Since beginning to serve campus in 1991, the Saint Anselm College EMS team has grown from one EMT to a present team of 14 members. Sometimes referred to as the “Rescue Team”, the EMS team serves a variety of roles throughout campus.

In addition to working with emergency services in Goffstown to respond to 911 calls on campus, the EMS team works seven days a week to be there if an emergency occurs. They work sports games with the athletic trainer, graduation, school dances, and behind the scenes of many events throughout campus.

Emily Little ’21, the present captain of the EMS team, is primarily responsible for ordering equipment, scheduling volunteers, and working with the Goffstown fire department on medical calls. Little, in her second year of involvement with the Saint Anselm EMS team, also leads her group of volunteers every weekend as extra support in case an emergency occurs around campus.

In an interview, Little talked about some of her experiences with the team. “My experience through the EMS team has helped me interact better with patients. It has helped me be more comfortable with talking to patients and performing in the nursing field. The leadership position has also helped me tremendously by helping me gain more confidence and skills.”

In addition to responding to calls on campus, the EMS team provides team bonding experiences and has been working on community outreach. They celebrate EMS week every November, gave an opportunity last semester to work on drunk driving awareness, and tries to network with other agencies. This semester, the EMS team has been distributing vaccines to the population of New Hampshire.

Mitchell Young, ’23, just joined the team this past fall semester. Young was deeply interested in joining the team before he even committed to Saint Anselm College. “I was introduced to the team when I was touring an open house in fall of 2018. I was interested in being a nursing major, but at all the other colleges I had been to, I had never heard of anything like this.”

When asked about his favorite aspect of being involved on the EMS team, Young commented, “Honestly, it has been nice being able to work with people on-campus. I work in a private EMS department over breaks at home, but being able to help people on-campus you know is a very nice feeling…. I just like helping people, so it is something that I enjoy.”

Young also believes that his experience with the EMS team has molded his experience at Saint A’s. He stated, “It’s something that I have wanted to do for a while now. I feel like I am doing something on campus that is worthwhile, something other than just staying in my room. Even as a nursing major, I can’t vaccinate people. However, I can with the EMS team. Realistically, I don’t do much, but it is an amazing experience.”

Lauren Marr, the faculty advisor for the EMS team, has been involved on the team since 2008. In an interview, Marr commented, “I am very proud of this team. I love to see it when other students want to lend a hand, step outside of their comfort zones, and help their peers on-campus. I also love it when alumni come back and give us presentations.”

Marr would also like to add that “SACEMS would not be all it is today without the ongoing support from the Dean of Students, Student Activities, Health Services and Maura Marshall, Security, our team chaplain, Fr. Mathias, and Goffstown Fire Department. Each of those departments contribute to… finances for uniforms, equipment and supplies, continuity of patient care for transport to a local hospital, debriefing, and scene safety. As a team, we are so fortunate to have these awesome resources.”

The EMS team is looking for new volunteers on campus as some of their seniors are about to graduate this coming May. If students are interested in joining, they can email the team at [email protected]. In order to be a part of the EMS team, students need to obtain an EMS license.