WEMS declassifies itself as an EMS organization
Willamette Emergency Medical Services (WEMS) is transitioning from an official emergency medical response agency into a traditional on-campus student club structure. This change, as the club approaches its 30th anniversary, was initiated by the WEMS student leadership team due to logistic and sustainability concerns.
During a campus town hall on Sept. 28, WEMS student leadership discussed the structural changes, outlining how the organization will shift away from active campus dispatch to focus on clinical skill building and pre-health professional development.
Under the previous model, WEMS operated as an accredited on-campus emergency medical response agency. This structure required student responders to hold active certifications and maintain 15-hour overnight call shifts. Under the new model, WEMS will no longer respond to on-campus medical emergencies or take dispatch calls.
Zane Sheridan-Taylor (’27), member of the WEMS student leadership team said, “We would need a supervisor and at least one other person on call every night and it's very difficult to maintain those kinds of numbers … especially when people are full-time students, athletes and have other commitments.”
The need for a supervisor provided additional financial costs that grew unsustainable as described by the WEMS team. “Just like Salem Fire, we have to pay for medical malpractice insurance, we need a medical director, we need basic supplies … The cost per call given these baseline expenses of running an EMS organization wasn’t worth it,” Allie Jakubauskas (’27), another member of the WEMS student leadership team explained.
Sheridan-Taylor added, “We had to pay for our carding software to not commit HIPAA violations, we had to pay for oxygen refills which were regular and not cheap…”
Jakubauskas discussed how WEMS was the clinical experience on campus for students interested in health-care. “People without a certification were not allowed to participate [in WEMS] but now we’re opening access to a wider Willamette community,” she said. Under the revised club structure, general membership and skill workshops are open to the entire student body regardless of medical certification status.
While WEMS will no longer directly offer or fund contracted certification courses, the organization plans to host practical training events and informational workshops. Planned programming includes bi-monthly two-hour skill drills, a Mass Casualty Drill, an EMS Skills Expo, and an ER Nursing Talk on Nov. 19.
Justin Greene (’27) another student member of WEMS leadership noted during the town hall that removing the mandatory call shifts eliminates the time requirements previously required of student responders. He described the club’s focus on introductory skill practice, “Taking vitals on a person who is not a patient is a great low-stress environment.”
WEMS will work closely with Claire Hoffman, the health professions advisor and coordinator of the Health, Education, Experience, and Leadership (HEEL) fund going forward. WEMS leadership met with university administration to discuss the restructuring. Historically, WEMS funding structure underwent several shifts over its nearly 30 years as an on campus organization.
Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Engagement and Leadership Lisa Holliday explained their agreement with Campus Safety. “Initially, WEMS was funded through a dedicated student fee independent of the Associated Students of Willamette University, providing the organization with its own operational budget alongside Campus Safety,” Holliday said.
Holliday clarified that there were not specific student liability concerns resulting in the shift in structure, as the organization operated under medical oversight from an emergency physician who reviewed WEMS protocols and actions.
With the elimination of student-led emergency dispatch, campus protocol for medical incidents relies on external emergency infrastructure. Campus Safety will handle all active medical calls at Willamette University going forward.
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