{"accepting_members":true,"active":true,"address":"","application_required":5,"appointment_needed":false,"approved":true,"available_virtually":false,"code":"medical-emergency-response-team-mert","email":"membership@pennmert.org","enables_subscription":true,"favorite_count":420,"founded":"2006-04-06","image_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/penn.clubs/clubs_small/medical-emergency-response-team-mert.png","is_favorite":false,"is_member":false,"is_subscribe":false,"is_wharton":false,"membership_count":53,"recruiting_cycle":4,"name":"Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT)","size":3,"subtitle":"More Than EMS","tags":[{"id":30,"name":"Health"},{"id":31,"name":"Medicine"},{"id":60,"name":"Community Service"}],"advisor_set":[],"approved_by":null,"approved_comment":"","badges":[{"id":17,"purpose":"org","label":"UA","color":"d3d3d3","description":"","message":null},{"id":22,"purpose":"fair","label":"Community Service","color":"0099FF","description":"This is a badge for the SAC Fair - Community Service category for the SAC Fair.","message":null},{"id":53,"purpose":"fair","label":"Community Service","color":"0099FF","description":"This is a badge for the Spring 2021 SAC Fair.","message":null},{"id":77,"purpose":"fair","label":"Community/Public Service","color":"0099FF","description":"This is a badge for the Fall 2021 SAC Fair.","message":null}],"beta":false,"category":{"id":3,"name":"CIVIC ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNITY SERVICE"},"designation":null,"eligibility":[],"type":null,"created_at":"2019-09-01T16:50:04.357000-04:00","description":"

The Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) at the University of Pennsylvania is a student-run service organization providing emergency medical services to the University community. The primary purpose of the organization is to complement the emergency medical care provided by the University of Pennsylvania Police Department (UPPD) and the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) by providing professional, timely, and high-quality pre-hospital treatment. The secondary purpose of the organization is to provide training and education to students and the community. For more information on MERT, what we do, and how you can join, please visit pennmert.org.

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There are two pathways to join MERT:

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Reciprocity:

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If you hold a current EMT certification from any US state (including NREMT), you are eligible to apply to MERT through our Fall 2026 reciprocity application process. 

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If you are currently in an EMT class that has not yet concluded, you may be eligible to submit the application for membership through reciprocity. However, you must successfully complete your EMT class and any cognitive/psychomotor examinations required to obtain your certification by September 19th, 2026. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the loss of eligibility for MERT membership through reciprocity for the Fall 2026 application cycle.

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Reciprocity applications will be released at 4:00 PM on Sunday, August 30th, and will be due by 11:59 PM on Thursday, September 10th. Late applications will not be accepted. 

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Spring 2027 EMT Class:

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If you do not currently hold an EMT certification, are in your freshman or sophomore year, and would like to certify through MERT, you are eligible to apply to MERT through our Spring 2027 EMT Class application process. 

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Applications will be released at 4:00 PM on Sunday, August 30th, and will be due by 11:59 PM on Friday, September 25th. Late applications will not be accepted.

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Information Sessions

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In order to receive an application to MERT, we ask that you attend one of our information sessions:

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If you are unable to attend either information session due to extenuating circumstances, please email membership@pennmert.org.

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To receive email updates on the application process and to receive the application form once it is released, please fill out the 2026 MERT Interest Form.

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Questions? For more information, please visit our website and follow our Instagram (@pennmert) for updates. Please send any questions to membership@pennmert.org.

","instagram":"https://instagram.com/pennmert/","is_ghost":false,"is_request":false,"linkedin":"","listserv":"","members":[],"signature_events":"","student_types":[],"target_majors":[],"target_schools":[],"target_years":[],"testimonials":[{"id":230,"text":"MERT gave me the clinical confidence and team-based approach to medicine that I still practice to this day.\n-Dr. Joshua Glick, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine; MERT Medical Director; MERT Chief '09"},{"id":232,"text":"Some of the least \"cutthroat pre-professional\" people at Penn I met as part of arguably the most pre-professional/career-oriented student group on campus. MERT was the most significant, and long-lasting community I got the chance to be a part of while at Penn. I think back and remember so many fun times (on-duty or off), not to mention learning so much from each other as a group, during our many late nights (again -- on-duty, or off...!). MERT is the group of people I've stayed most strongly in-touch with since Penn\n-MERT '15"},{"id":233,"text":"I gained some of my closest friends through MERT, as well as current colleagues in medicine and role models. I am so grateful for the network we have and am so happy that many of us have stayed in touch. \n-MERT Chief '15"},{"id":234,"text":"The leadership experience that I gained as a part of MERT has been equal to or more important than anything I learned in a classroom at Penn. I am currently leading an anesthesia department of 40+ providers through the COVID pandemic, and I am doing so confidently (even as one of the youngest members of the department) - because of the leadership skills that I honed as a part of MERT. MERT is unique in the volume of opportunities it offers to gain leadership experience. First, there are many roles needed to support the overall mission, which creates opportunities to lead in areas like equipment, training, operations etc. Second, each call is an opportunity to develop leadership skills. As members progress from being a junior EMT to crew chief, they have the ability to not only to develop confidence in their clinical skills but also their ability to lead under pressure. \n-MERT '09"},{"id":235,"text":"I loved my time on MERT and think it really helped me land jobs to be able to talk about that experience. In Wharton OCR interviews, I would often take a MERT shift the night before as good karma. And not only did it give me confidence and good luck, but I would be able to mention it to the interviewers, and talk about how we have to make quick decisions with a lot of pressure. I didn't say it, but they arrived at the conclusion that it was relevant for the job to which I was applying. \n-MERT Captain '11"},{"id":231,"text":"MERT was by far the highlight of my college years - it taught me leadership, friendship, how to stay calm in an emergency, and frankly how to be an adult. I am extremely proud to be a member of one of the first MERT classes, and I can confidently state that my experiences in MERT contributed heavily to my future success in medicine (and life). I sincerely appreciate all that my former classmates taught me.\n-MERT '10"},{"id":228,"text":"MERT was the reason I added nursing to my Wharton degree and fell in love with emergency medicine. It prompted me to enter the dual-degree program and change my whole career path!\n\n-MERT '13"},{"id":236,"text":"Each year, MERT receives applications from students in the College, Nursing, SEAS, Wharton, and Penn's graduate schools. As such, people's reasons for wanting to joining MERT vary drastically, from wanting to gain significant clinical experience as future healthcare providers to wanting to gain leadership and decision-making skills as professionals in other fields. The one common reason for joining MERT that all MERT members share however, is their desire to help others. MERT is one of the most dedicated, tight-knit groups at Penn because of that. The thing I like to tell people about the MERT community is this: when you hear the radio go off at 3 in the morning for a call on the other side of campus, you spring out of bed without hesitation. The call might be for a minor scrape or something more serious like a heart attack — it doesn't matter — you respond with the same urgency. And whether you just woke up in the middle of the night for a paper cut or for something serious that requires acute care and teamwork, the best thing about MERT is that you're doing so alongside some of your best friends at Penn. Because when you're going through stuff like that on a weekly basis, it's nearly impossible to not become close with the people you're doing it with."}],"twitter":"","website":"http://pennmert.org/","youtube":"","status":{"id":8,"name":"UNDER REVIEW"},"classification":{"id":3,"name":"Undergraduate","symbol":"UG"},"group_activity_assessment":[{"id":2,"text":"Medical/health-related services (e.g., blood drives, doula support)","is_active":true,"order":2},{"id":3,"text":"Working with minors or vulnerable populations","is_active":true,"order":3},{"id":4,"text":"Off-campus travel (local or distant)","is_active":true,"order":4},{"id":5,"text":"Handling of food or beverages","is_active":true,"order":5},{"id":6,"text":"Use of specialized equipment or technology","is_active":true,"order":6}]}