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EAM 3003, Developing Emergency Management Skills, is an overview of the field of emergency management. The principles and many disciplines of emergency management were examined, including what education and credentials were needed to pursue a particular discipline. This class provided an opportunity for personal and professional growth by examining and identifying strengths and talents through Strengths Quest. Career Services was also instrumental in helping students polish their résumés and brush up on professional skills, such as leadership, diversity, cultural sensitivity, and teamwork. The process of mapping academic and professional plans enabled students to make decisions about their chosen career paths.

 

Principles of Emergency Management. EAM 3003, Developing Emergency Management Skills, introduced an overview of the discipline of emergency management. In this context, the four phases of emergency management--mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery--as well as the fundamentals of planning, training, and exercise, were discussed in depth.

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Strengths Quest. Strengths Quest is a scientific approach to analyzing a person’s strengths and talents. Thinking about ourselves in a positive way directs our behavior, helps us tap into the goodness of others, and helps us realize our potential for success as professionals and as individuals. 

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Professional growth. Career services was very instrumental in polishing students’ résumés and interviewing skills through the On Track series for professional growth. We discussed the value of networking and created profiles on LinkedIn. In addition to networking, an impressive digital presence is very important. Early on in the course, students gathered thoughts and materials to include in professional e-portfolios. Using Strengths Quest as a guide, students were taught how to successfully market themselves. The Weebly website and other important resources needed to create outstanding e-portfolios were introduced. Students were encouraged by the many stories about the success of graduates from the Arkansas Tech University emergency management department.

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Leadership. Much time was spent discussing team work, qualities of a good leader, the importance of developing communication skills, collaboration, and practicing cultural competency. As well, students practiced critical thinking and decision-making skills that leaders must possess.

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Certifications. Right from the beginning, students quickly got to work on gathering certifications through FEMA independent study courses, as well as certification and training opportunities that are offered through the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. Several lectures were presented by emergency management-related professionals in subjects such as weather and earthquake hazards. Train-the-trainer was a 3-day training session presented by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management about how to teach Community Emergency Response Team members (CERT).

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Credentials. The discipline of emergency management is diverse. Being able to choose wisely which of the many career paths within emergency management is best suited for particular strengths was made easier because students had identified their strengths and talents through Strengths Quest. Accordingly, in order to seek out the various licenses and certifications needed in a particular discipline, each student identified which credentials were needed and mapped out a plan of how to proceed to obtain those credentials.

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Academic planning. In addition, students visualized way forward by preparing an academic plan. This process helps in gauging one’s progress and, most important of all, empowers students to achieve goals and take control of their own destinies.