Suffolk County Community College paramedic students have begun participating in what the college and East End Hospice describe as New York State’s first hospice-specific clinical rotation, training at East End Hospice’s Kanas Center for Hospice Care as part of the school’s EMT-Paramedic Program.
The new rotation adds hospice-focused instruction to the program’s existing clinical requirements, which include more than 600 hours in settings that overlap with emergency services, such as emergency departments, labor and delivery and mental health, according to the announcement.
“Surveys show that emergency services personnel often interact with hospice patients,” said Matt Zukosky, EMS and fire programs coordinator and a professor at Suffolk County Community College. The rotation is intended to give students more direct exposure to hospice care and the needs of patients receiving end-of-life services, he said.
East End Hospice said the hospice rotation will introduce students to hospice philosophy and the clinical considerations common in hospice settings, including medication and symptom management. The training also aims to help students differentiate among end-of-life directives, including Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, do-not-resuscitate orders and other documents.
The hospice protocol adopted by the New York State Department of Health in July 2025 will be included in the rotation so students are prepared for hospice-related emergency situations, East End Hospice said.
“Emergency services personnel are some of our most valued colleagues,” said Mary Crosby, president and CEO of East End Hospice. The rotation is designed to increase students’ comfort level in situations involving hospice patients and provide “tools and techniques they can employ to support family and loved ones,” Crosby said.
More than 100 EMS and fire agencies provide emergency response services to Suffolk County’s nearly 1.5 million residents, according to the press release.
Suffolk County Community College’s paramedic program is the only degree-granting paramedic program on Long Island, according to the announcement. “We are thrilled that students from our community will be better prepared to meet the unique needs of hospice patients,” said Peter C. Halstead, chairman of East End Hospice.
East End Hospice, the region’s only independent, not-for-profit hospice provider, has served Eastern Long Island for more than 35 years, providing home hospice care, inpatient support and bereavement programming, according to the release. The organization said it serves more than 800 patients each year with licensed professionals and more than 160 volunteers.
Suffolk County Community College is the largest community college in the SUNY system, enrolling more than 26,000 students in more than 100 degree and certificate programs, the release stated.
Source: RiverheadLOCAL
