Putting classroom experience into action

It’s not every day you learn how to save a life, but Custer High School is teaching students how to do just that through its Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class. Now, a year after taking the course, 2026 graduate Aden Pankowski, son of Tucker and Tari Jo, has used the skills he learned to help in several emergency situations. 
While Pankowski typically enjoys things like welding and mechanics, after volunteering to help a few EMT students in his sophomore year, he decided the EMT class would be something cool to do. Thus, Pankowski enrolled in the two-semester class in his junior year. 
“I never thought anything about the medical field before taking the class,” said Pankowski. 
The course is taught by Slade Swedlund, who has been leading it for 13 years. Swedlund also teaches industrial technology, woodworking, residential construction and U.S. government at Custer Jr./Sr. High School. 
“Students in the EMT program learn the knowledge and hands-on skills required to become nationally certified EMTs. They are trained to provide immediate, lifesaving care to injured, ill or critical patients and to assist with emergency transportation. The course includes training in patient assessment, emergency response, trauma care, medical emergencies, first aid, CPR and AED use and lots more,” said Swedlund. 
Going into the class, Pankowski said he was hoping to learn basic medical skills like CPR, the Heimlich and splinting, “and Swedlund covered all those bases.” 
Most days, Panskowski described as lecturing days when they would listen to Swedlund teach on different topics, “but it wasn’t just him lecturing. He would still keep us involved with it, asking questions.” 
Some days as part of the lecture there was a hands-on portion where the students could practice the skills they were learning. There were also test days where the students would take various exams, and before their practical exam, they ran through a variety of scenarios.
“The mentally hardest part was right before the practical exams because you have 12 or 13 different scenarios. You basically have this whole list, and you have to do all the things on the list,” said Pankowski
Ride-alongs were available for those who chose to partake as well, and Pankowski said he did quite a few. This included two with one of the EMT students Pankowski helped out in his sophomore year. On one of his ride-alongs, Pankowski said they responded to a call in town from someone who was bitten by a dog. 
“That was the first time I had to put my skills to use,” said Pankowski. 
His favorite part of the class was the relationships he built with the other students. 
“When you’re talking about that kind of stuff, you all become a lot closer,” said Pankowski. 
The part that took the longest for Pankowski was the national registry exam, which he ended up taking three times with month-long gaps in between. 
“Before you go into the room, you have to empty out all your pockets and make sure you don’t have anything on you. Then, they just place you in a white room with one desk, one computer and one proctor, and that’s it. It’s a little intimidating,” said Pankowski. “The first time I missed it by seven points. My next time I missed it by four points.” 
However, Pankowski said the base knowledge he gained through the course was way more important to him than getting the certification. 
“It is incredibly rewarding to know that the skills students learn in the EMT class may one day help save someone’s life,” said Swedlund. 
This was the case for Pankowski when a gentleman in his late 30s or early 40s collapsed in front of him.
“When I was checking his pulse and didn’t feel a pulse or see him breathing, that’s when I started CPR,” said Pankowski. 
Pankowski went on to do three rounds of chest compressions and rescue breaths before help arrived. 
“At the very, very first, I was like rerunning everything in my head. It was like jumpstarting myself,” said Pankowski. “When I heard the first rib pop, it sent goose bumps all over me. I hated it. I hated hearing that. But you can’t really stop, so I just kept going. Then another one popped and another one. I think I broke three ribs total, which I mean is better than death.”
The patient did eventually recover. 
After that, Pankowski had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a child who was struggling to breathe. 
“That one wasn’t near as scary because they were still somewhat mentally competent, but it was still scary. I was down on my knees giving the Heimlich,” said Pankowski. “By the time anybody had out their phones to call the ambulance, I had already got it out.” 
While he would love to learn more, Pankowski is heading down a path of mechanics and fabrication, “which I’ve done for a lot longer, and I know it a lot better. I’d like to stick with that.”
However, Pankowski said, “I’ve definitely gained skills from it that you can almost apply to every day.”
Every day Pankowski said he uses the skills he gained in the EMT course, and he keeps a jump medical bag in his vehicle just in case. 
“I’m glad I took the course, because if I wouldn’t have taken the course, in those scenarios things could have been a lot different,” said Pankowski. “It affected my everyday life…I’m a lot more confident.” 
“I am extremely thankful and truly blessed that Custer School District provides students with this opportunity. Offering a full EMT program at the high school level is rare, and it gives students a unique head start in healthcare and emergency services. Over the years, I’ve had former students go on to work full-time in ambulance services, advance to paramedic certification and pursue careers as nurses and doctors. It’s exciting to see the impact this program has had on their futures and on the communities they serve,” said Swedlund. 
“I think it should be a required class honestly. You don’t have to take your national. You don’t have to go take your practical exam, but just having the base knowledge alone is more valuable than the actual license, I think,” said Pankowski.