Emergency medical techs strap a patient to a stretcher and carefully navigate through a cramped apartment to load their patient into a waiting ambulance.
It happens countless times every day. But in this case, it’s a typical practice day at Pima Community College’s new emergency medical technician (EMT) training facility, which features a mock apartment to give students a better understanding of the how to handle actual emergencies in the field.
The apartment, which cost around $350,000, has seven training rooms including a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. The rooms are furnished, forcing students to maneuver through tight spaces and obstacles while attending a patient.
“It’s the only way to learn,” said EMT student Ryan Szach, 25. “Without hands-on application, you’ll never get the experience.”
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The program is almost at capacity, and many students hope to land EMT jobs after they graduate.
Employment for EMTs and paramedics is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Read more of this story Monday in the Arizona Daily Star.