West Shore Community College holds emergency response scenario training
Students at WSCC were able to put their classroom instruction to the test in a series of exercises that simulated real-world situations, with the help of local emergency response teams.
West Shore Community College recently offered a training opportunity to EMT, nursing, and police academy students with help from the Ludington Fire Department. The event featured a variety of scenarios that tested the students’ knowledge and ability to think quickly. Participants were able to practice their skills in a recently renovated ambulance donated to the college by Life EMS.
In a news release from WSCC, Dr. Mark Kinney, vice president of academics and student services, emphasized that training events like this do a lot to prepare students for real life encounters. He said, "Conducting CPR or starting an IV can be challenging on a spacious classroom floor, but it enters a new level of difficulty when it is done from the back of a cramped ambulance. This places students in the most realistic environment possible."
The scenario training took place April 30 and featured simulated automobile accidents with different levels of severity. Faculty from the Emergency Medical Technician program dispatched student teams to the simulated scenes. While EMT and nursing students were able to practice transferring patients, police academy students practiced how to handle impaired drivers and bystanders in emotional distress.
Jeff Stockhill, director of north operations at Life EMS, pointed out that not all students have access to the equipment needed for training like this. "It is a wonderful opportunity to have this training available in our district," Stockhill explained. "Not every program has a vehicle for training and it makes a big difference in the breadth of experience provided to students. Life EMS is happy to partner with the college."
The donated ambulance also serves as a training tool for EMT students learning how to drive a vehicle of that kind. WSCC President Scott Ward stated, "We are grateful to Life EMS and our many partners who made this donation to the college possible."