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Emergency Services/Ambulance

Start your Success as an EMT or Paramedic!

Learn more about becoming an EMT here.

Learn more about becoming a Paramedic here.

Consider applying today. Conquer the class. Join our team. Save lives.


Orange City Area Health System Emergency Medicine Services

Our team of paramedics and EMTs are on call 24/7. In addition, it’s a comfort to know that our very own physicians are the doctors you will see in our Emergency Room. Top quality care … close to home. Our team works closely with our own family medicine doctors to offer 24/7 access to skilled, compassionate care. The ambulance squad is part of the hospital, at the ready and committed to our Core Values. Call 9-1-1 for emergencies.


How about becoming part of the story?

View our EMT and Paramedic openings as well as other positions available at Orange City Area Health System.

We are looking for people to join our EMS squad as EMTs or drivers. Our team of dedicated professionals work together and support each other as they serve our communities.

  • We pay tuition for the EMT certification course and all continuing education. EMT class starts in September.
  • Choose your on-call hours.
  • Competitive pay for taking calls and being on-call.
  • Benefits: IPERS retirement and more!

You can make a difference. Consider joining our team!

NEW! EMT class/training coming this Fall!
Have you considered how you can serve your community as an Emergency Medical Technician? We are always looking for EMTs to join our ambulance team. If you sign on to our ambulance squad, we will pay tuition costs for the NCC class! Northwest Iowa Community College — along with Northwestern College and Orange City Area Health System — is offering a new Hybrid EMT Course. The blend of on-line with the face-to-face skills labs shortens the duration of the course. To register for the course, call NCC at 712-324-5061 or 800-352-4907 and ask for Admissions.

They still make house calls

In the not too distant future we will probably see a return to the house call by a physician, but it will be done over a computer or a smart phone. Yet, there are several medical professionals who still make “in person” home visits and will continue doing so into the future. These include nurses, CNA’s, therapists and social workers involved with Home Health and Hospice. And there is still another group. We would like to highlight them today. These are members of our local and area ambulance crews. Most all of these members are volunteers. This means they give of their time willingly with little to no pay. They include Drivers, Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs), Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs) and Paramedics. Each of these has their own set of skills and knowledge base. They require specific areas of training and demonstration of ability. Briefly, each of these includes:

Drivers – specially trained in emergency vehicle operations and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
EMRs – provide immediate lifesaving care to critical patients while awaiting further emergency medical system response to the scene.
EMTs – provide basic emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients.
AEMTs – provide basic and some advanced emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients.
Paramedics – primary focus is to provide advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients.

Each of these individuals have taken classes, passed tests, demonstrated skills and committed to continuing education to be able to provide care. They have invested personal time, and often personal finances, to receive this training and ongoing education.

Let’s also consider what they have committed themselves to. If a 911 call comes in, it doesn’t matter what the weather is like outside, whether it is night or day or if they had other things planned; they have committed to drop everything and respond to the call. They don’t say, “We’ll drop by around 2pm.” They don’t ask, “Were you doing something stupid? Because if you were, I’m not coming.” They come to the scene, even though weather, hazards or road conditions may put them at risk as well. They may also spend significant time away from their job or family, not just getting the patient to the emergency room, but providing further care in the emergency room or transporting the patient to the next level of care if required (Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Omaha, Iowa City and possibly beyond).

Because they are the first to touch the patient and then hand off that patient’s care to others, there is rarely time for thank you’s or recognition of the care they have provided. They often do this work at odd hours and in difficult situations. Please also consider that the five services that receive their medical direction from the OCAHS hospital (Orange City, Alton, Granville, Hospers and Paullina) handled roughly 480 calls and assisted 4,580 patients in the Emergency Room (ER) in 2023.

So if you know somebody serving in one of these positions, please be sure to thank them. Even if you never have to call for their help, it is good to know there are committed people in these positions available to help their neighbors. Please also consider if you’re being called to serve in one of these positions. Without teams of many people, we won’t have these services available in our communities. Consider how difficult it would be to get the needed treatment in the time of emergency without your local ambulance team. Be sure to support them.

Should you feel you’re being called and have the ability to serve in one of these positions, please ask any member of your local team, or call 712-737–5244 and talk with one of our team members. We can always use one more person. There is often financial support for training and testing. While electronics and technology may advance the scope and efficiency of medical care, there will always be a need for one human being to come to the aid of another. Our local ambulance teams are a shining example of answering that need.

Jonathan Engbers, MD (center) serves exclusively in the hospital’s ER as an Emergency Medicine physician. Dr. Engbers works closely with our paramedics, EMTs, and nurses. Our ER is also served by our family medicine physicians, providing you with trusted 24/7 care.