Winthrop Students Have Opportunity to Become EMTs (10/13/26)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Winthrop students hoping to become an EMT can receive their training at York Technical College, either through a hybrid or in-person class. The four-month course is free due to state scholarships.
• Biology Professor Victoria Frost is the point person at Winthrop who will direct interested students to York Tech representatives and to available scholarships.

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - With the goal of becoming an emergency room doctor, Winthrop University junior Sasha Vorontsov has improved her medical skills by becoming an EMT for the Winthrop campus and wants other students to join her.

EMTs are emergency medical technicians who work on ambulance calls and with patients in teams with more advanced medical providers.

Over the past year, the biology and chemistry major completed her EMT-B course at York Technical College and passed the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam. She's now certified to practice as an EMT in the state.

"This was not on my radar when I started college," said Vorontsov, who took the course in fall 2025 and started working as an EMT for Atrium Health in April. "It's awesome."

She rotates working a shift once a week between Atrium's three York County stations. "I can't see myself doing anything other than emergency medicine. Doing this will make me a better doctor in the future," Vorontsov said.

She has since joined the effort to recruit other Winthrop students to become EMTs and work in the campus Atrium satellite.

Along with Winthrop Provost Sebastian van Delden, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Takita Sumter and Atrium Health's Bre Hyler, they are setting up an EMS presence on the Winthrop campus. "Together we are able to bridge the healthcare gap, and bring emergency medical services to Winthrop's own campus," said Vorontsov, a Los Angeles, California, native who attended high school in Indian Land, South Carolina.

Winthrop students hoping to become an EMT can receive their training at York Technical College, either through a hybrid or in-person class. The four-month course is free due to state scholarships.

Biology Professor Victoria Frost is the point person at Winthrop who will direct interested students to York Tech representatives and to available scholarships. Frost, who works with Vorontsov as her research advisor, can direct students to her as a peer who recently completed the course while juggling classes as a Winthrop student.

Currently, Atrium operates its ambulance out of the Winthrop Coliseum but will move to the Operations Center where Facilities Management is housed in the next few months. There would be a day room and beds for those working a night shift.

Vorontsov developed an appreciation of the healthcare field after experiencing difficulty at birth when the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Other complications followed once she was born which were taken care of by dedicated health professionals who unknowingly impacted her life.

"I love helping people. We are in a period where there is a fascinating advance of science and medicine at the same time," said Vorontsov, who is a first-generation college student. "I consider myself a sponge for information and want to achieve what I set my mind to."

For more information, contact Frost at [email protected].