Empowering communities

It was Mount Mercy University’s community that gained attention of Michael Kaduce ’09. As an alumnus, Michael continues to maintain a strong connection to the community he found on the Hill.

Michael’s passion for helping people and his aptitude for science inspired him to work in the health care field. When it came time to select a college, he found a lot of things he was looking for on the Hill.

“I appreciated that Mount Mercy was in a bigger city that had career opportunities,” said Michael.

The fact that Mount Mercy had two hospitals near campus—UnityPoint Health - St Luke’s and Mercy Medical Center—was a huge bonus for him. The close proximity paid off; Michael began working in the Emergency Department at St. Luke’s as a Patient Care Tech during his sophomore year. It was his first experience working in health care, and specifically in emergency medical services, which Michael continues to work within to this day.

“It showed me that health care is really quite fun,” Michael shared. “It was a great experience that got my foot in the door in health care and showed me that this is what I want to be doing.”

When Michael wasn’t gaining valuable hands-on experience at St. Luke’s, he was staying involved on campus. He was in M2AP Board, Biology Club, SGA, the Alumni Association, choir, and served as student class president for four years. His time in student government encouraged him to stay involved and meet new people. During his first year, he led a campaign to get students Mount Mercy email addresses that would allow them to sign up for Facebook, a big deal at the time.

In the classroom, Michael learned a lot of valuable skills that he would later apply directly to his career. One skill that Michael hated at the time, writing, was a tremendous asset when it came to getting published.

“The faculty were driving us to be better and to be great,” said Michael. “It’s definitely paid off in my career field.”

In addition to his classmates and his professors, Michael made a lot of great connections with the staff members of the university.

“I think some of the unsung heroes at Mount Mercy are the staff,” said Michael. “The staff on campus are truly dedicated to student success and will move mountains to make students successful.”

“I think some of the unsung heroes at Mount Mercy are the staff. The staff on campus are truly dedicated to student success and will move mountains to make students successful.”

-Michael Kaduce '09

Mount Mercy’s student experience set Michael up for success after graduation. Michael was planning to go into medical school, but he decided to take his own version of a gap year and go into paramedic school. Before graduating, he was offered a full-time position as a Firefighter/Paramedic for the Urbandale Fire Department.

Michael ended up working in the fire department for four years. While there, he went back to school to earn his Masters of Professional Studies, Homeland Security from Penn State University.

As he was wrapping up his master’s degree, Michael learned about an open position at the University of Iowa. He continued to embrace teaching and joined the university as an EMS Educator. In the role, he taught students how to be EMTs and paramedics. He continued putting his knowledge to practice as a volunteer for the North Liberty Fire Department.

After a couple years, a colleague of Michael’s at UCLA sent him an opening for the Program Director at the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care. After a lengthy interview process, Michael was offered the position and moved to Los Angeles where he oversaw the largest initial EMT education training program in the country.

Michael found UCLA’s commitment to the community to be a rewarding aspect of his work because he was able to incorporate the values he cemented into place during his time at Mount Mercy.

“Mount Mercy reaffirmed to me that community outreach and engagement in the community is incredibly important.”

Michael worked closely with Community Engagement Officers at UCLA to ensure the EMS program works with historically underserved populations. Together, they want to ensure all people have a chance of becoming EMTs, firefighters, or paramedics.

“Mount Mercy reaffirmed to me that community outreach and engagement in the community is incredibly important.”

-Michael Kaduce '09

“The data suggests patients are better cared for when the person caring for them has had similar life experiences as them,” said Michael. “That means we need people of all backgrounds and all experiences in health care. We have to open our doors to people who maybe don’t see themselves in this profession.”

Recently, Michael accepted a new endeavor as Director at Falck Health Institute where he can continue this important work by supporting the EMS workforce through initial education, patient care benchmarking, and research. In addition to serving the community through his work, Michael also spends a large amount of time continuing his education and staying up-to-date on the latest findings and practices.

“EMS is a part of health care, so it’s ever-changing,” said Michael. “We have to make sure that we’re doing the best we can for our patients. With more and more science and data driven solutions, we can only make it better.”

Michael also does his own research and was recently able to achieve a lifelong goal. He was the first author listed on a paper that was published by a peer reviewed publication. “Medical Directors, Facilities, and Finances: Resource Deficiencies in Accredited Paramedic Programs” was published in the Prehospital Emergency Care journal in August 2023.

Michael continues to maintain his connection to his community on the Hill. He currently serves on the Mount Mercy Alumni Board, enjoys coming back to Cedar Rapids for Homecoming & Alumni Weekend, and each year sets a donation match goal for #HaveMercyGiveMercy.

“I want people to know that going to Mount Mercy truly will inspire you to do great things. That’s why I give back,” Michael shared.

Michael has been able to live his values of lifelong learning, helping the community, and giving back through his work and his continued involvement at Mount Mercy. It’s those values, specifically the pursuit of lifelong learning, that he encourages current students to embrace.

“It can be easy to think once we’ve graduated, we’ve reached the peak of our educational career,” said Michael. “But the brightest and best people I know are always trying to learn something new.”