授权的社区

It was Mount Mercy大学’s community that gained attention of Michael Kaduce ' 09. 作为校友, Michael continues to maintain a strong connection to the community he found on the Hill.

Michael’s passion for helping people and his aptitude for science inspired him to work in the health care field. When it came time to select a college, he found a lot of things he was looking for on the Hill.

“I appreciated that Mount Mercy was in a bigger city that had career opportunities,迈克尔说。.

The fact that Mount Mercy had two hospitals near campus—UnityPoint Health - St Luke’s and Mercy Medical Center—was a huge bonus for him. The close proximity paid off; Michael began working in the Emergency Department at St. 卢克大二的时候是一名病人护理技术员. 这是他第一次在医疗保健行业工作, 特别是在紧急医疗服务方面, 迈克尔直到今天还在继续工作.

“It showed me that health care is really quite fun,” Michael shared. “It was a great experience that got my foot in the door in health care and showed me that this is what I want to be doing.”

当迈克尔没有在圣. 卢克的，他一直在学校里. 他是M2AP董事会成员, 生物学俱乐部, SGA, 校友会, 唱诗班, 并担任了四年的学生会主席. His time in student government encouraged him to stay involved and meet new people. 第一年的时候, he led a campaign to get students Mount Mercy email addresses that would allow them to sign up for Facebook, 这在当时是一件大事.

在教室里, Michael learned a lot of valuable skills that he would later apply directly to his career. 这是迈克尔当时最讨厌的一项技能, 写作, 在出版的时候是一笔巨大的财富吗.

“教师们激励着我们变得更好，变得伟大,迈克尔说。. “在我的职业领域，这绝对是值得的.”

除了他的同学和教授, Michael made a lot of great connections with the staff members of the university.

“我认为仁慈山的一些无名英雄是员工,迈克尔说。. “The staff on campus are truly dedicated to student success and will move mountains to make students successful.”

“我认为仁慈山的一些无名英雄是员工. The staff on campus are truly dedicated to student success and will move mountains to make students successful.”

-Michael Kaduce '09

Mount Mercy’s student experience set Michael up for success after graduation. 迈克尔打算上医学院, but he decided to take his own version of a gap year and go into paramedic school. 在毕业之前, he was offered a full-time position as a Firefighter/Paramedic for the Urbandale Fire Department.

迈克尔最后在消防部门工作了四年. 虽然, he went back to school to earn his Masters of Professional Studies, 宾夕法尼亚州立大学国土安全部的.

当时他正在攻读硕士学位, 迈克尔得知爱荷华大学有一个空缺职位. He continued to embrace teaching and joined the university as an EMS Educator. 在这个职位上，他教学生如何成为急救医生和护理人员. He continued putting his knowledge to practice as a volunteer for the North Liberty Fire Department.

几年后, a colleague of Michael’s at UCLA sent him an opening for the Program Director at the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care. 经过漫长的面试过程, Michael was offered the position and moved to Los Angeles where he oversaw the largest initial EMT education training program in the country.

Michael found UCLA’s commitment to the community to be a rewarding aspect of his work because he was able to incorporate the values he cemented into place during his time at Mount Mercy.

“Mount Mercy reaffirmed to me that community outreach and engagement in the community is incredibly important.”

Michael worked closely with 社区 Engagement Officers at UCLA to ensure the EMS program works with historically underserved populations. Together, they want to ensure all people have a chance of becoming EMTs, firefighters, or paramedics.

“Mount Mercy reaffirmed to me that community outreach and engagement in the community is incredibly important.”

-Michael Kaduce '09

“The data suggests patients are better cared for when the person caring for them has had similar life experiences as them,迈克尔说。. “That means we need people of all backgrounds and all experiences in health care. We have to open our doors to people who maybe don’t see themselves in this profession.”

最近, Michael accepted a new endeavor as Director at Falck Health Institute where he can continue this important work by supporting the EMS workforce through initial education, 病人护理基准, 和研究. 除了通过他的工作为社区服务, Michael also spends a large amount of time continuing his education and staying up-to-date on the latest findings and practices.

“EMS is a part of health care, so it’s ever-changing,迈克尔说。. “We have to make sure that we’re doing the best we can for our patients. With more and more science and data driven solutions, we can only make it better.”

Michael also does his own research and was recently able to achieve a lifelong goal. He was the first author listed on a paper that was published by a peer reviewed publication. “医疗董事, 设施, and Finances: Resource Deficiencies in Accredited Paramedic Programs” was published in the 院前急救 杂志，2023年8月.

Michael continues to maintain his connection to his community on the Hill. 他目前在Mount Mercy校友会任职, 很喜欢回到锡达拉皮兹过返校节 & 校友 Weekend, and each year sets a donation match goal for #HaveMercy给Mercy.

“I want people to know that going to Mount Mercy truly will inspire you to do great things. 这就是我回馈社会的原因，”迈克尔分享道.

迈克尔已经能够实现他终身学习的价值观, 帮助社区, and giving back through his work and his continued involvement at Mount Mercy. 就是这些价值观, 特别是终身学习的追求, 他鼓励在校生接受这一点.

“一旦我们毕业了，就很容易思考, 我们已经达到了教育事业的巅峰,迈克尔说。. “But the brightest and best people I know are always trying to learn something new.”