May 15, 2025

When asked to sum up her freshman year at Drexel in one word, Nora Cumiskey paused for a moment and settled on eye-opening. Eye-opening might be an understatement. In only her freshman year, the 19-year-old health sciences major already has three years as an emergency medical technician (EMT) under her belt and has her sights set on joining the growing number of physician assistants practicing in the U.S.

Cumiskey started working within the emergency medical services (EMS) as a sophomore at a health care-focused high school in Central New Jersey, where she fell in love with the practice. By her junior year, she became a certified EMT, where she grew accustomed to 12-hour shifts and gained invaluable experience in emergency medicine.

EMTs are responsible for providing pre-hospital emergency medical care and transportation for patients experiencing a variety of both medical and traumatic emergencies. This can range from basic and routine calls to life threatening medical emergencies. EMTs have the basic knowledge and skills necessary to stabilize and safely transport patients ranging from non-emergency (basic life support) and routine medical to providing support to paramedics on life-threatening emergencies (advanced life support).

Cumiskey noted that collegiate EMS programs were a major factor in her college decision and that Drexel EMS immediately grabbed her attention.

“I’ve kind of fallen in love with EMS. When I began looking at colleges, [EMS work] was a factor in my college decisions. I wanted to do collegiate EMS and continue building on my work,” Cumiskey expressed.

After her first few weeks at Drexel, Cumiskey joined Drexel EMS as a probationary member and later became the public relations officer of the organization.

Drexel University EMS is a volunteer student organization that provides emergency medical care to Drexel University's University City Campus and the immediate community and is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as a Quick Response Service (QRS), rendering emergent, stabilizing aid from the time of the call for EMS to the arrival of the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Although her role differs from the one she holds at her home unit, she emphasized her gratitude for the experience Drexel EMS has afforded her. “Right now, I’m still a probationary member, whereas at home [most of the time] I am the only EMT there,” she said. “I’m just operating at a different level. You’ve got to start somewhere. I’ve been able to take a step back and improve on skills I may not have worked on in a while. It’s been a great opportunity to reflect and make sure my skills are sharp.”

Since then, Cumiskey is now off probation, and serves as a crew chief—leading her own crew.

Those experiences would prove helpful, as Cumiskey recalled a particularly noteworthy instance during spring break where she was dispatched to a resident who had trouble breathing. Although CPAP was not a frequently used skill, Cumiskey successfully recognized that it was an indicated and necessary intervention for the patient. She then applied the device, successfully caring for and prepping the patient for rapid transport to the hospital.

“I was lucky because that’s not something I’ve done quite frequently. But two weeks prior, Drexel EMS had a training where we went back over it [the skills]. I felt more confident in my skills because I had done the training,” she said.

Although she thrives in high-pressure situations, Cumiskey seeks a different approach to medicine, and to her, that’s becoming a physician assistant (PA). Cumiskey notes that EMS still has made a profound impact on her career ambitions, as she currently is interested in specializing in either emergency medicine or cardiology.

Physician assistants (PAs) are clinical professionals eligible to practice medicine under the legal supervision of a physician upon graduation from an accredited program then passing certified state licensure exam. PAs perform many duties including physical examinations, diagnosis and treatment of illness, assisting in surgery, prescribing medicines and providing patient education across a wide variety of specialties.

“I knew I wanted to continue as a health care provider. I learned about physician assistants in my freshman year of high school. I felt really drawn to the teamwork elements of the work. Even though you’re not [often] the top provider, you can still make an impact on patients,” she said. “I was also drawn to become a PA because of the flexibility it affords you. I wanted a more stable career. With EMS, it can be very unpredictable and taxing on both your physical and mental health.”

She noted that she found a support system in her colleagues within Drexel EMS.

“They’re great people,” she said. “There are plenty of people [in Drexel EMS] who have gone through or joined the bridge program, or who are applying to PA school [to look to for advice]. I’ve been able to ask questions and keep my skills sharp."

At the time of our interview, Cumiskey, an active member of the Pre-PA club, was awaiting a decision on her application to the PA bridge program. The accelerated program enables students to complete their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health science and sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) in 5.25 years.

Since then, Cumiskey has received confirmation of her acceptance into the PA bridge program, signaling a significant milestone in her pursuit of a career as a physician assistant.

For now, she aims to earn a medical assistant certificate while completing her first co-op—laying the foundation for the next steps in her journey.

Written by Myleah Herbert, marketing '25

Photography by Raphael Bartell, communications '27