Jessamine County Fiscal Court is pleased to announce that Jessamine County Emergency Medical Services (JCEMS) will continue to set the standard for Kentucky’s EMS personnel—through a 14-week internship with the University of Kentucky Medical Center that will allow the team to add ultrasounds to its list of critical care abilities and expertise.

The internship and critical care training program is possible because of an agreement between Jessamine County Fiscal Court, Kentucky One Health and St. Joseph Jessamine RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center, and the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

The critical care class is important to JCEMS because it will expand the scope of our paramedics,” JCEMS Education Coordinator Jamie Goodpastor said.  “The ability to perform ultrasounds is important because we can use it to find air that’s trapped between the chest and the lungs, find abdominal bleeding in trauma situations, and confirm tracheal tube placement.  If necessary, we can also do fetal ultrasounds to look for a baby’s heartbeat.” 

“We will be interning at UK Medical Center’s Emergency Department with physicians who are in the residency phase of their education.  Our team will accompany them and learn from their expertise,” Goodpastor said. 

JCEMS is one of the only EMS departments in Kentucky participating in this type of training program.  “Others are interested, but we are the first to do it with the University of Kentucky.  We are always looking for the newest, best tool and/or skill, and ultrasound is one of those,” Goodpastor explained.  “We are ahead of the pack when it comes to training and skills—and that’s good because it means we are providing the best possible patient care in our area.”

“I am in full support of the team’s efforts to pursue innovative and effective ways to continually improve their skills and expertise,” Jessamine County Judge-Executive David West said.  “Programs like this raise the level of care our JCEMS team can provide our citizens.” 

Once the training is complete, JCEMS’s next step will be to purchase ultrasound machines.  

“We are looking for grants to cover the cost of that purchase,” Goodpastor said.  “We wanted to get the education first, and make sure our crew knows how to use the machines appropriately.” 

For more information, visit www.jessamineco.com or call 859-885-4500.