TSTC Abilene’s graduating EMT students lead extrication simulation
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – They may be students today, but come tomorrow the bright faces at TSTC Abilene could be who you need in your corner in the event of a tragedy. 11 emergency medical technician (EMT) students led a mass casualty simulation Thursday morning on their final training before graduating on Friday.
$179,000+ grant presented to Hendrick Health for partnership with TSTC
“Our EMT students learn a variety of skills throughout the semester, so at the end of the semester we want to train them with a mass casualty incident [and] put all those things to the test,” said Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Abilene’s EMT program director, Ashly Blackburn.
With help from 23 paramedic students, who could have promising careers on Broadway, and local emergency services, those 11 grads got the hands-on experience they needed before entering the work force.
“We get to go in, go through all the skills and stuff, and material, that we’ve been coverin’ throughout the semester, and bring it to life. Not completely alive,” Riley Pippin, a graduating EMT student, joked. “It’s a good opportunity for us to get to practice what we’ve done and what we’ve learned.”
Metro Care, Citizens of the EMS Callahan County, Fisher County EMS, Abilene Fire Department, and even a Hendrick Medical Center helicopter all lent their time and resources for this exercise.
Commissioners keep, expand Taylor County EMS contract
One TSTC graduate, now a paramedic and EMS director at Fisher County Hospital, told KTAB/KRBC it was simulations like this one that helped him early on in his career.
“It helps people out when they’re having a hard time, or they’re in an accident scene or they’re very, very sick. To see somebody local walk in and say, ‘hey, I know this guy,’ it usually helps them out a lot,” shared Jarvis.
On a similar path, 20-year-old Pippin said he chose to attend TSTC to help people.
“I like to say, ‘when EMS gets there, the emergency’s over.’ We’re there to help,” Jarvis added.
While a passion for caring for others may be a prerequisite in the medical field, the actual work is the real task.
“Some of the challenges our EMT students may have is putting it all to their hands and getting out there in the real world. We give them the highest fidelity scenarios that we can here, but the biggest obstacle is getting out there and starting to work,” explained Blackburn.
TSTC painted an elaborate picture in its demonstration Thursday morning, showing a simulated crash of two sedans and a school bus. Some patients were “dead” on arrival, and others continued to scream for help throughout the duration of the exercise, complete with makeup injuries.
On the lawn, tens of students tended to about 16 patients by taking them away on stretchers, binding their injuries, checking vitals, and even taking one patient away by their version of a life flight.
The name of the game, though, was “extrication.” The door of one involved vehicle was taken off its hinges in order to get to a patient who did not make it in this simulation.
The exercise didn’t stop outside. Instead, it continued within the doors of TSTC as a hospital would.
Abilene ISD appoints Dr. John Kuhn as new superintendent
80 students from TSTC’s four West Texas campuses will graduate Friday evening at the Abilene Convention Center, receiving Associate of Applied Science degrees or certificates of completion.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
