The Client
The University of Iowa’s EMS Student Interest Organization (UIEMSSIO) provides a valuable resource to the University and its students. Nearly each of its 100 student-members are trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs); all are certified in CPR and first aid. UIEMSSIO volunteers at university-sponsored events to render aid in case of emergencies. The group leads student alcohol and drug awareness classes and teaches first aid courses to other student groups on campus.
The Challenge
A number of items, including disposable lungs, gauze, bandages, oxygen masks and cleaning supplies, must be on hand at all times. Students are required to keep track of an increasing number of supplies as the organization grows. To efficiently manage this growing need, UIEMSSIO turned to Wasp.
In addition to managing disposable inventory, UIEMSSIO possesses reusable assets - like mannequins and computers - which must also be tracked. Team Command Nathan Miller realized the group needed an effective way to manage the physical location, utility and maintenance schedule for all assets. Not only was their manual entry process time consuming, it led to a lot of mistakes. Miller wanted a solution that could improve the tracking process and hold group members accountable.
Ambutrak, a common solution for EMTs, was too expensive for the student group who depends on funds solely from the student government. UIEMSSIO considered ASAP Systems; but, ASAP requires the purchase of third-party printers.
Miller wanted an all-in-one solution.
The Solution
After finding Wasp online, Miller learned their products were not only compatible with the group’s existing programs, but also that implementing Wasp software would require minimal training. UIEMSSIO chose Wasp's inventory management and asset management management solutions thanks to their functional capabilities: Wasp enabled multiple users to easily and efficiently track both inventory and assets across multiple storage locations.
“Wasp has allowed us to track where everything is at all times,” said Miller. “We are able to use our mobile computers at both locations - the student center and a storage room across campus. The use of our supplies is automatically tracked to the central computer; this is a drastic improvement over manually writing everything down and transferring it to Google Docs.”
The Result
Since implementing Wasp, Miller estimates UIEMSSIO saves at least eight hours a month. Thanks to Wasp's inventory management and asset tracking solutions, the group is now able to monitor who checks out an item, track its condition, and maintain an accurate maintenance report. The expiration date of inventory is tracked for optimal asset condition and excess maintenance prevention.
“Wasp provided our group with the accountability we needed. Being able to train college students with a professional system is extremely beneficial; it teaches us to be more accountable, reliable and professional. Overall, it’s a great educational tool that adds to the training of future services,” said Miller.
The UIEMSSIO - one of the few with a professional tracking system - has set a high standard for other groups in the National Collegiate EMS Foundation. Miller and his team look forward to sharing their successes with Wasp's solutions at the National EMS Student Interest Organization Conference this year. “By using Wasp's software, we are saving ourselves countless hours of unnecessary work; now, we don’t have to enter in any information manually, and the product support is great. We are extremely satisfied,” said Miller.
