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Show Monday, October 3,2005 Business Editor: Lisa Mann Business Phone: 626-7624 Paramedic program teaches Stock Ticker life-saving skills to agencies Zions Bancorp Closing Price• $ Merit Medical Systems Inc (MMSI) dosing Price' - - . • - • . " ! ;• , - i - . . Wasatch International Growth Funds (WAIGX) Closing Price - 18.50 Haiiey Davidson (HDD 44.48 Closing Price - Matt Jamieson (right), WSU paramedic student, practices taking blood pressure readings ih an ambulance with Kaysville firefighter Ryan Gapinski. Jamieson works part time as an EMT with Kaysville's fire department. '. By Scott Shurtleff correspondent | 77ie Signpost Sometimes paramedics have a nice, slow Sunday, and sometimes the calls keep coming in. Paramedics are highly-trained emergency medical technicians who function as first responders in emergency situations. They rescue victims, drive ambulances and staff emergency rooms where lives can be saved or lost based on their, reactions and skills. "I've always wanted to be a paramedic," said Matt Jamieson, a Weber State University paramedic student. Jamieson works part time for the Kaysville City Fire Department as well as full time for the South Davis Metro Fire Agency. Jamieson recently experienced a "ride-along," where students ride with paramedics during their shifts. For Jamieson, the ride-along_allowed him to view law enforcement as well as when he rode with Davis County Sheriff's Deputy Jed Peters. Davis County paramedics double as deputies, performing the police function until a medical call comes in. According to Peters, a call comes to the 911 switchboard and is passed to the deputy by dispatch. Peters responds, assesses the situation and calls the Davis Hospital medical control for necessary assistance or approval of procedures. Life isn't always exciting for Davis County paramedics, but they are always prepared. Part of that preparation begins Ddta Airlines (DAL) dosing Price* Lookforthe regular stock ticker In our next businesv edition See Paramedic page 7 Utah wage gap wider than national average By Lori Kuczmanski correspondent | The Signpost With fall graduation just months away at Weber State University, many students are concerned about employment and wondering what their salaries will be. Women in particular should be concerned about wages. On the average, American women make 70 percent of what men make, according to a 2003 study by the U.S. Department of Labor. In Utah, women made 67 percent of men's earnings. While this difference is lower in Utah, the reasons for the gap between men's and women's salaries do not go unnoticed. Is it that women stay home with children to raise their families? Are women as educated as men? Are women as aggressive as men? Although these are the major questions some women may ask, perhaps the question ought to be what causes the gap and how may women overcome it. Changes in social norms are making employment for women more the rule rather than the exception. The stereotypical roles of the working father and stay-athome mom are changing. More women are getting college degrees to obtain valued work skills for higher-paying jobs. Utah has larger families, and many women are working for added income or to provide a higher quality of life for their families. In 2000, women comprised about 45 percent of Utah's labor force. One Utah business that seems "Women are in line for this field. Because of our ability to multi-task, attention to detail and the thoroughness of our work makes women a good candidate for this occupation." - Colleen Wood, WSU junior accounting major to be predominantly female is property management. This situation enabled Monique Smith to rise from an entry-level position to community manager within eight years at Pinnacle Mountain View Apartments. "There is no reason this is a predominately female workplace," Smith said. "Maybe men feel they are above this job or this is the atmosphere where it feels like it is a 'being-your-mother' stigma the job has." Smith said many women are achieving the position of CEO, clearly making their ways to the top of the career ladder. "It pays well," Smith said. Other women have seen the benefits of entering a womendominated industry. Jessica Pace, a former Utah Valley State College adjunct English instructor, left teaching after four years to pursue a career in property management. Pace now earns 25 percent more than her last year at UVSC, which will increase as she gains experience. But her master's degree education is paying off for her. Pace said she uses her marketing skills, communication skills and writing skills every day in her career. If Pace were still teaching, she would have needed to pursue her education further by receiving her Ph.D. One of the keys to explaining the gap between men's and women's wages is in their occupational choices. Many of the occupations with the smallest wage gap are those that require math, science or analytical skills. Colleen Wood, a WSU junior majoring in accounting, researched the field before choosing that major. She said she discovered how it fit her interests and how she would fit into the accounting environment. "Women are in line for this field," Wood said. "Because of our ability to multi-task, attention to detail and the thoroughness of our work makes women a good candidate for this occupation." Through her research, Wood found men are paid more than See Wage page 7 Pam Cook searches for a job online In VVSU's Career Services job center. Career Services, located on the second floor of the Student Services Center, provides help for students seeking employment. Women students get advice to help "shatter the glass ceiling" higher salaries. The term "glass ceiling" was the phrase two Wall Street Journal Theory has it there's a glass reporters gave to the invisible ceiling over the heads of women barrier that prevents women in the corporate world, keeping from being appointed to high them from advancing up the leadership positions, according corporate ladder, and earning to the Break the Glass Ceiling By Andrea Bean Correspondent | The Signpost Foundation Web site. There are several skills women can acquire that will enable them to "shatter" this glass ceiling. The most important thing women can do is to recognize their worth, said Carol E. Merrill, See Ceiling page 7 |