OLMITO — “911.”
The call suddenly kicks everyone into high gear, from the 911 operator to the ambulance driver to the paramedics and the EMTs.
A man has gone into cardiac arrest, and the ambulance races to the scene.
Kassandra Mora and Dante De Leon, newly-certified emergency medical technicians, are ready with their training.
“We are practicing for if a patient goes into cardiac arrest,” said Dante, 18, a senior at South Texas Academy for Medical Professions.
The school, part of the South Texas Independent School District, just received a fully-equipped training ambulance. Students working on their EMT license will now be able to practice real-life scenarios in an ambulance. The new simulator brings students closer to the profession.
“The first EMS students didn’t have ambulance until the ride-outs,” Dante said. “This helps us practice.”
Previously, EMT students practiced their skills only in the classroom, said EMS instructor Ruben Ramirez. Now, after some training in class, they’re learning how to lift stretchers into the ambulance.
Outside, an ambulance sat ready as if waiting for the next run.
“It has a compressor with air to simulate getting oxygen to the patient,” he said. “Right now we’re practicing inside the classroom, respiratory emergencies, cardiac emergencies, some of the challenges we see when transporting patients.”
Kassandra and Dante coordinated their efforts to move a stretcher into the ambulance.
“We haven’t really been able to do our labs with it,” said Kassandra, 17, a senior. “We’re practicing our skills for when we do our rotations.”
Ramirez said he hoped to have the students using the ambulance for more extensive scenarios by next month. Those scenarios could include chest compressions and airway management. This while the ambulance actually simulates the movement of a “bus” en route to the hospital.
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