GOSHEN, Ind. – Students in Goshen Hospital’s EMS Education Program will come out of the classroom and into an ambulance for training, beginning this fall. The hands-on training is part of a comprehensive program enhanced by a fully functional ambulance donated by Washington Township.
“The ambulance has been out of service for the last year,” explained Nik Kantz, Instructor in Goshen Hospital’s Paramedic Training Program and Fire Chief for the Bristol Fire Department. “It was not reliable enough for emergency care, but it’s still in great shape.”
The 2009 Ford sits on a van chassis with a box compartment for the patient, equipment and emergency responders. It also has a functioning patient stretcher.
Earlier in 2018, the fire department recommended that Township Trustee Beuford Lee and the board donate the vehicle to advance emergency medical education.
“We’re grateful to Washington Township and the Bristol Fire Department for their generosity,” said Randy Christophel, Goshen Health President and Chief Executive Officer. “This donation is extremely important to our goal of producing stronger emergency service providers for our community.”
“This is an excellent way to teach students what it’s like in the field,” said Tanya Shields, Goshen Hospital EMS Coordinator. “They learn how to function in limited space, where supplies are set up, what it’s like inside with a patient strapped to a cot. It’s more of a real-life scenario.”
Other instruction tools in the EMT Basic program include computer simulation, mannequin-based training and classroom discussion. For paramedic training, clinical rotations give students experience in the hospital. Field internships pair students with paramedic-level ambulance services to learn emergency medical care in prehospital settings.
“When our graduates show up to take care of your loved one, it won’t be the first time they are put into an emergency situation,” explained Shields. “They will be prepared and know how to react even in extreme conditions.”
Goshen Hospital offers two EMT Basic Education programs a year and 20-month accredited Paramedic Training Program. For more information about training, call (574) 364-2867.