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The medical school’s newest students wrapped up their Medical First Responder (MFR) training course in early October, putting their skills to the test during a capstone event at the Kalamazoo Regional Fire Training Center. 

The all-day event was held on Thursday, October 3, 2024, and consisted of several emergency scenarios, including a mass-casualty incident, a vehicle extrication, and rappelling down an elevator shaft. 

“It was a lot of hard work, and we learned a lot really quickly, so having this capstone day to top it all off has been really rewarding,” M1 Erin Dowd said. “The team bonding opportunities from MFR have been the best. ... The chemistry of our class, the 2028 class, is beyond what I would ever expect.” 

WMed students spend several of their first weeks of medical school participating in MFR training. Their work culminates with the MFR capstone event, and the training qualifies students for national certification and state licensing as medical first responders. 

“We’re one of only a couple of medical schools in the country that do something quite like this,” explained William Fales, MD, professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and division chief for the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine at WMed. “We’re a little biased, but we think every physician should know how to handle the first five minutes of an emergency, regardless of what kind of specialty, and that’s what we really try to do in MFR, to get them so that they are as comfortable as they can be in responding to emergencies that can arise in their waiting room, in the hospital, (or) on the street as good Samaritans.” 

MFR training begins for first-year students during their first week at WMed as part of the medical school’s curriculum. The course equips students to respond when someone is ill or injured and provides them with instruction on basic procedures, including taking vital signs, CPR, bandaging and wound care and splinting, assisting in childbirth, among other things. 

The course is a fast-paced way for students to get hands-on training at the outset of medical school, so they have the knowledge to perform basic patient assessments, manage simple medical emergencies, and provide basic cardiac life support. 

“Truly learning something goes beyond just reading something from a book or being in a lecture, you need to have it in your hands, and you need to be put under pressure for things like that to actually stick,” M1 Jackson Goudreau said. “It’s good to be in those high-pressure environments because that’s what’s going to be (asked of us). ... It makes us stronger; it makes us stronger leaders.”