As Washoe County seniors get ready to graduate over the next week and a half, two-18 year olds stand-out from Reno's AACT High School.
They are preparing for an international competition in medical care.
High school seniors Emery O’Bryant and Sarah Cole are just one step away from being nationally registered EMTs.
"You have to pass all four tests with an 80% or higher and then you have to take a psycho-motor test, which is a hands-on test of all eight skills," explains Emery.
No problem for this pair; the best friends excelled in the medical program at AACT High School in Reno. The program includes the EMT course taught in conjunction with REMSA.
One of their teachers, Heather Spencer, an EMS instructor and advanced EMT with REMSA, explains; "To give them the baseline knowledge, so that they can go out and respond to any 9-1-1 call, get on to an ambulance."
Which both of the girls did, getting hands-on experience with 12 hour rotations and ride-alongs.
Emery, while in the ambulance, got to "hang IVs or wrap wounds, clean wounds, stuff like that."
"I went on some pretty serious calls that were kinda intense,” remembers Sarah.
That experience and the girls' hard work paid off. Cole and O'Bryant's skills won them a state competition in Las Vegas.
"We're the first team in a really long time to place gold in EMT,” explains Emery.
That gold guarantees their spot in an upcoming international competition. But, before that these seniors are ready to graduate high school and head into pre-med at UNR.
Cole has a plan; "And after four years of that, I wanna go into the Navy and do anything medical related in the Navy."
"I know I wanna go to medical school,” says O’Bryant, “But I'm not entirely sure what kind of doctor I wanna be yet."
It might be pediatrics for Cole; “…but that's kinda far away so that could change."
At the end of this month, the teens will join more than 10,000 future health professionals for an international competition. Their teacher, Ms. Spencer, laughs as she predicts; "They'll get it."
The HOSA - Future Health Professionals Competition that Sarah and Emery are heading to is June 19-22 in Orlando, Florida.
To learn more about the various specialized programs offered at AACT High School, click link below -
