Paramedic students experience natural disasters
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Paramedic students
A group of Charles Sturt University paramedic students participating in work placements in the United States have told how they experienced first-hand the impact of an earthquake and a hurricane.
The third and fourth year paramedic students were in New York City, on their way to the EMS headquarters control centre in late August, when a rare earthquake struck the city.
“Practical course-related work experience for university students is common today to prepare them for real-world professional roles after graduation,” CSU Professor Brian Maguire said.
“While we were driving, admiring the NYC skyline, an earthquake hit the north-east United States.
“We arrived at EMS headquarters to find that all the office buildings had been evacuated, as had high-rise buildings across the city, and the roads were filling with vehicles as people fled their location or raced to loved ones.”
The students visited the 911 emergency call centre, where they listened to live emergency calls and also observed the EMS dispatch area.
During their trip, the group also visited the Long Island College Hospital, were assigned to stations across Brooklyn and Manhattan for ambulance observation tours, met one of the first police responders to the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and toured a NYC fire department station on the upper west side of Manhattan.
When Hurricane Irene swept up the eastern seaboard of the United States, the students were evacuated to the neighbouring state of Connecticut.
Hurricane Irene affected 65 million people, resulted in at least 55 fatalities and caused about $2.6 billion dollars in damage.
CSU paramedic student Stevie Duddy said the entire experience had been invaluable.
Ms Duddy, who hopes to become an intensive care nurse or work as a nurse or midwife with the Royal Flying Doctors Service, said the trip made her realise that professional pathways were unlimited with a clinical or medical background.
“We met so many people who were once nurses, then became paramedics and are now doctors or medical researchers,” she said.
“It makes me excited about my future and the extent of work I will be able to do.”
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