Emergency medical care students put to the test

[caption id="attachment_99825" align="aligncenter" width="464"] Emergency medical care students are put through their paces at Kenton-on-Sea yesterday. Their endurance test continues today. Picture: EUGENE COETZEE[/caption]

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 challenge,” 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 purpose. Both professional and personal capabilities are tested,” he said.

-Devon Koen