Wichita, Kan., Dec. 1, 2014 – EagleMed critical care air medical Transport Company has commissioned an innovative Mobile Air Medical Education Unit to simulate medical operations inside the company’s airplanes and helicopters.
It is being used as an enhanced teaching aid for EagleMed’s clinical practitioners. The trailer-based Mobile Air Medical Education Unit replicates the interior medical environments of the company’s 20 air medical transport airplanes and 14 air medical helicopters.
The custom-built training platform leverages the use of computer-controlled dynamic patient simulators from CAE Inc., and Gaumard Scientific to replicate human health symptoms and life functions. The patient simulators alone represent an almost $250,000 investment.
The unit’s computer-controlled dynamic human patient simulators respond like real people – they breathe, have pulses, heartbeats and produce vital signs. They replicate blood pressures and through computer manipulation, the educators can replicate any type of medical emergency for very high quality crew education.
Simulates Clinical Scenarios
“The Mobile Air Medical Education Unit is capable of realistically simulating nearly any air medical crew function that we provide for our patients,” said EagleMed Education Manager Jeff Prilliman. “We can replicate almost any clinical scenario related to emergency cardiovascular care, trauma patient care or medical emergencies in a real-life setting inside our aircraft.”
Prilliman added, “It requires a different skill-set to be able to perform many tasks inside of an aircraft and this one-of-a kind unit provides invaluable training.” The 24-foot trailer has a fixed wing section and a rotor wing section, which simulate medical crew interior dimensions and configurations of EagleMed’s life-saving aircraft, complete with fully functional medical equipment and medications.
EagleMed’s expert staff of critical care paramedics and Certified Flight Registered Nurses has advanced training in pediatric and adult care and maintain the highest level of competency and proficiency. Seasoned nurses, paramedics and respiratory therapists comprise EagleMed’s medical crew trainers who teach utilizing the advanced training tool.
Clinical crewmembers are required to complete five to six hours of equipment training and skills updates annually to refresh medical treatment competencies. The traveling education facility will visit EagleMed’s more than 30 nationwide facilities in the course of a year.
Recognized Excellence
EagleMed’s expert medical teams have the highest standards in the industry and the company’s fleet operations are recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration and ARGUS International for excellence. The company was recently awarded a Platinum Rating by well-known and recognized ARGUS International, based on pilot qualifications and a comprehensive on-site safety audit of EagleMed’s aviation and maintenance operations.
It is the highest rating for safety by the global leader in aviation safety ratings. EagleMed is the largest air medical company and one of only two programs with this coveted rating.
EagleMed is also one of a select few air medical service providers to reach Level 3 of the voluntary FAA Safety Management System. EagleMed is also proud of being accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), the gold standard for air medical transport companies.
CAMTS is an independent, non-profit agency, which audits and accredits fixed-wing and rotary wing air medical transport services as well as ground inter-facility critical care services in the U.S. to a set of industry-established criteria.
Safety Focus
EagleMed’s senior aviation, maintenance, and safety leadership has a combined total of more than 150 years of aviation operational experience. Recognized as a leader in the industry, the organization and its employees received the 2013 Chairman’s Award and the 2010 President’s Award for Leadership and Safety from the Association of Air Medical Services. EagleMed also received the 2011 Safety Award from the Helicopter Association International, Best Practice in Just Culture from CAMTS, and the 2012 Pilot of the Year Award from the National EMS Pilots Association.
EagleMed leverages technology through its web-based Learning Management System and IS-BAO registered Baldwin SMSlite™ system to deliver regulatory, aircraft-specific, air medical resource management, SMS, risk management, just culture, threat and error management, OSHA safety compliance training and safety report data tracking and analysis. EagleMed maintains a technologically advanced Communications Center with satellite tracking and communications for 24/7 oversight and medical direction and dispatch provided by a cadre of emergency physicians and highly trained communication staff that are themselves certified emergency medical technicians.
EagleMed’s experienced and proficient team of commercial instrument rated rotor and Airline Transport Pilot rated fixed wing pilots undergo extensive hands-on training every six months including FlightSafety International simulation training.
About EagleMed LLC
EagleMed LLC, headquartered in Wichita, Kan., is a privately owned and operated critical care air medical and ground transport service. A subsidiary of Air Medical Group Holdings Inc., EagleMed has provided safe, world-class patient care to patients and communities in the Midwest for more than 30 years. EagleMed has more than 475 highly trained employees and operates an extensive fleet of 14 medically equipped Airbus AS350 B2/B3 helicopters, 20 Beechcraft King Air fixed-wing aircraft, and six ground ambulances in 13 States. For more information, please visit flyeaglemed.com.
About AirMedCare
EagleMed is a membership-supported air ambulance service that is part of the AirMedCare Network. AirMedCare is America’s largest air medical transport membership network, providing emergency access to the highest levels of care for its 1.6 million subscribers. The AirMedCare Network combines the membership programs of four leading air ambulance operators: EagleMed, REACH, Air Evac Lifeteam and Med-Trans Corporation. For more information about memberships, visit joineaglemed.com.
