Jones awarded IEMSA Instructor of the Year

By Kaitlyn Kuehl-Berns | Times-Register

Billie Jones, a paramedic at MercyOne Elkader, was recently recognized as EMS Instructor of the Year at the Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association Annual Conference in Des Moines.

“I was not expecting it. I was completely humbled,” Jones said.

Prior to entering healthcare, Jones worked as a lead security officer at the casino. In 2012, she responded to a medical emergency alongside Jim Schellhorn, a longtime EMT who happened to pick up a Saturday shift and arrived just minutes before.

At the time, Jones was only certified in CPR and first aid. She said witnessing Schellhorn’s composure, confidence and belief in her during the emergency sparked her desire to learn more about the field.

Six months later, Jones enrolled in an EMT program and began volunteering with the MFL Ambulance Service. In 2015, she started working as a paramedic at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She joined MercyOne Elkader in 2018 and became an EMS instructor in 2022.

Throughout her healthcare career, Jones has earned a critical care endorsement as well as instructor certifications in BLS, ACLS and PALS.

Jones said she first discovered her love for teaching in 2014, when she began instructing CPR. Having instructors and mentors who shared their passion and supported her influenced the kind of teacher and provider she aspired to be.

“The calm in the storm is what an EMT needs to be,” Jones said. “Someone who wants to develop their craft and doesn’t stop learning. So at the end of the day they can say they’ve done everything within their realm to help their patients.”

Jones compared EMS work to “a duck on the water.”

“When everything around is chaotic or stressful, the duck’s feet are just-a-paddling,” she said. “But what people see on the surface is the duck being cool, calm and collected. That’s EMS in a nutshell.”

Drawing from her own experiences with mentors and instructors, Jones strives not only to teach but to inspire students and continue supporting them long after they leave the classroom.

“It’s nice to have somebody who’s not necessarily in that moment with you to bounce ideas off of and continue to learn from,” she said. “That’s what I want to be. I hope students feel they can always come back to me—and be inspired to maybe someday become instructors themselves.”

Preparing students for EMS work goes beyond clinical skills and includes how to cope with the mental and emotional demands of the job.

“For every class, we cover a behavioral health chapter that focuses not only on the patient, but also the provider,” Jones said. “It’s not always the prettiest job. People are calling us on their worst day.”

She said debriefing after difficult calls is essential.

“You’re going to have calls that affect you,” Jones said. “I’m a strong believer in talking about it. I make sure my students know they can contact me at any time.”

Jones first learned of the award from Chris Dahlstrom, EMS manager at MercyOne and a former IEMSA board member.

“He found out on a day I was working,” Jones said. “I had just discharged a patient and was cleaning an ER room when he told me.”

Recalling the surprise, Jones admitted, “I think I cried. To me, it was a huge honor. I have not been an EMS instructor that long, and for somebody, whether it was one person or three people or 10 people, to say that I made that kind of an impact on them moved me.”

Jones was invited to attend the award banquet on the final day of the conference, where she was recognized. She was accompanied by her mother and son, whom she calls her “biggest supporters.”

The ceremony also honored approximately a dozen other individuals or services from across the state for their contributions to emergency services.

Jones said she is especially proud of the impact her teaching has had locally.

“We’re a very rural area, and many of our EMS services rely on volunteers,” she said. “Some are aging out, and we want to see those positions filled. Across the state, services are shutting down because they don’t have providers.”

Offering EMS courses locally has helped remove barriers such as frequent travel or hybrid scheduling. 

Most local services also assist in covering course costs.

Jones said recent classes have shown an increase in high school students, with at least one or two in each course.

She said EMS training provides a strong foundation regardless of the career path students choose.

“We’re not just teaching future providers from Clayton County,” Jones said. “We’re seeing students from Fayette and Allamakee counties as well. Every class we’ve offered so far has been filled.”

For those interested in EMS, Jones encourages reaching out to local services.

“There’s no better person to talk to than someone who’s been doing it for years,” she said. “Embrace the skills and dive into clinical experiences. Never hesitate to ask questions and always keep learning.”

“I love what I do,” Jones added. “My only regret is that I didn’t find EMS sooner.”