Taiwanese Paramedics Train at CWU

August 8, 2006

ELLENSBURG, Wash.- Thirty paramedic professionals from Taiwan are now in Washington, where they are spending 10 days honing and learning new skills. The visit is coordinated through the Central Washington University office of continuing education, which has maintained a working relationship with emergency response personnel from Taipei, Taiwan for the past eight years.

"Our program for the Taiwanese paramedics is a result of this longstanding relationship," Kevin Nemeth, continuing education director, says. "We work closely with the CWU paramedic degree program to custom-designed a course to meet their needs and interests, as a part of their ongoing continuing education requirements."

The acclaimed CWU paramedic degree program train students in pre-hospital emergency care.

While at CWU, the Taiwanese paramedics are taking training sessions on such topics as patient assessment, use of traction devices and advanced airway skills.

Tomorrow (Aug. 9), they will train on extracting accident victims from damaged vehicles through the auspices of the Ellensburg Fire Department. Then, on Thursday and Friday (Aug. 10-11) each student will participate in a half-day "ride along" will a paramedic until from the Bellevue, Bothell, Everett, or Shoreline fire departments.