EMS instructors sharpen skills in the US

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(Press Release)

The Antigua and Barbuda Emergency Medical Service continues to sharpen its skills as it keeps abreast with the latest trends in pre-hospital care.

Head of the EMS Shawn Greenidge announced that a four-member delegation from the EMS left the island this week for South Carolina to complete the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Instructors` Level Two Course.

Deputy Supervisor Morvin Fiedtkou is heading the four-member delegation which comprises Shift Supervisors- Alysha Mannix, Calvin Dailey, and Joanna Otto.

The training course, which is being held at the Greenville Technical College in South Carolina, is a continuation of a previous one which was held at the John F Kennedy Medical Centre earlier this year in New Jersey.

Fiedtkou explained what the course entails.

“The course covers not only the basics of the dynamics of teaching but specifically how to teach the EMS Curriculum- the basic and the advanced courses and anything that is pre-hospital material; it helps to show us how to disseminate information,” Fiedtkou explained.

Another component of the training was an online course which ran from 25th September – 23rd October 2017 and was formulated to bring the trainees up to date with new technology and its many usages.

Upon completion of the Instructors’ course, the participants will be assessed and will be required to sit an exam before obtaining the level two instructors’ certificate.

Fiedtkou specifically spoke of what Level Two of the training programme entails.

“We will be covering more areas such as the use of technology in teaching such as online programmes, how do we diversify the classroom, keep the students interested and also we’ll be looking at new teaching signs and those that are phasing out, so even though it’s a pretty compact course, we hope to cover a lot in the few days,” Fiedtkou noted.

Fiedtkou said over the last three years, the EMS has really been pushing education as knowledge is key as an EMT Instructor
“Teaching is a dynamic process; you have to really know what you are doing. It’s not just knowing information but how to get it to the students and so on, so we are also doing our EMT Basic programme in January, so this needs to be completed before we start our new programme under the banner of EMS.”

Fiedtkou noted that the attitudes that the EMT’s display starts with how they are being taught in the classroom.

“If you as an instructor can show the students why what you are doing is important, why certain clinical procedures are important, why do we go fast here and slow there, why do we assess a patient before we drive off, why do we take interventions, all these will play a major role when the student or the EMT goes out in the field, so these instructors will be exposed to more knowledge up there along with various research, not only for teaching but anything that is new and current within the sphere of pre-hospital science.”

Before leaving for South Carolina, Alysha Mannix said she feels grateful for the opportunity that is being afforded to her.
“I’m really happy for this opportunity to do this instructor Level 2 course; this will help me to improve my skills and further my education in teaching as an instructor,” Mannix noted.
She has been with the EMS for the past seven years and looks forward to eventually teaching new students who come into the field.

The team returns to the island at month-end.

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