Emergency medical care students put to the test
A GRUELLING challenge continues today for Port Elizabeth students who embarked on a fatigue-inducing 48hour endurance challenge yesterday.
Twenty-three first-year bachelor of emergency medical care (B.EMC) students from NMMU are in the Port Alfred area today completing the two-day event.
Meticulously planned and executed by second-year EMC students, when The Herald joined the participants on the main beach at Kenton-on-Sea there was a definite sense of exhaustion among the students.
“This has already been a chal- lenge,” first-year EMC student Nikita Werthmann, 23, said.
After already completing a 5km paddle and 3km walk with their boats, the students then set off on a 27km beach hike before a 9km paddle to where they were staying for the night.
EMC department head Nico Louw said the challenge was meant to test students’ physical and mental boundaries and prepare them for when they stepped out into the real world.
“The challenge serves a dual pur- pose. Both professional and personal capabilities are tested,” he said.
“It is a massive endurance challenge.”
Lamla Makaluza, 19, originally from Cape Town, said she enjoyed the challenge but was anxious. “It’s dif- ficult but fun,” she said.
Clifford Hanks, a second-year EMC student and chairman of the Vasbyt Challenge, said the event saw first-year students having to complete physical and mental endurance activities.
“At each check point there is a task the students must complete to test their mental capacity such as a 10-question riddle and an anatomy quiz,” Hanks said.
Louw said the challenge was crafted to stretch students’ boundaries and push their benchmarks.
Today the students will have to complete an obstacle course, an 800m river swim, 7.6km wilderness hike and a 5km patient carry.
Although the students are not aware of the challenges they face today, Makaluza said she would “take it as it comes”.
Werthmann said she loved the fitness aspect and was looking forward to what next was in store.
‘ The challenge serves a dual purpose. Both professional and personal capabilities
are tested