Texas College Unveils First Complete Ambulance Simulator in North America
TSTC Emergency Medical Services students Sam Jackson (foreground) and Melody Keighley perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a manikin during a simulation at the ambulance unveiling in Abilene on Thursday, Oct. 26. / Photo courtesy of TSTC
By Tammy Leytham
While a college education prepares students for a better life, one field prepares students to save lives.
Texas State Technical College’s Emergency Medical Services program in Abilene recently unveiled the first complete ambulance simulator in North America, which students use to get hands-on experience.
Echo Healthcare partnered with the college and SimLeader to deliver a Ford F350 ambulance, converted from a road-operating vehicle to a full-size simulator.
SimLeader, a Canada-based company, develops safe training environments. Florida-based Echo Healthcare specializes in immersive spaces and educational software.
The ambulance simulator is the culmination of a 10-year dream for Robert-Francois Demers, SimLeader’s executive director.
“We have finally been able to give students the technology to train with that is not just a tabletop screen,” Demers told the Odessa American newspaper. “TSTC is the real thing when it comes to using technology, and this has been my dream to design.”
The engine of the vehicle was replaced with SimLeader technology. The windshield and side windows are equipped with large video monitors that give students the feeling of traveling on various roads.
Trainees arrive on the scene to find a medical manikin. They assess the patient and begin the transport process from the scene to the ambulance. Once loaded into the ambulance, one student sits in the back treating the patient while another student “drives.”
Instructors can assess the response and change conditions, such as adding icy roads.
Fire Chief Dewey Coy, with the Sweetwater Fire Department and Ambulance Service, sits in the cab of the TSTC ambulance simulator before beginning his simulation. / Photo courtesy of TSTC
Fire Chief Dewey Coy with the Sweetwater Fire Department and Ambulance Service was involved in an accident scenario during the unveiling ceremony.
“That is a top-notch simulation,” Coy told the Odessa American. “It is very realistic. This will be a big advantage in the learning process.”
Ashley Blackburn, TSTC’s EMS program director, said having the simulator allows students to do something they otherwise would not be able to do until their first day on the job.
“We will get them behind the wheel of an ambulance,” Blackburn said. “This will allow our graduates to be more skilled and more efficient in the health care field.”
Many regions of the country are experiencing a shortage of first responders, including paramedics.
According to onetonline.org, the need for paramedics in Texas is expected to grow 19 percent between 2020 and 2030. The annual average salary for paramedics in Texas is $48,380.
Robert-Francois Demers (second from left) instructs the driver inside TSTC’s ambulance simulator during an unveiling ceremony on Thursday, Oct 26. Looking on are (from left) Kurt VanOordt, senior sales executive with Echo Healthcare, Ashley Blackburn, TSTC’s EMS program director, and Matt Briggs, TSTC’s EMS clinical coordinator. / Photo courtesy of TSTC