KUNA, Idaho — If you took a quick glance in one classroom at Swan Falls high school, you might think an Ambulance backed through the walls of the school. It is a simulator and it's a replica of an ambulance without wheels or a front cab.
The $80,000 simulator was paid for by the Leading Idaho Grant program. The program was introduced by the state in 2022 and it allocated almost $4 million to schools for career technical education (CTE) for schools in Idaho.
Since February, EMT students at Swan Falls High School have been training with the equipment. Not only is the interior decked out with medical equipment, but the outside also has lights and even operates on hydraulics which move it around like it's really on the road.
Medical professionals say it is a lot like the real thing.
“Some of the Ada County paramedics and Kuna firemen wanted to see our facility," said, Jessica Anno, the instructor of the course. "They sat in it and we went through all of the motions, the lights and they said it feels exactly like going down the road.”
Anno was an EMT herself and she says going into the simulator at first brought her back. All of the realism goes into making sure the students are ready for the real world.
“When we get here," said Anno, "we try to really step it up to a real-life emergency scenario, medical scenario, and trauma scenario so that they can apply that instead of just written information.”
The students love the class. They say not only does it teach you invaluable skills like first aid and CPR, but it is also a gratifying process.
“And I feel like it’s the most rewarding because you’re not just taking care of the patient," said senior Kayla Cox. "You’re trying to save them and get them to help.”
At the end of the course, the students will have the chance to go for their EMT certification. As most of them prepare for careers after high school, they think it will help them even if they don't stay in the medical field.
“EMT is just really a stepping stone to whatever career you really want to go to," said Rachel Millward. "Plus we can get our certification right out of high school so it helps that you don’t have to take the course after.”
