service workers, Lyons said.

Dr. David Cionni will be the medical advisor and Steve Hilley the trauma advisor, she said.

"There are lots of EMTs in this county, but there are only a handful of paramedics," Lyons said.

In the world of pre-hospital medicine, there are basic EMTs, intermediate EMTs and EMT paramedics.

Paramedics are allowed to complete more advanced procedures, such as completing a surgical airway, and medicate, Lyons said.

Most of the Steamboat Springs Ski Patrol, some river guides and members of Routt County Search and Rescue are EMTs, she said, although they might not all want to be paramedics.

The initial application form is available at the Ambulance Barn on Ninth and Yampa streets. Once the application is complete, it will be reviewed, and some applicants will be interviewed to narrow the number down to six.

Applications are due June 15.

The course starts Aug. 25 and will take one year for coursework and the clinical portion.

Call 879-7170 and ask for Lyons or Mel Stewart for an application.

To reach Jennifer Bartlett call 871-4204 or e-mail jbartlett@amigo.net