At first glance, the scene is that of a typical car crash. Some emergency medical technicians (EMT's) are using a backboard to carefully extract a female victim from her car without risking further injury. After safely placing her on a cot, they radio the hospital, informing the staff of the situation and estimated time of arrival.
That's when things get a bit different.
Without the aid of an ambulance, the EMT's wheel the victim to the hospital - one that is only 10 yards away and filled not with beds and charts, but desks and chalk.
And, as the students return to this "hospital" -- which is actually their classroom in Waubonsee's Erickson Hall -- so ends another role-playing scenario in the EMT-Basic course.
The Real Thing
As with all of Waubonsee's occupational programs, especially those in health care, the philosophy is learning by doing. While students in the EMT-B course begin with role-playing scenarios, they progress to 10 hours of observation in a real emergency room. And students enrolled in the more advanced paramedic degree program really get the full experience, doing clinical work at both local hospitals and aboard an ambulance. |
