Hearts were racing as Kapiʻolani Community College (EMT) students faced simulated battle injuries and more during a tour of the Schofield Barracks Medical Simulation Training Center (MSTC) in February.

The tour and medical simulation demonstration showcased medic career opportunities available through the U.S. Army.

Part of the medic career overview included hands-on training. One lucky student gave an IV to the MSTC Site Lead Joe McFarlane, a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Army, who served as both a medic and a flight medic. All students were given the opportunity to perform life-saving measures on the life-like mannequins with various battle injuries.

“We didn’t have time to think—only time to take what we knew and apply it,” said Donovan Gomes, EMT student.

In order to simulate the high-stress experience of life saving, students were first put through a cardio exercise, helping to increase their heart rates. They then ran into a dark room, filled with smoke, strobing lights and loud noises, and, as a team, had to work to render life-saving aid to the medical mannequin on the floor.

“It was a great experience,” said EMT student Kenn Andrade. “This was something that we hadn’t really done before, and it prepared us for the real world. We had to use the skills that we learned in class and apply them.”

The Schofield Barracks MSTC is one of only 23 simulation training centers Army-wide that provides scenario-based, combat-focused medical simulation training to treat casualties and save lives on the battlefield.

“The experience we had at Schofield was very important for these individuals to apply what they were taught in a true-to-life scenario provided by the simulation center,” said Assistant Professor Edward Caballero. “Being able to focus on what they needed to do through the stressors gave [the students] a leg-up when they go out into the field and start working on the ambulance. I think that this will prepare them for the chaos that they may see.”

Graduates of the EMT program have the opportunity to apply for and start as a higher ranked medic in the U.S. Army. When they enter as an EMT, they are allowed to accelerate within Advanced Individual Training because of their previous educational foundation. In addition, the offers full- and part-time opportunities, with enlistment bonuses up to $50,000 and career-specific bonuses up to $40,000.

EMT student Jeff Rubonal said, “This gives us a little bit of a grasp on how the real world operates. Overall, the experience was very immersive, very educational, and honestly I think that it should be implemented for future classes.”

—By Katie Cech

A large donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) from an anonymous donor is going to help keep students, faculty and staff across the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ System safer. More than 5,000 face shields and almost 1,400 containers of hand sanitizer were donated to UH in late April.

The generous donation, valued at about $200,000, was designated for various programs and campuses, including and UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s , , and , which said it would benefit athletic trainers and student athletes.

A large portion of the donation, more than 1,000 face shields and about 4,600 containers of hand sanitizer, went to Kapiʻolani CC and was warmly welcomed by students and faculty in the emergency medical services, nursing and health sciences programs.

“It’s definitely something that we need. We use this stuff on the daily,” said Nicholas Tang, a student in the (EMT) program.

“This donation is pretty important because the [EMT] program was one of the only programs that had face-to-face learning at Kapiʻolani Community College and we definitely used a lot of PPE during that time,” said Brett Tanchico, another EMT student.

Kapiʻolani CC’s share of the donation was boxed up and transported in more than 10 pallets. Students and staff used forklifts, and manpower to distribute the PPE across the campus.

“We are so grateful for the donation of hand sanitizer and face shields to help keep our students, faculty and staff safe. While the vaccine efforts are well underway, the need to use PPE and other safeguards for those on campus in the coming months will remain,” said Lisa Radak, dean of health sciences at Kapiʻolani CC. “This generous donation coupled with vaccinations will support campus operations and student learning activities without compromising the health of our ʻohana at Kapiʻolani Community College.”

Tanchico added, “I think it’s really great. I think it’s like one huge stride forward in getting everything back to normal.”

COVID-19 is changing the healthcare profession, including the roles of emergency service providers. There are differing levels of emergency medical technicians in Â鶹´«Ã½, and the only campus in the to offer the higher-level (MICT) program is Kapiʻolani Community College.

While an (EMT) is able to provide basic support to patients in a pre-hospital emergency setting, the MICT is trained to perform additional more advanced life-saving functions such as administering intravenous fluids and medications, performing endotracheal intubation, reading electrocardiograms and using the cardiac monitor defibrillator.

The Kapiʻolani campus is gearing up for a possible increase in demand for MICTs. Leaugeay Barnes, paramedic program director and lead instructor for MICT, developed an asynchronous blended program for the . She has also reached out to Kapiʻolani CC’s partners in the health industry and urged them to encourage their EMT employees to advance their education to MICT to help meet the state’s workforce needs.

The program is a restructured delivery format that allows Kapiʻolani CC to utilize its faculty more efficiently, making it more financially sustainable. The asynchronous classwork allows qualified students to participate in lectures whenever their schedules allow, however, students are blended together in face-to-face sessions for the requisite tactile and clinical experiences.

Barnes and Jeff Zuckernick, MICT and Emergency Medical Services department chair, are piloting the first cohort based on the asynchronous blended model this spring.

“In discussions with the experienced faculty, lecturers, mentors and preceptors, current students appear to be performing at or above the level of previous classes,” Barnes said. “Looking at evidence from blended learning, this is not surprising, because when the responsibility of learning is centered on the student, deeper learning often occurs.”

Barnes said that Kapiʻolani CC is also better able to support the needs of neighbor island employers with the asynchronous program.

“Agencies can also be creative in meeting staffing needs since students are required to attend labs and clinicals on specific predetermined dates but otherwise enjoy a more flexible schedule during the [lecture] phase,” she said.

Kapiʻolani CC’s MICT Asynchronous Blended Program will start on August 23. Applications close on June 1. For more information or questions on the program, contact Barnes at (808) 734-9134, or lcbarnes@hawaii.edu. Or, contact Kristy Yoshikawa, academic counselor for health and EMS programs, at (808) 734-9224, or hlthsci@hawaii.edu.

—By Louise Yamamoto

The at Kapiʻolani Community College has 11 ventilators ready to loan to local healthcare organizations in anticipation of an increased need in the coming weeks.

A mechanical ventilator or respirator provides life saving support to treat patients who are unable to breathe on their own. coordinates the distribution of supplies and equipment and will oversee the loan process and direct the use of the ventilators where they are needed most.

The Kapiʻolani CC program, located on Â鶹´«Ã½ Island, has also made available two portable ventilators and supplies to Hilo Medical Center to support the preparation efforts there.

“We know that despite our best efforts using social distancing and good hygiene and respiratory etiquette, there will be an increased number of people in our community, our ʻohana, who will be admitted to our local intensive care units in respiratory distress. The availability of ventilators will be critical, literally the difference between life and death,” said Lisa B. Radak, Kapiʻolani CC dean of health academic programs.

“These ventilators could potentially save hundreds of individuals. There was no question Kapiʻolani Community College would loan them to our healthcare partners during this crisis. We can only hope they are not needed.”

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ (JABSOM) and are working together to help future paramedics gain confidence and skills in handling emergencies involving infants and children.

JABSOM and Kapiʻolani CC faculty have collaboratively developed and conducted the first Pre-Hospital Pediatric Paramedic Training Program to integrate with Kapiʻolani CC’s established . The course was made possible through a grant provided by the Â鶹´«Ã½ Pediatric Association Research and Education Foundation (HPAREF).

“Pediatric cases are such a small percentage of the cases they (paramedic students) are exposed to,” said Dale Oda, emergency medical services program director at Kapiʻolani CC. “This program gives them the opportunity to practice their skills in a controlled setting and get that kind of experience before they become certified paramedics.”

Gaining experience at SimTiki

As an EMT for the City and County of Honolulu, most of Cyrus Camp’s field experience has involved adults so, for him, learning with infant manikins in the UH medical school’s has boosted his confidence. Camp also appreciates the program’s focus on communication between pre-hospital providers and emergency physicians.

“It’s useful for us (EMTs and paramedics) to get an idea of what the doctors are thinking so that we can adjust what we’re doing to help them with that continuum of patient care,” Camp said.

While working with the future paramedics, Jannet Lee-Jayaram, SimTiki associate director and JABSOM assistant professor, said she saw a spark in the students’ eyes as they realized, “Hey, what I do directly influences what the physicians and nurses are going to do, and what I do is vitally important, so I need to make sure I get all the information and that I can communicate the right information.”

—By Deborah Manog Dimaya