Answering the Call

Four USM alumni are making the most of their summer vacation by gaining valuable hands-on career experience and helping their community.

After shadowing an emergency room doctor with USM’s Internship and Shadowing program, Nathan Miller ’23 was intrigued by a career in medicine. To learn more, he enrolled in an EMT course offered by Northwestern University his freshman year. He was debating a career in medicine or research, and figured the class would help him decide. 

After finishing the course and earning his EMT license, Miller had several job offers from private ambulance companies. But he wanted more emergency experience than what a private company typically provides, so he applied to be an emergency medical technician for the Southern Ozaukee Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (SOFD) in May 2024. “Battalion Chief Rick Lemke was very open to the idea of hiring someone who could use this as an opportunity to grow their career in medicine,” said Miller. The department, which receives thousands of calls annually, typically deploys two EMTs and a paramedic to each emergency.

Miller started working as an EMT that same month, and loved it so much that he shifted his academic focus to emergency medicine that fall. He even started teaching the EMT course at Northwestern as a sophomore. It didn’t take long for other USM students to follow his lead. By the summer of 2025, siblings Jack ’24 and Sophia ’25 Torinus became EMTs while embarking on undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University and Duke University, respectively. Drew Nerbun ’26 joined the ranks this June, prior to his freshman year at Hope College in Michigan.

Because SOFD uses a paid-on-call model for EMTs, rather than full-time staffing, the alumni can pick up flexible shifts that accommodate their academic schedules. For students eyeing medical careers, the benefits are clear. “Having a lot of exposure to patients like we do here is probably the best clinical hours I could possibly have,” said Jack. “We’ve had shifts where we are the only three people on this side of town, and it’s really cool to feel that responsibility,” said Nathan. “It’s the best way to learn and become better care providers.” Added Drew, “Getting the license is more work up front than other jobs, but it’s definitely worth it.” 

“Having a lot of exposure to patients like we do here is probably the best clinical hours I could possibly have.” –Jack Torinus ’24

Beyond delivering medical care, the experience is fostering personal growth. “It teaches you how to have another level of maturity and humility,” said Sophia. “We’re there to offer medical support, but also to be that person who’s there for them on their worst day.”

Miller is not the only one who shifted his academic focus as a result of the role. Jack, who was considering a career in orthopedic surgery, is now rethinking his options. “An orthopedic surgeon might do the same procedure over and over again for 40 years, but someone in emergency medicine could have 30 different patients with a different story every single day. It’s a very stimulating and rewarding career.” 

In the meantime, should an emergency arise, the alumni are happy and eager to assist whether on or off the clock. Miller keeps an EMT bag in the back of his car—a birthday present—and Sophia once performed the Heimlich maneuver on a stranger in Barcelona. “I hate the feeling of being helpless,” she said. “Knowing that I can jump in to help in an emergency situation is kind of cool. I like that.”