September 3, 2008 MR 08-22 [Georgetown, DE] – Paramedics Holly Donovan, Stuart Hensley, and Jill Wix, along with Division Manager Robbie Murray, are leaving for Israel to participate in an international EMS competition. The SCEMS Paramedic Competition Team, consisting of three paramedics and one manager, has been invited by Magen David Adom Israel, the national EMS system, to participate in the three-day competition and symposium later this month.
The competition will entail 11 scenarios using actors, simulated patients, and mannequins. During the scenarios, the SCEMS paramedic team will be paired up in an ambulance with an Israeli EMT-Paramedic and a youth volunteer. Teams will be dispatched to each scenario where they will simulate response, arrive on scene, and render care. During these stations, each team will be evaluated on the patient care rendered and the speed in which the patient is readied for transport to the hospital.
“This will provide an excellent opportunity for our paramedics to observe how other EMS systems around the world respond to a variety of patient care scenarios. The scenarios will range from everyday medical calls to seldom seen mass casualty incidents,” according to Operations Manager Robbie Murray.
According to Sussex County EMS Director Luedtke, “Our participation in this competition keeps our organization and community in the national and international spotlight as we move forward with our efforts to recruit and retain paramedics. It is also a source of pride to our paramedics, knowing that this effort was initiated not by administration, but by the same paramedics who provide the highest quality care to our citizens every day.”
Other countries that are represented include the Czech Republic, Poland, Canada, Turkey, Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Germany and Israel. So far, Sussex County, Del., is the only team from the United States participating in the competition. All costs associated with the trip excluding airfare are being paid by the host organization.
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