08 Mar ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO AND ESSEX COUNTY SCHOOLS OF TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCE LIFE-SIZE AMBULANCE SIMULATOR TO TRAIN STUDENTS AS EMTS School District is Partnering with RWJBarnabas, Hackensack Meridian Health and University Hospital to Provide Clinic Training
Published on March 8, 2024
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr joined with Essex County Schools Superintendent Dr. James Pedersen and the Schools of Technology Board of Education to unveil a new life-size ambulance simulator that will be used to train students as emergency medical technicians at Essex County Newark Tech on Thursday, March 7th. Newark Tech is the only high school in New Jersey to have this cutting-edge equipment. The only other school to have this simulator is Rowan University.
The County Executive also lauded the partnership between Essex County Newark Tech and RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health and University Hospital. Newark Tech Students will fulfill their emergency room clinical requirements at RWJBarnabas Health facilities and University Hospital and the EMT training with Hackensack Meridian. These hours are required for the EMT certification and will give students the opportunity to be mentored in local hospitals.
“We are constantly looking for new ways to enhance the learning opportunities that we provide to our students. This simulator is an exciting tool that will provide the closest thing to real-life experiences of working on an ambulance and will give our students the advanced training they need to become EMTs,” DiVincenzo said. “Our motto always has been about working together and this partnership with RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian and University Hospital is an example of how we are coming together to prepare our students for their future,” he added.
Skylie Ramirez is a senior at Essex County Newark Tech who is participating in the EMT class. “This is one of the most demanding and rigorous courses I have taken at Newark Tech. Every time we pass a test or get a certification, we get a rewarding feeling. I am looking forward to being able to care for people when they are faced with life and death situations because this is enabling us to make decisions when every second counts,” she said.
Essex County Schools of Technology Superintendent Dr. James Pedersen commended the County Executive for providing the funds to the district to purchase the equipment and implement the program. “During the pandemic, you helped save thousands of lives. Imagine how many lives our student will save when they become EMTs,” he added.
“Working with the County Executive, we have touched the lives of residents throughout Essex. We are thrilled that our collaboration is able to continue and grow here at Newark Tech,” Margie Heller, Vice President of Community Health and Strategic Global Partnerships at RWJBarnabas Health, said.
“We are currently at a time where we have the largest shortage of EMS workers in the history of public safety. This is a great program and I am super impressed with the set up here at Newark Tech,” said Anthony Raffino, Assistant Vice President of RWJBarnabas Health Mobile Health.
“It there ever was a need in public safety to be filled, currently it is for EMS workers,” said Mark Bober, Director of EMS at Hackensack Meridian Health. “We are proud of our partnership with Newark Tech and are excited about the school already talking about expanding the program,” he added.
“Public safety is a team sport. University Hospital is proud to be a part of this program and excited to see what the students can accomplish,” University Hospital EMS Director Jason Brady said.
Dr. Cathleen DelaPaz, Director of Career and Technical Education Academies for the Essex County Schools of Technology, added, “It is our ultimate mission that the newly established EMT program will not only fulfill a demand in the healthcare profession, but will also help to cultivate a pipeline of healthcare professionals in Essex County and the State of New Jersey.”
“This equipment has enabled us to provide our students with an immersive curriculum and hands-on training that they can’t get anywhere else. We are empowering our students to succeed and gain expertise in the career field they want to pursue,” Essex County Newark Tech Principal Jenabu Williams said.
Teacher Jason Schnitzer said the COVID pandemic delayed the program from starting earlier, but he is proud of the obstacles the district overcame to get it started and of his students who are “thriving” in the classroom and ready to become certified EMTs.
The ambulance simulator is the same size as the back of an ambulance and enables students to learn to care for patients in the same amount of space in which they would be working. The simulator is enclosed and moves on pneumatics simulating road conditions. It provides the most realistic training experience as it mirrors very closely what students will encounter in the field.
To engage the entire class, the simulator is equipped with cameras that capture a video of the activity taking place inside the simulator. The video is displayed in the classroom so all students can watch the medical simulators from within the ambulance.
In addition to the simulator, the school also purchased other state-of-the-art equipment for the EMT program including SimMan, SimMom, and SimBaby. These are highly advanced simulators that are usually found in medical schools. The models can scream, cry and vomit and students can take a pulse and blood pressure and tap spinal fluid on the model. The female model also can be programmed to give birth.
Students in the Health Academy Program also are receiving training on Lucas and AutoPulse Chest Compression. Students in the program are scheduled to take the EMT exam in June. If they pass, they would be certified EMTs.
The ambulance simulator is from Simulator Solutions from Texas. The Sim people are from Laerdal that is headquartered in Norway. The district used American Rescue Funds to acquire the equipment.
The Essex County Vocational Technical School District is New Jersey’s first and one of its largest Vocational Technical School Systems. The school system provides both occupational and academic instruction for high school and adult students in Essex County. The district has three high schools: Donald Payne, Sr. School of Technology, Newark Tech and West Caldwell Tech. In addition, the system provides adult programs in the evening at its Adult Training Center at Newark Tech. The district has an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students and provides high level state-of-the-art career skill development and academic opportunities in over 25 occupational areas. For more information on Essex County’s Vocational Technical Schools, visit www.essextech.org.