The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program at MTECH participated in real-life emergency scenarios in early May as part of their training. The EMT students at the Thanksgiving Point campus took place in a mock scenario of a bus crash. The students at Spanish Fork welcomed MountainStar AirCare, who taught them about emergency flight services. Both events that were held broadened the students’ EMS skills.
The mock bus crash at Thanksgiving Point allowed students to practice their Triage skills. Students were tasked with reading a description of the condition of each “patient”. They then had to determine what Triage category the patient would be classified as–Walking Wounded, Delayed, Immediate, Dead– or what needed to be assessed next on the patient to determine a category. This gave students the opportunity to practice their skills in a real-life, fast paced environment.
The students at Spanish Fork were able to learn how to respond in an Emergency Flight Services situation. MountainStar AirCare visited the students to teach them about helicopter safety and careers in Air Medicine. The flight crew taught students the entire process of an AirCare flight – communicate with ground crew, landing, patient assessment, how to load and unload the patient, and in-flight paramedics.
The crew gave the students an opportunity to practice the entire process. EMT Instructor Casey Brailsford said, “This event better prepared our students for common EMS calls.” Air Medicine is just one of the many areas an EMT professional can work in. Casey also sends a big thanks to MountainStar AirCare for its help with the event.
The MTECH EMT program places a lot of emphasis on learning basic health systems through hands-on training. This type of training allows students to practice their skills so they are better prepared for the job. The program has produced a lot of success for its students. Last year nearly 90% of its graduates were placed in EMT jobs immediately upon completion of the program. Amanda Watterson, Program Coordinator, said, “EMS gives students the ability to work anywhere in the medical field. It prepares you for everything.” The program looks forward to similar hands-on activities in the future.
