PC EMTs participate in high-tech training

Perkins County EMTs and EMT students recently took part in a mobile simulation training experience geared towards rural emergency medical responders and hospital personnel. 

The University of Nebraska Medical Center Simulation in Motion - Nebraska (SIM-NE) truck set up in the Western States Bank parking lot on Monday, March 19.

The customized truck is one of four trucks located in Lincoln, Kearney, Norfolk and Scottsbluff funded by a $5.5 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. 

Each of the four-door, dual-axle trucks measure 44 feet long and 12.6 feet high. The trucks are custom fabricated to replicate an emergency department room in the front section and an ambulance in the rear section with a control room in the middle used to run the pre-programmed computerized training. 

According to SIM-NE Program Associate Meg Davis, the trucks were received by the University of Nebraska Medical Center last June. After being outfitted and stocked with equipment, they were delivered to their respective locations in July and hit the road for trainings Aug. 1.

Each truck is fully equipped to provide trainees with the equipment they would use in the field or hospital setting.

The trucks also come complete with high-fidelity patient simulators, or dummies, by CAE Healthcare, a global leader in medical simulation training products and education.

The high-tech dummies used in the training respond to the treatment they receive, can talk, breathe and bleed. Monitors display the simulators vital signs and responses to treatment. 

The free training, scheduled by Perkins County Ambulance Captain Bob Tatum, was an opportunity for local EMTs and EMT students to hone their skills and get life-like simulations they can’t get in a classroom setting. 

“When taking classes you can do a lot of the things, but you don’t have a mannequin that actually reacts to what you do,” Tatum explained.

According to Tatum, the members who took the training included current Perkins County EMTs and EMT students that are roughly 3/4 of the way through their training to become EMTs approximately by June.

“We have an unbelievable class of students right now. We have good numbers and they’re serious,” Tatum said.

SIM-NE instructors conducting the training were seasoned EMTs Michael Dekker and Mike Phelps, who share a combined 15 plus years of EMT experience.

The training consisted of two full simulations including one adult medical situation and one pediatric trauma. 

Although no details regarding the scenarios were provided to trainees before hand, Tatum was able to request the above simulation types because the skills practiced would translate into most of the calls received by the Perkins County Ambulance crew. 

Due to the size of the truck and nature of the training, the training group was split in half. While nine trainees received simulations in the SIM-NE truck, the other half remained in the fire hall where Tatum ran them through scenarios to test equipment locations and knowledge. 

According to Tatum, “It was a great experience. It was a good training and everyone got a lot out of it.”