WEMS FAQ

Willamette University Emergency Medical Services (WEMS) is a professionally licensed EMS agency in the State of Oregon, providing Basic Life Support (BLS) to students, faculty, staff, and guests of the Willamette community. WEMS operates on the Willamette University campus and is comprised of students certified as EMRs (emergency medical responders) and EMTs (emergency medical technicians).

WEMS responds with Campus Safety to medical aid calls during our operating hours. Campus Safety is available 24/7 to respond to medical emergencies.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency at the Salem campus, call Campus Safety immediately at 503-370-6911.

For any emergencies off-campus, dial 911.

WEMS operates on Willamette University property. When we are in service, we respond to emergency calls at the Salem campus (which includes Kaneko and the stadiums).

WEMS does not service the Portland MBA campus, the PNCA campus, nor the Zena property during our service hours. However, we can provide standby service for specific events at these locations upon request.

You can view a map of our service operating limits.

WEMS responders are required to provide the names of patients being treated to Campus Safety Officers. 

That said, patient confidentiality is critical to WEMS, and no additional information will be shared including what the patient is being treated for. Additionally, every member of WEMS is required by both the University and the Oregon Health Authority to sign a confidentiality agreement banning the disclosure of patient information to anyone outside of the direct line of patient care.

For example, if a patient is being treated for alcohol intoxication this information will not be shared with Campus Safety or any other authority on or off-campus. However please note that WEMS has no control over information collected independently by Campus Safety. Please remember that your safety is the number one priority. Campus Safety officers respond with WEMS to every medical call.

Willamette University operates under a non-punitive (non-punishing) educational response policy, which allows students to call for help while minimizing the legal consequences and the involvement of outside agencies (i.e Salem Police Department). 

WEMS prides itself on allowing students to feel safe when calling for help and realizes that confidentiality and the preservation of private information are of the utmost importance. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please do not hesitate to email us directly.

You, and/or whoever calls us for you will not get in trouble for calling WEMS.

If you are in need of medical assistance on-campus for any reason, do not hesitate to call Campus Safety at (503) 370-6911.

Yes! We provide CPR/AED, alcohol poisoning, and Stop the Bleed education upon request. If you would like WEMS to provide educational services to your department or organization, please fill out this form.

To begin with, you need to understand that WEMS, like anything in life, is built with the people at its core. In the same way as asking what you can get from a class or a profession, you will get out of WEMS what you put into it. Many of our alumni have come into college without any previous medical experience, joined WEMS, and left with fields in the health care profession including working in hospitals, ambulances, search and rescue teams, and many other fields. WEMS offers students the ability to take First Responder classes, as well as continued education and training classes, respond to on-campus emergencies, care for patients, provide follow-up care, and play an active role as a leader within a group.

WEMS requires their responders to be medically trained with at least a First Responder (EMR) level of certification. A First Responder training course is organized through WEMS every fall semester. If you already have a valid EMR or EMT certification you can join at any time, simply us at email wemsdirector@willamette.edu.

What if I have Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness EMT training?

Unfortunately, Wilderness First Responder training does not meet the requirements needed to join our organization. You will need to complete an Emergency Medical Responder course before joining WEMS. If you have a Wilderness EMT certification, we require that you become NREMT certified and licensed in Oregon in order to join WEMS.

WEMS only acknowledges the EMR and EMT-B certifications.

If you or someone you know or see is experiencing a medical emergency or something just doesn't seem right, you can request WEMS by calling (503) 370-6911 and telling the dispatcher you need WEMS for a medical emergency.

WEMS is available from 5 pm - 8 am every night of the semester and during some breaks.

No. WEMS is a free service.

If we require an ambulance to transport you to the hospital, you may need to pay a copay to your insurance provider. Contact your provider for any questions regarding insurance costs.

When you call Campus Safety and say you are having a medical emergency, WEMS will respond with a Campus Safety Officer. The officer will have the first contact with either the caller and/or the patient to gain basic information such as names. After the officer has gotten the name of the patient, or if they are unable to gain the name of the patient, they will leave the room or area and WEMS will start treating you and/or the patient.

WEMS' job is to stabilize and treat patients. Our goal is to make sure our patients are okay and to limit the number of students that need to be transported via ambulance to the hospital. We will not always call an ambulance for our patients, we will only call when it is needed.

In the event we require an ambulance to come to support us and transport our patients, the police will not be called or show up.

WEMS responders and a campus safety officer will respond together on all medical aid calls. This is not to get anyone in trouble (no one will be punished for calling WEMS and needing medical attention). Campus Safety Officers respond with us to ensure the safety of WEMS members and everyone at the scene of the call, not to get the patient or caller in trouble.

No. WEMS is comprised of volunteer students.

It is common to feel embarrassed about needing to call WEMS, but this should never prevent you from calling. In fact, you should not have to feel embarrassed about taking advantage of a medical service provided for your community. If you are hurt or ill, we can and will help. Your situation will be handled with medical professionalism. If you need emergency medical attention, call WEMS. We do not judge our patients, nor do we discuss your call or details outside of the call with anyone.

If you find out that the WEMS responders that treated you have been discussing your call in detail around campus, email <wemsdirector> immediately.

This is understandable in small communities such as Willamette. By state and federal law, emergency medical responders and all medical personnel are required to not discuss the details of your call with anyone that was not there providing medical care to you. We aren't even allowed to discuss your call with you!

If your complaint is with WEMS responders, please email us at wemsdirector@willamette.edu.

You may also fill out our feedback survey.

Since we are all students in Oregon, everyone needs to have health insurance. Different health insurance policies have different ambulance co-pays, but your insurance plan most likely offers ambulance coverage. If you have Willamette's health insurance, you can speak to someone at Bishop to clarify what your co-pay would be for ambulance services. If your health insurance is not through the university, call your insurance provider's member services line.

Yes. At the end of every semester, WEMS publishes a semester report. Reach out to WEMS for more details if you would like to see these reports.