The Penn Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) is the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

's student-run volunteer

emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

organization, providing care to students, faculty, staff and community members. MERT's primary responsibility is to provide quick-response emergency medical care before Philadelphia Fire Department

paramedic A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), ...

units are available to provide patient transport. The secondary purpose of MERT is to provide education to the Penn community, specifically

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...

training,

First Aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

training, and

alcohol education Alcohol education is the practice of disseminating information about the effects of alcohol on health, as well as society and the family unit. It was introduced into the public schools by temperance organizations such as the Woman's Christian Tem ...

History

MERT was founded in 2006 by four students at the University of Pennsylvania. After witnessing a delayed medical response to an emergency in the quad, Andrew Mener proposed the establishment of an on-campus EMS organization. MERT acquired a membership of 50 who prepared for operations by undergoing bicycle safety training through th
International Police Mountain Biking Association's standards
MERT's first operational period was Penn's Spring Fling weekend in 2006, where MERT responded to 22 medical calls. This demonstration persuaded university administrators to permit a year-long

pilot program A pilot experiment, pilot study, pilot test or pilot project is a small-scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research ...

. The organization was subsequently funded by the University's Vice Provost for University Life, the University's Department of Public Safety, Fox Leadership, and the Undergraduate Assembly. MERT's operational hours at its initiation were weekends only, from Thursday night through Sunday. Starting in the Fall of 2006, MERT extended its service to 7 nights per week during each academic semester. In 2010, MERT relocated from its headquarters in Sansom Place East, a primarily graduate residence building, to the

Quad QUaD, an acronym for QUEST at DASI, was a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment at the South Pole. QUEST (Q and U Extragalactic Sub-mm Telescope) was the original name attributed to the bolometer detector instrume ...

, which mainly houses freshmen. This relocation was due to unmanageable space constraints, and allowed MERT to have additional room while moving closer to the zone with highest call density (occurring at or around the Quad). Despite a failed attempt at obtaining a fly car in 2010, MERT continues to seek administrative approval for new EMS vehicles. In 2012, MERT was officially recognized as a Quick Response agency by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, making it the first University in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

region to be recognized as such.

Operations

Daily Operations

MERT operates from 5 PM to 7 AM on weekdays and continuously on weekends during the academic year. Each MERT crew consists of 2-4 members certified as

Emergency Medical Technician An emergency medical technician (often, more simply, EMT) is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and som ...

s in the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West ...

. These crews include a crew chief (or lead EMT), and one/two biking EMTs. MERT typically responds using specially equipped EMS bikes carrying all necessary medical equipment to handle both traumatic injuries and

medical emergencies A medical emergency is an acute injury or illness that poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long-term health, sometimes referred to as a situation risking "life or limb". These emergencies may require assistance from another, qualified ...

. As a BLS service in Pennsylvania, MERT is able to provide

oxygen therapy Oxygen therapy, also referred to as supplemental oxygen, is the use of oxygen as medical treatment. Supplemental oxygen can also refer to the use of oxygen enriched air at altitude. Acute indications for therapy include hypoxemia (low blood o ...

, stabilize trauma patients, splint suspected fractures and joint injuries, utilize artificial airways, provide ventilatory support, administer certain medications (including

Epinephrine Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands a ...

) and defibrillate patients. The typical response time of MERT is less than 5 minutes.

Special Events

MERT provides additional hours and coverage durin
athletic
and major University events such as New Student Orientation, Spring Fling, the

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (officially The Penn Relay Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012 ...

Hey Day The University of Pennsylvania student life includes numerous events and social gatherings around campus, with some sponsored by the college. Traditions Toast throwing As a sign of school pride, crowds of Quaker fans perform a unique ritual. A ...

, and Graduation. During these events, multiple crews of 3-4 EMTs may be deployed to ensure quick and adequate emergency response. MERT members receive additional training in preparation for special events, which often includes simulated scenarios of common emergencies encountered.

Disaster Response

MERT is also trained to handle

mass casualty incident A mass casualty incident (often shortened to MCI) describes an incident in which emergency medical services resources, such as personnel and equipment, are overwhelmed by the number and severity of Casualty (person), casualties. For example, an ...

s that could potentially occur within the Penn Community. The organization, in conjunction with the University's Division of Public Safety, operates mass casualty incident drill each semester, where simulated patients must be

triage In medicine, triage (, ; ) is a process by which care providers such as Health professional, medical professionals and those with first aid knowledge determine the order of priority for providing treatment to injured individuals and/or inform th ...

d and treated for injuries. Prior simulations have included a bus accident and a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

. In the case of an actual emergency or disaster, MERT members would be contacted by the University's Division of Public Safety and could possibly be given instructions to respond.

Education

MERT offers a variety of training opportunities for both its members and members of the greater Penn community. Training includes EMT training,

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CPR training, and Continued Medical Education credits. EMT training is conducted annually through the Perelman School of Medicine and generates approximately 18 new EMTs per class. CPR training is provided by MERT members trained as CPR Instructors at the Healthcare Provider level. CPR classes are conducted for MERT members, Penn Nursing students, college house residents, and other members of the Penn community (including staff members and Penn parents). MERT frequently invites guest lecturers from the University of Pennsylvania Health System, including trauma surgeons, cardiologists, paramedics and other health professionals to speak at its weekly general body meeting. When speakers are not available, MERT members practice treating patients with simulated medical emergencies.

MERT Board

MERT's board is responsible for the operation and administration of the organization. As MERT is student-run, all board members are students at the University. Executive Board Chief: Bilal Elfayoumi Captain: Nikolai Curtis QA Lieutenant: Raju Lakhani Training Lieutenant: Yash Rajpal Administrative Director: Divyash Shah General Board Equipment Officer: Angela Ge Co-Social Officer: Michelle Shi Co-Social Officer: Jiayi Pang Co-Community Outreach Officer: Prerna Kulkarni Co-Community Outreach Officer: Mihir Mishra EMT Class Membership Officer: Sneha Chandrashekar Reciprocity Membership Officer: Saket Ram Bike Officer: Kyle Taylor Scheduling Officer: Jose Mendez Cruz Disaster Response Team Officer: Raymond Tabak Internal Technology Officer: Sanya Kejriwal Co-CPR Officer: Eric Kuznetsov Co-CPR Officer: Ananya Madhira Standby Officer: Mmachi Ezigbo Board members must remain in good standing within the organization to maintain their position.

Awards

Since its founding in 2006, MERT has been the recipient of numerous awards, from both the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation and University Officials.

External links

Penn MERT's websiteMERT - Division of Public Safety

References

{{Emergency medical services , state=collapsed Collegiate EMS agencies University of Pennsylvania Emergency medical services in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Pennsylvania 2006 establishments in Pennsylvania