Preview days: IRR’s EMT’s
“This is Nebraska! Honestly it's not for everyone”. Last week was preview days for the future aspiring students to our wonderful institution. Unions' very own International Relief and Rescue program Emergency Medical Technician class. This time around they had a trick up their sleeve, ideas that weren't just lecturing and touring our facilities. In true IRR fashion they put the aspiring young students through some of our very own rigorous EMT scenarios that they designed by the EMT students the Tuesday prior.
Without going into too much depth the scenarios ranged from simple “load in goes” which are life threatening injuries or “stay n’ plays” which are not super serious but still need medical attention not immediately. This time around the preview day students didn't just watch, the preview day students participated in the scenarios with our own EMT students. The future EMTs would run the scenario as normal whilst having the preview days over their shoulder watching, observing and even participating. The EMT students would guide them through and even go “hands on” with basic things, such as setting up oxygen bottles, stopping the bleeding, checking pulse and blood pressures, stabilizing a patient and succuring them to a backboard or putting them on a mega mover, then parading an EMT student around the building for everyone's enjoyment. For people who don't know what a mega mover is; a mega mover is just a strong fabric sheet with handles on the sides for patients without a compromised spine but are unable to move, hey the more you know! Now you know, even YOU can become an EMT student too!
Some scenarios such as the one I observed was a kidney disorder, the students observed as the future EMT methodically go through their assessment and treated the patient with ease, whilst guiding the students step by step through their actions and explaining what the patient is going through and what they were doing and why they did that action, all with great successful outcomes. Afterward the students would go into a debrief with the future students and give them an even more rundown of what happened in this scenario and other methods on how to deal with this type of situation, to display their extensive knowledge in the subject.
I personally heard from the preview day students and families that this was a very interesting and enjoyable experience that showed them a little taste of what our students do in the future and what EMTs and paramedics go through on a daily basis all across the nation. A few of
the future students I talked to said they are hooked and plan to join IRR in the fall. Overall overwhelming positivity from both sides on that day with many with express interest in the program. The preview day was a great success for Union's very own International Relief and Rescue program.
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By: Joe Quinn