Polk State EMS overcomes challenges of pandemic to keep students and first responders on track to achieving their goals
When many classes were being transitioned online at the onset of the pandemic, faculty and staff with Polk State College’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program were strategizing how to get students back into the classroom…
Lakeland Fire Department Rescue Chief dedicated to serving community achieves third Polk State degree
Shane Reynolds, Rescue Chief for the Lakeland Fire Department, will graduate with his third Polk State College degree this week and a passion for serving the community that is stronger than ever for this dedicated…
Jesse Stine Memorial Scholarship for Future Paramedics awards first recipient – Stine’s best friend
It was difficult for Alex Marshall to pose with his scholarship and smile for a picture Tuesday – just days before the anniversary of his best friend’s passing who the award is in memory of.…
Polk State EMS graduates first class from paramedic partnership with Polk County Fire Rescue
Polk State College celebrated the first graduating class June 6 from the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program’s partnership with Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) to fill the local workforce need for paramedics. The 13 graduates…
Polk State biology professor enrolls in EMS Program to become better instructor for students, finishes top of his class
Polk State College biology and physiology professor Jeffrey Orasky has taught at the College for nearly seven years and many students from Polk State’s Emergency Medical Services Program have come through his classroom. To learn…
GiveWell Community Foundation funds manikins for Polk State EMS
Polk State College’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program is committed to providing realistic, interactive training that gives students and professionals the skills they need to be successful in the field, and thanks to a grant…
Polk State’s EMS Program steps up to fill Polk County Fire Rescue’s need for paramedics
When Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) approached Polk State about its need for paramedics, the College’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program didn’t hesitate to figure out a way to put students on a fast track…
Thrill of critical thinking led Polk State alum to EMS career
Allison Skinner lives for the thrill of responding quickly and critically to the needs of her patients as a paramedic with Manatee County Emergency Medical Services. And after only four years on the job, Skinner…
Alum, WNCC EMS Program Director Graham Judd: Polk State’s program serves as exemplary model
Polk State College alum Graham Judd says Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program Director Don Guillette runs a tight ship, which Judd admits he didn’t fully understand when he was a student. But after more than…
Alum, adjunct becomes Florida’s first internationally certified community paramedic
Earl Kulpa, a Polk State College alum and adjunct instructor in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program, recently became the first internationally certified community paramedic in Florida — among only 112 in the nation. Kulpa,…