Florida SouthWestern State College recently utilized a $25,000 donation to purchase their own training ambulance for the school's Collier County campus. According to Teresa Araque, FSW's Communications Director, the donor requested that the funds be earmarked for the school's Emergency Medical Services Technology Program which trains students seeking paramedic or EMT certifications.
The ability to learn to operate inside an actual ambulance further enhances the school’s already state of the art training, Araque indicated.
“We have one of the most sophisticated simulation ER centers on our Collier campus in the world,” said Araque. “The simulated patients in their can react almost like humans, it’s pretty impressive to see.”
Joe Washburn, the director of the Emergency Services Program, explained that the ambulance would allow students to train in the complicated process of safely transferring a downed patient as well as teaching them how to work in the compact and moving environment of an emergency response vehicle.
“This ambulance means that our EMTs and paramedics can have hands-on experience with treating and then transporting patients in an ambulance,” said Washburn. “They graduate with not only the classroom knowledge they need but also the hands-on experience that makes them instrumental in saving lives in our community.”