School of EMS Team
The strength of our program is the School of EMS team. Each instructor has a wealth of knowledge and experience teaching EMS, and together they have thousands of hours of field and classroom experience.
Each instructor holds the following certifications:
- Nationally Registered Paramedic
- Certified Instructor Coordinator
- Basic Life Support Instructor
- Prehospital Trauma Life Support Instructor
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support Instructor
- Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals Instructor
Don Jones
School of EMS
Program Manager
605-322-2086
don.jones@avera.org
Don received a BS degree in Education from Dakota State University majoring in Biology and Chemistry and became a high school biology teacher at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls. After completing an EMT program in 1978, he volunteered with the Rescue Squad while working in Research and Development in Silver Bay, MN. Don received his paramedic education from the University of Iowa, and acquired extensive EMS experience in Minnesota and South Dakota as a paramedic and flight paramedic before becoming the program manager with the Avera McKennan School of EMS in 1990.
Julie Swenson
EMS Educator
605-322-2087
julie.swenson@avera.org
Julie grew up in Mohall, ND, and received a BA degree in Biology from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD. She is a 1993 graduate of Avera McKennan School of EMS Paramedic Program, and served as a paramedic in Sheboygan, WI. She has been with the School of EMS team since 1998.
Matt McQuisten
EMS Educator
605-322-2088
matt.mcquisten@avera.org
Matt attended high school in a suburb of St. Louis, MO. He graduated from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion with a degree in Criminal Justice in 1992. While working for Sioux Falls Ambulance as an EMT-B, he attended the Paramedic Program at Avera McKennan School of EMS in 1996. He has worked as a street and flight paramedic in Sioux Falls, and also worked as the SWAT paramedic for Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office. He has been with the School of EMS since 2004.
Ryan Sittig
EMS Educator
605-322-2089
ryan.sittig@avera.org
From Dell Rapids, SD, Ryan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD. A 2001 graduate of the Avera McKennan Paramedic Program, Ryan has served as a paramedic in South Dakota and Iowa and currently works with North Memorial Ambulance in Marshall, MN. He has been with the School of EMS team since 2006.
