REEDS SPRING, Mo.– If it looks like an ambulance, sounds like an ambulance, and works like an ambulance, it must be an ambulance, right?
Wrong.
It’s actually EMT instructor Lacy Williams’ ambulance simulating classroom.
“I’m teaching them how to take care of my loved ones, and your loved ones,” says Williams.
It’s missing a few key components, like wheels or an engine.
“It prepares these students and gets them qualified and ready,” she adds.
Never the less, Williams says it’s about as close as you can get to the real thing without an EMT certification or an injury.
“The students can get comfortable in the environment it takes to succeed as an EMT in tight quarters,” says Williams.
The full-scale layout alone has already taught students like Alyssa Huston a thing or two, from the importance of organization to other important skill sets.
“You’re going to want to know where your equipment is,” she laughs. “Just knowing how to put a patient into the back of the ambulance safely and not mess it up.”
“Research shows we have to continue to introduce these students to simulation to prepare them for the real world,” says Williams.
And the learning doesn’t stop once you leave the simulator.
“We will be able to record their performance from beginning to end,” says Williams.
Like any good coach, Williams is ready to roll the tape.
“That way students can self-review their performance and critique themselves,” she says.
All in hopes to better prepare them for the big show.
“We have ambulance services that are recruiting students right out of this classroom,” she says.