TAMPA, Fla. – There were hundreds of medical calls during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and some of the first responders got real-life experience before even graduating from college. It is part of University of South Florida Medical response unit.

“We have cold packs, hot packs, splints. We even had an obstetrics kit in case someone ends up giving birth on campus,” said Joshua Szabo, EMT and field training officer with USF’s Medical Response Unit (MRU). “Between calls, we like to restock all our items, not to mention a lot of them expire. So we always check the expiry dates between shifts and make sure we have enough of everything.”

USF’s HRUs are all certified and USF students, forming a volunteer team of 60 certified paramedics, EMTs and EMS personnel.

READING: USF is launching a new app designed to help the community during upcoming storms

“It was one of the first ways I was able to get into real medicine, and that was something I was really excited about,” Szabo said.

They usually load up their vehicle and go out on medical calls to treat students for free on campus.

“We’ve had a lot of people feeling very faint, faint. They usually have a cardiac history,” said Taylor Williams, an EMT and field training officer entering his third year with USFs MRU. “I actually wasn’t sure I wanted to go into medicine when I started college. But one of my roommates actually took the EMR class taught by a club here on campus, so I decided I’d go ahead and do that to test the waters. “

Williams, Szabo and their team recently stepped up their hands-on experience during Helene and Milton.

MORE: Star Fish Company is recovering from Hurricane Helene, one grouper taco at a time

“It was the first time I was ever deployed as a disaster response team,” Williams said.

As a disaster response team, they treated patients at a federal field hospital outside St. Joseph and patients at three Hillsborough County shelters.

“It was very challenging and exciting to learn how to lead over 300 people with only a team of 16,” Williams said.

They tested their skills on more than 300 medical calls during hurricanes.

“There were a few patients that I had specifically with Alzheimer’s, and they were very excited that someone was paying attention to them and talking to them,” Szabo said. “When we were in our free time, we would sit and talk to the patients a little bit.”

READING: “Hank’s Bark Box” provides pet owners with food and supplies after recent hurricanes

That time should serve them well when Williams, Szabo and the rest are ready to leave USF and begin careers in medicine.

“I’m currently applying to medical schools. I’m not really sure what specialty I want to go into, but I’m happy to see where it takes me and help out wherever I can,” Williams said.

Help is needed in Florida, where there is a shortage of doctors and nurses, and time spent on USF’s medical response unit gives them a head start.

“A lot of people see it as something abstract and to know that I’ve been there and been around other people, like injured students and all that, I think the experience level is going to be a big thing and to be able to have that come in,” said Szabo.

USF’s HRM was first launched in 2020 and they are all volunteers working different shifts. The team’s goal is to fill gaps on campus for free when students may be hesitant to seek care because of the cost.

Follow the news on Fox 13:

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: