South Korean Exchange Students Train with S.C. EMS Agency

Sept. 28—Aiken County Emergency Services is currently working with South Korean students in an international exchange program.

Laurie DeRosier, with Aiken EMS, said the program is through Augusta University and the students have come to the United States to train on operational medicine.

The students get to experience and evaluate the differences in equipment, the utilization of protocols and the overall scope of practice, she said.

She said there are 12 students in the program this year, and they are all seasoned firefighters and paramedics in South Korea. Ten of the students have bachelor's or master's degrees and the other two have associate degrees, DeRosier said.

"We have four of the students here in Aiken County and one here on Monday at the Aiken County facility on York Street," DeRosier said.

On Monday, the station had Myeongjun Ban working with one of the teams.

Myeongjun does not speak much English and spoke through a translator app on his phone.

"This has been very exciting and very good," Myeongjun said. "I've been very impressed with their systems."

The Korean students are stationed at different local fire departments and EMS facilities, and their visit includes hands-on experiences, DeRosier said.

Aiken County EMS was selected for this opportunity by Augusta University for the diverse urban and rural areas the county encompasses, she said.

The program also gives the students the advantage of experiencing Aiken County's progressive style of pre-hospital medicine, and through the exchange program, they get to experience the latest tools in the industry, DeRosier said.

Aiken Standard, S.C.