About 40 Casselberry firefighter-paramedics attended medical school this week to get an inside look at human anatomy \u2013 training they said prepares them to do an even better job at saving lives in emergencies.<\/p>\n
The paramedics from Casselberry\u2019s two fire stations spent four days in the 麻豆原创 College of Medicine\u2019s state-of-the-art Anatomy Lab and learned from faculty and fourth-year medical students who had aced the Anatomy module. \u201cThis gives us a sense of human anatomy from the inside, which is something we don\u2019t see,\u201d said Meredith Walker, the Fire Department\u2019s Quality Assurance Officer who is a paramedic and helped organize the training.<\/p>\n
The first responders have a range of experience, from nine months to 26 years, and had been trained with mannequins, models, books and movies. The medical school\u2019s lessons came thanks to people who had willed their bodies to science, a gift that was discussed with reverence before class began.\u00a0 Then, clad in protective gowns, boots and gloves, the first responders saw how pacemakers are attached to diseased hearts. They felt the lungs of patients who had suffered from cancer and emphysema. They saw how calcium builds up in the arteries. And they practiced getting blood samples from bone \u2013 a process used with injured children whose veins are too tiny to pierce.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a great opportunity to get hands-on practice,\u201d said firefighter-paramedic Diane Meadows, who is also a registered nurse. \u201cWe deal with emergency situations in the field, and have very limited opportunities to get extra training with real cadavers. In my 20 years, this is the first real exposure that has been so beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paramedics brought to the lab the tools they use in the field so they could see how treatment impacts internal organs. They witnessed how intubation actually fills the lungs with air and how pumping air too quickly \u2013 which can happen in a high adrenaline emergency \u2013 causes the lungs to inflate too much.<\/p>\n
Walker initiated the learning partnership, reaching out to 麻豆原创 after learning about its lab and willed body program on medical school web site. Working together, the Fire Department and the College of Medicine arranged the cadavers, set up the learning stations and the curriculum. \u201cWe approached the college, and they were very open to the idea,\u201d said Casselberry Fire Department Battalion Chief Theresa Krebs. \u201cWe\u2019ve felt that eagerness to do the partnership from our first meeting on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Casselberry\u2019s Fire Department responds to about 4,500 calls a year in the small Seminole County community. Of those, 70 percent of those are emergency medical calls. The first responders said seeing human anatomy and impact of disease from the inside will help them provide better care to patients during an emergency. And the learning experience was also an eye-opener for medical educators and students. They learned about real-life trauma injuries and the challenges to make lifesaving decisions quickly with only the tools at hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis experience has made me a better teacher,\u201d said Dr. Andrew Payer, professor of anatomy at the College of Medicine who runs the Anatomy Lab. \u201cIn this partnership, we both benefit. The paramedics have more confidence in their knowledge of human anatomy. They have a deeper understanding of how their actions impact the body. These first responders are helping people in trouble. And who knows? Maybe someday, one of them may be helping one of my family members.\u201d<\/p>\n
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