Harpur’s Ferry, Binghamton University’s student-run ambulance service, hosted its 12th-annual Emergency Medical Services conference over the weekend, allowing students to further develop their skills and medical knowledge as emergency medical technicians.

The conference, held in the Innovative Technology Complex, saw students from BU, SUNY Oswego and Stony Brook University. It allowed participants looking to pursue careers in the medical field to connect with health care professionals, who provided various levels of insight on their experiences.

This year, the event was organized by Heather Vamossy, a junior majoring in biology, and Katelyn George, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience.

In a statement to Pipe Dream, they thanked both alumni and student members, praising their abilities to balance their volunteer work, providing care across campus and academic commitments.

“This event allowed attendees to explore the latest advancements in pre-hospital care while gaining valuable skills applicable across various industries, along with Continuing Medical Education credits for EMS certification recertification,” they wrote. “From enhancing critical thinking to deepening their understanding of pathophysiology and fostering teamwork, the lessons learned here not only shape students as EMS providers but also prepare them for future challenges in their careers.”

Speakers covered a variety of topics about emergency medicine, including training development, treating stroke patients, EMS operations and endocrine emergencies.

One lecture explored responding to and transporting orthopedic emergencies. Dr. Adam Bitterman ‘05, an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, connected with students over his time at Harpur’s Ferry.

“There’s a lot of energy that goes into it,” said Bitterman. “Take Pride. There’s no cutting corners.”

During his lecture, he presented real cases, showing attendees X-rays from various types of orthopedic emergencies and photos from the scene of a fatal car accident.

Fellow Harpur’s ferry alumnus, Sebastian Geraci ‘18 spoke about OB/GYN emergencies like eclampsia and ectopic pregnancies. He passed around an obstetrician kit to familiarize students with its contents, though he said most EMTs are not exposed to the OB/GYN side of emergency care.

Intimate partner violence was also highlighted, specifically narrowing in on an EMTs role in addressing these situations and supporting their patients in different ways like encouraging sexually transmitted infection testing after an assault and accommodating an individual preferring a female EMT.

“It’s not something that’s going to go with any medication or any IV or fluids,” Geraci said. “But it’s important to know the resources that are available for patients, because you guys are the first line that are going to see these patients in the field. So you have to provide a safe space.”

Another lecture offered Sunday morning focused on pediatric toxicology emergencies. Harpur’s Ferry alumnus Dr. Jim Rodriguez ‘99, an emergency medicines physician and assistant medical director at TeamHealth, presented more real cases, urging students to find the correct medical responses to the different scenarios. In one, a child bit down on an electrical cord from Christmas wires and was found facedown, and in another, a five-year asthmatic suffered five hours of a worsening asthma attack, experiencing a heart rate of 160 and a respiratory rate of 30.

“I love the hands-on work that we’ve been able to do and also instructional learning,” said Lilly Moogan, a senior majoring in biology. “I really appreciate that a lot of it goes beyond [basic life support], so we get a lot of advanced techniques that we could put into practice within our future whichever way any of us might do that.”

Students also participated in a few rounds of “Jeopardy!,” where they discussed the harm that honey can cause in children younger than 1 year old and the danger Aspirin poses for those younger than 19. At another presentation, held at the same time, Daniel Zauski ‘13, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, discussed respiratory emergencies.

Josephine Amato, a junior majoring in biology, said the conference was one of the primary reasons she joined the agency. Noting that many of the talks were given by Harpur’s Ferry alumni, she said her favorites were the pediatric toxicology and psychiatric emergencies lectures.

“This agency has so many opportunities for training and opportunities for learning more,” Amato said. “I think this is one of the things that makes Harpur’s Ferry most unique. I love the education that we got, some of the lectures were super, super interesting.”