Heartland adds Mobile Ambulance Simulator to EMT and Paramedic programs

 

[June 14, 2018] 

Students in the Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic training programs at Heartland Community College will be getting more hands-on experience with a Mobile Ambulance Simulator.

The McLean County EMS System has added a full-featured Mobile Simulation Unit to the classroom training at Heartland.

“The Mobile Simulation Unit enables students to learn and practice with a sense of realism,” said EMS System Manager Travis Wilson. “Students learn how to work in tight quarters and gain a comfort level of performing emergency medical skills in the back of an ambulance.”

The ambulance simulator features real medical equipment and supplies that are typically installed in a standard ambulance.

The simulator was modified from a decommissioned ambulance donated by DeWitt County Emergency Services to McLean County EMS. The body was refurbished on a pull-behind trailer and underwent an electrical overhaul to duplicate all equipment and features found in an ambulance save the cab and motor. All of the refit work was donated to the EMS.

“The simulator really enhances the hands-on part of EMT training,” said EMS System Education Coordinator and instructor Jonathan Dassow. “Only so much can be taught in a classroom. In the simulator, students will learn how to provide emergency medical care in as realistic of an environment as possible.”

The Mobile Simulation Unit will be on display during an Open house on the Heartland campus on Raab Road in Normal Friday, June 15th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Parking Lot N.

The Unit will be used in the Heartland Fall 2018 EMT and EMT Paramedic programs and is used this summer in the Youth Enrichment Program, Career Exploration: Emergency Medical Technician for grades 6-9.

[Steve Fast
Associate Director of Public Information
Heartland Community College]