Penn MERT provides emergency care to campus community
Members of the campus community in need of urgent medical services can rely on Penn’s student-run Medical Emergency Response Team.
From Sunday through Saturday, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., the organization known as MERT assists the Penn Police Department and Philadelphia Fire Department with medical emergencies on campus by providing pre-hospital care.
Rising senior and Penn MERT Chief Josh Glick said MERT members reach those in need quickly because they travel by bicycle. Once they arrive at the scene, the Penn MERT team provides treatment until the Fire Department arrives.
“We enable the community to have access to emergency healthcare faster, and then we work to have a smooth transition to the Fire Department, which can then take them to the hospital if need be,” he says.
There are currently 50 active Penn MERT members. Glick said a majority plan on pursuing a career in medicine, but others are studying business, history and the non-medical sciences. He is a double major in modern Middle Eastern studies and Biological Basis of Behavior.
To become a Penn MERT member, each candidate must complete a semester-long course to receive their EMT basic certification, and also a three-day bike class sponsored by Penn Police.
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