EMS week keeps MERT students busy

Past the gates of the Quad and down the stairs near McClelland Hall is the Butcher building.

In its basement are the headquarters for the red-uniformed students commonly found helping students to the hospital. The tucked away corridor holds study rooms, fridges, medical equipment and even bedrooms. From 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day, the 60 members of Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team call it home.

For EMS Week, MERT members shared what it’s like behind the scenes of the organization.

The core units of MERT are its crews, which have three to four members. They consist of the crew chief, leads — the more experienced EMTs — and general EMTs, who are new or have not worked as many hours.

When a student calls 511 or Penn’s emergency phone number for a medical emergency, MERT is dispatched along with the Division of Public Safety and Penn Police. When MERT arrives to a scene, the crew splits up its tasks.

One member runs through questions with the victim; another takes vital signs and another member takes notes.

If the patients are over 18 and fully aware, they can refuse treatment, in which case MERT will work with them to come up with a plan of action. They can opt to have Student Health Service follow up with them by phone, instead.

If an ambulance is needed, MERT exchanges with the fire department, who will then take the patient to the hospital. MERT can also walk the patient to the emergency room. Afterwards, MERT writes up a medical chart and reviews it for quality.

While many students commonly think of MERT arriving when alcohol is involved, only about half of all MERT calls are alcohol-related. Many calls involve pain, traumatic injuries ­— such as concussions — and general sickness, especially during the winter.

“We’ve had a lot of calls for anxiety lately,” College senior and MERT Community Outreach Officer Rachel Gates said. She explained, some students have stress-related panic attacks and are given oxygen and water. “Sometimes you just need to hear other people say it’s going to be okay,” College senior and MERT Operations Captain Emma Kofmehl said.

MERT members shared some of the most interesting cases they’ve seen on duty. “Once, a homeless woman stumbled into a building because the Virgin Mary told her that the immaculate gates were on the 12th floor,” Kofmehl recalled. “It was really bizarre.”

Gates added, “During Fling, a guy jumped to high-five his friend and sprained his ankle … he was completely sober, but his mom didn’t believe him.”

A big area for MERT is calls from freshmen who are less practiced in dealing with health away from home. “We are sort of like the mom on campus,” Kofmehl joked.

Many students also try to self-diagnose, especially with sites like WebMD.

“A lot of students think, ‘Oh, if you’re a pre-med student, you can diagnose me.’ Just because you’re pre-med, it doesn’t mean anything,” said College junior and MERT CPR Coordinator Sonya Davey. “This is Penn,” Kofmehl laughed.

In order to stay as a MERT member, students sign up for several shifts a month to fulfill the 24-hour monthly minimum.

The time commitment is a lot, but generally manageable, according to Kofmehl. “It took me a year to learn how to do my homework here,” Gates admitted.

Students interested in joining MERT can either apply with their EMT certification or take an EMT class through the organization.

Every week, members attend meetings and training, and special orientations are held before NSO and Spring Fling.

MERT also offers CPR courses to the Penn community. “We certify a lot of nursing students and Penn admins. We are trying to push for RAs and GAs to get certified,” Davey said. “It’s a valuable skill.”

While the organization is vital in attending to emergencies in the community, there are still a lot of misconceptions about MERT. “I’ve heard a lot of ‘are real EMTs going to show up or is it just you guys?’ We are real EMTs, and some of us even work for ambulance companies,” Kofmehl said.

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