Los Fresnos grads headed to national EMT competition

If the human body is an amazing machine, call Alexa Gonzalez one of the best young mechanics in Texas.

Gonzalez, along with her peer and teammate Alejandra Elizalde, graduated from Los Fresnos High School this year after becoming the top Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students in the state at a spring competition.

The team of two will head to California this week to compete in the Health Occupations Students of America EMT competition set to take place June 22-25 at the organization’s National Leadership Conference this year.

Gonzalez and Elizalde were among seven students who became certified by the National Registry of EMTs this spring, and received state certification upon graduation, Los Fresnos EMT program director Justin Oakerson said.

The class began in August with 16 students, Oakerson, who works for the International Academy of Emergency Medical Technology, said.

"When they graduate they can actually work as an Emergency Medical Technician, whether it be in a hospital or an ambulance," Oakerson said. "They’ll already have a certification that will allow them to work for an employer. ... They already have an advantage to where they can work through college with a better paying job. Obviously there’s always going to be jobs in the medical setting."

The Los Fresnos EMT program is in its second year, Oakerson said.

The road to nationals began when Los Fresnos’ three EMT teams took first through third place at regionals, he said.

When competing, students must score high on a written test and a mock scenario in which they use their assessment skills, including the specialized skills of an EMT, he said.

"It’s over the whole EMT book," Oakerson said of the written test. "You’re talking about 36 chapters of material covering all aspects of medical and tramua emergencies that they have to have knowledge of."

An excitement about learning is what drew Gonzalez to the program, she said.

"You can’t save everyone, but you just learn more about yourself," she said. "The human body is this awesome machine, you know? Learning about it is really interesting to me."

Gonzalez said she enjoyed the selectiveness of the EMT program, though it was at first intimidating to do rotations with actual EMTs.

"You think of them as super smart and being heroes almost," she said. "When you meet them they’re so laid back."

It is not lost on Gonzalez that at just 18 years old, she’s ahead of many of her peers because of her EMT certification. She said she plans to attend the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi nursing program to become a registered nurse.

Competing nationally is the icing on the cake, she said.

"I am proud, but I’m more proud of being certified as an EMT," Gonzalez said. "It does feel special to be qualified first place in the state of Texas and that’s something I can certainly brag about to people."