GCU students brave the elements as part of preparation for frontline work
Paramedic Science students were given the chance to learn new skills for life beyond University with an exhilarating hands-on experience courtesy of Scottish Motorsport Marshals Club.
The annual event saw final year GCU students join doctors, rescue teams and recovery operators for the Major Incident Training Weekend on the 11th and 12th of December at Knockhill Race Circuit.
Victoria McQuade was one of 120 people involved over the two days, and we caught up with her to find out more:
What made you want to take up this opportunity?
“I wanted to attend because I’d heard from previous year groups that it was a really good experience to get involved in. We have quite short ambulance placements, so a lot of us might not actually get the chance to experience a major incident and know what sort of challenges to expect.
I think it’s important for us to see how multidisciplinary teams work together and what their individual role is; for example, I’ve never seen the recovery guys while out on placement, so I didn’t properly understand what they do.”
An outdoor session in December might not appeal to a lot of people; what was that like?
“I went on the Sunday and it was actually great because it was a really cold, miserable day. I know that seems strange to say but it was good because, when we face these situations out in our field of work, it’s probably not going to be a perfect sunny day in July.
A couple of the ambulances we were in had issues with the grass and rain, which again was crucial preparation for future. It definitely changes the way you co-operate with your team because it was really windy and raining – we could hardly even see each other!”
What sort of activities were you and the other students actually getting involved in?
“I was there on the Sunday and wewere split into five or six groups upon arrival. In the morning we were used as props to help support some of the doctors that were in attendance. Me and my friend Eilidh were told to go into a car and pretend we were injured. We had to use our acting skills to show we were in a lot of distress. The doctors would then have to come out and rescue us.
After it was all done, we had a debrief around what was positive and what could have been done better. It was really interesting to experience how doctors go about these situations in comparison to how paramedics would. We also got to use equipment that I’ve never experienced before, which was really cool.
In the afternoon, it was our turn to rescue the patients and specialist motorsport rescue teams from SMMC showed us how they tackle major incidents; we even got to see how they take doors off cars!”
You also got the opportunity to work on a METHANE report?
“That was a particularly valuable part of the whole experience! A Methane Report is a framework used in the emergency services that you should adopt for major incidents. It’s basically an idea that allows you to gain valuable information and share that with other key contacts so that everyone know what’s going on.
M – is for declaring the major incident
E – is the exact location, which you can now actually use an app for
T – is the type of incident; for example, is it a fire or crash
H – is for what hazards or potential hazards can be identified
A – is for access and the best way in and out of the incident
N – is the number of casualties, which can be tricky to keep track of for major incidents
E – is emergency services and who else you’re going to need in attendance
How will this experience benefit you in future?
“Personally, I’ve never been through a major incident during my placement; and I know a lot of other students haven’t either. It was great to be put in that situation and basically get training that will clearly help us in preparation for something like this in future. It also showed us that we need to be able to cooperate with different teams to really establish clear communication. I really do appreciate all the different roles and disciplines that play a part in something like this.
If I ever have to attend a major incident in future, then I’m definitely going to have more of an idea around how hectic and chaotic it is!”
How important is it for students to take up opportunities that come their way while at University?
“The main thing is it’s really fun to put your learning into practice! It was fun to mix with other people and use new equipment without real-life pressure on us. Coronavirus has meant so much of our work has been online and I think everyone should throw themselves into these things, because you never know how it could help you during your career.”
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter