Hi everyone, my name is Travis West and I currently work as a paramedic with Reno County EMS. I’ve been a paramedic for 3 and a half years and finished the Hutch Community College Paramedic to RN Bridge program last winter. Since then I’ve been working towards completing my BSN through online classes here at Fort Hays. My studies have helped me do my job better as a paramedic and will offer me even greater opportunities in the future, either in nursing or EMS.

Research plays an important role for my job personally as I am a training captain for my department and provide monthly training based on current needs. I also help to develop protocols for my department which requires extensive research. We’re actually in the middle of a large protocol revision right now. I’m very lucky to work for a progressive EMS service that prioritizes evidenced based practice and is diligent about maintaining the best practice as it changes, but it definitely requires a lot of hard work for myself and the rest of the protocol committee!