Willamette University's student-run emergency medical team will no longer respond to on-campus medical calls.
Willamette Emergency Medical Services (WEMS), the nearly 30-year-old student-run agency, is dropping its emergency dispatch duties and restructuring as a traditional campus club, the Willamette Collegian first reported. Campus Safety will handle all active medical calls at the university going forward.
Under the old model, WEMS operated as an accredited emergency medical response agency. Student responders held active certifications and worked 15-hour overnight call shifts.
Under the new structure, WEMS will not respond to emergencies or take dispatch calls.
WEMS student leaders said they initiated the shift themselves, citing logistic and sustainability concerns.
Zane Sheridan-Taylor, a member of the WEMS student leadership team and a senior, described the staffing strain to the Collegian. "We would need a supervisor and at least one other person on call every night and it's very difficult to maintain those kinds of numbers … especially when people are full-time students, athletes and have other commitments," Sheridan-Taylor said.
Sheridan-Taylor also pointed to costs for carding software needed to comply with federal health-privacy law and for regular oxygen refills.
Allie Jakubauskas, also on the WEMS leadership team, told the Collegian the group paid for medical malpractice insurance, a medical director and basic supplies.
She said the cost per call, given those baseline expenses, was not worth it.
Lisa Holliday, associate dean of students and director of student engagement and leadership, told the Collegian the restructuring was not driven by student liability concerns.
The organization had operated under medical oversight from an emergency physician who reviewed WEMS protocols and actions.
Holliday also described the group's funding history. WEMS was originally funded through a dedicated student fee separate from the Associated Students of Willamette University, giving it its own operational budget alongside Campus Safety.
What changes for students
The university's emergency preparedness guide instructs students to call Campus Safety first in a medical emergency. Campus Safety officers are on campus 24 hours a day, according to the guide. Officers provide an initial assessment and contact outside emergency medical services when needed.
Campus Safety can also unlock buildings and escort emergency responders to the scene, the guide states.
The Collegian reported that WEMS leaders discussed the changes at a campus town hall on Sept. 28.
A new focus on skills
WEMS plans to reinvent itself around clinical skill-building. Under the old rules, only students with certifications could participate. Jakubauskas told the Collegian the club structure opens access to the wider Willamette community, with membership and workshops available to the entire student body regardless of certification status.
Justin Greene, another WEMS student leader, said at the town hall that removing mandatory call shifts frees members from heavy time commitments.
He described the club's lower-pressure approach, noting that practicing skills like taking vitals on someone who is not a patient creates a low-stress learning environment.
WEMS will no longer offer or fund contracted certification courses. The group plans to work with Claire Hoffman, the university's health professions advisor and coordinator of the Health, Education, Experience, and Leadership (HEEL) fund.
Upcoming WEMS events: The club has scheduled bi-monthly two-hour skill drills, a Mass Casualty Drill, an EMS Skills Expo and an ER Nursing Talk on Nov. 19.
