(HARLINGEN, Texas) – To help prepare students for critical roles in health care, the Emergency Medical Services program at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus utilizes resources such as iSimulate REALITi 360 monitor simulators and an Immersive Interactive EMS training lab.
“The integration of the iSimulate monitors and the Immersive Interactive lab significantly enhanced the program’s medical training by creating a realistic and engaging learning environment,” Ruben Ramirez, TSTC’s Emergency Medical Services program team lead in Harlingen, said. “The use of these two technologies encourages teamwork and communication, which are vital in the field of emergency medical services.”
The iSimulate monitors mimic real patient monitors and defibrillators. Instructor Dominic Salinas said the monitors allow students to change the vital sign parameters in real time as they work through complicated practice calls.
“As their treatment changes, so do vital signs,” Salinas said. “This guides students on how to correct the treatment process. The monitors help us to run a call many times and minimize errors.”
Instructor Luis Martinez said the Immersive Interactive training lab provides realistic virtual scenes, like the back of an ambulance and the inside of a hospital.
“It provides a patient care report throughout the different phases of an EMS call,” he said. “Students like the touch-screen features and the sounds and visuals.”
Ramirez said feedback from the program’s graduates indicate that the training helps them feel more prepared for high-pressure situations in their careers.
“They said that while on the job they were able to stay calm, make quick decisions and communicate with their teams,” Ramirez said.
In its Emergency Medical Services program, TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Paramedic, as well as certificates of completion in Emergency Medical Services – EMT, Emergency Medical Services – Advanced EMT AEMT, and Emergency Medical Services – Paramedic. The program is available at the Abilene, Brownwood and Harlingen campuses.
For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
