Innovation in Action News

For Opportunities in Emergency Care (OEC) students last week, their learning was wheeled out of an ambulance and into their classroom.

On Friday, September 28, Spring Lake Park High School students in Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes experienced a demonstration of a “mega code” cardiac arrest by staff from Allina, the University of Minnesota cardiology department, and Hennepin County Medical Center EMS.

“The purpose of the demonstration was for students to see the teamwork required to work on a critically-ill patient,” said Bill Neiss, SLPHS OECC teacher. “We want students to understand how important it is for each person on the team to know their role and have a polished set of skills.”

After the demonstration was introduced to the students, the situation began with a call from the ambulance staff to the emergency room, which was set up in front of students in an OEC classroom. The paramedics in the ambulance shared that they were bringing in a patient who was experiencing cardiac arrest. Prior to the arrival of the patient, students were asked to recall details from the ambulance call that they needed to know to effectively deal with the situation.

As the patient was wheeled into the emergency room on a gurney by Allina paramedics, the emergency room team prepared to receive the patient. Bill Neiss, SLPHS OEC teacher, played the role as one of the ER nurses.

Once the patient was lifted to the bed in emergency room, the ER staff and paramedics calmly tended to the patient including providing CPR. Once the patient was stabilized, the first part of the demonstration ended with the telling of a powerful story.

This was not an ordinary demonstration. Gary Albrecht played the role of the patient and his wife Kathy, who often works with Neiss to support OEC students, played the role as the ER doctor. Kathy explained to the students that the situation that was demonstrated actually happened to she and Gary several years ago. Gary collapsed one morning in their home, and Kathy and her son performed CPR until the ambulance arrived and Gary was conscious. Gary also shared his experience with students and what it was like for him to be a patient experiencing a cardiac arrest.

“Exposure to practitioners in the emergency care field is very important for our students. They see the professionalism and real-life skills on display. Students were also able to see what it takes to provide real patient care, including the medical, interpersonal and communication skills.” Bill Neiss

Students also had an opportunity to see Allina paramedics demonstrate the use of a LUCAS device in treating patients who require CPR. The LUCAS device, which is used by many ambulance crews, is a mechanical chest compression device that can deliver CPR in a more consistent manner. After seeing how the device is used on a medical dummy, two students from the class joined the Allina paramedics in demonstrating how to respond to a cardiac arrest situation using the LUCAS device.