You’ll Never Do That Again!: Simulation in Collegiate EMS Education

We all know the stereotype: collegiate EMS agencies just babysit the drunks. While it’s not entirely true, it is reflective of the narrow case mix and homogenous population with which we often deal. Campus EMS agencies have to fill this gap to ensure providers are prepared to respond to calls that are outside of the norm. Training often times takes the form of isolated simulation; working on a particular skill outside of the context in which it would be encountered--think doing CPR with a knee pad in a wide open space or taking a blood pressure in complete silence. While this is important for initially learning the skill, replicating the dynamic environment under which EMS providers work is a critical and commonly overlooked aspect of simulation. Research suggests the success of full environment simulation (FES) in medical education is attributed to the fact that humans are more likely to remember events with which they associate a strong emotional reaction. We will discuss the research behind this, techniques that we’ve developed for implementing FES including building a simulated ambulance, and how FES can be used to better integrate campus EMS agencies into the outside community’s EMS services.