Published on 04 March 2022
Paramedic students from the University of Sunderland are honing their life-saving skills with the help of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.
The students were given access to the fire service’s training centre and facilities, allowing them to hold a range of exercises, including mock car crashes and various other trauma-related simulations.
This is vital to help the students prepare for real-life emergencies and it is hoped using these facilities will become a regular part of their training.
Mark Willis, Programme Leader for Paramedic Science and Out of Hospital Care at the University of Sunderland, said: “The Paramedic Science students are often placed into challenging and very diverse emergency situations – both on placement and upon graduation – where not only the requirements of the patient (clinically) but also the environment they operate in can be very challenging and bring an additional layer of complexity to patient care.
“By undertaking this simulation activity with the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and utilising the expertise of the Programme Team, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) specialists, and also the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) HART specialists, we are providing the students the best available opportunities to develop for such eventualities.
“This will allow them to improve not only their clinical skills, scene management and leadership but also have an understanding of how “human factors” can affect and influence clinical decision-making.”