OTC to host emergency medical training for Cox Hospitals

Ozarks Technical Community College will host a day of Grand Rounds, or simulated emergency situation training, for paramedics and emergency medical technicians from Cox Hospitals on Thursday, July 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the OTC Springfield campus, in Lincoln Hall Room 200.  The emergency medical personnel will practice emergency response skills using the College’s interactive high-fidelity manikins that can breathe, bleed, sweat, speak, and much more, and which are designed to simulate patients of various ages.

More than 180 Cox emergency medical personnel participated in the first Grand Rounds opportunity at Ozarks Technical Community College, held in April 2011.  Since the spring event, OTC has expanded the Grand Rounds opportunity to include four different simulated living spaces, thanks in part to the donation of a living room set and a dining room set by the Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Springfield.

“OTC’s goal for this collaboration was to not only help with continuing education training for health care professionals in our community, but also to identify areas that require improvement or curriculum changes for our students,” explained Michelle Howard, Allied Health Simulation Director for the College.  “Simulation training can be used to see areas in which students perform well, as well as areas of weakness, which helps us to be proactive in educating students before they graduate, take their licensure exams, and go to work in the community.”

Ozarks Technical Community College is planning to expand the current simulation facilities into a complete Simulation Center, which will help to train 11 different disciplines in the College’s Allied Health division.  It will also provide learning opportunities for OTC’s electronic media production, theater, construction and information technology students.  When the Simulation Center is complete, the College will continue to host regular Grand Rounds events for Cox Hospitals, and will provide opportunities for open lab training.