dr-exmedic.com

Simulation is an essential part of any EMS course, and has been since the days of the first Resusci-Anne CPR manikin.  However, no civilian EMS course I know of has ever used anesthetized pigs to simulate whole trauma patients.  Parts of pigs, yes:  I’ve seen pig tracheas (for cricothyroidotomy), ribs (for needle decompression), and chicken bones (for IO access).  I have to admit that the pig offers many advantages over all but the most advanced simulation:  you aren’t just simulating one system or problem at a time the way you are with many skill trainers, and there is just a feel of urgency when you’re working to actually keep a living being alive.

Fortunately, civilian EMS training agencies that can’t afford $1000 a pig (which is most of them) aren’t missing a whole lot.  Civilian EMS practice has a lot more medical emergencies than military field medics, which means that such immersive trauma training will have relatively less effect, and even civilian trauma is different from military trauma–much more of it is blunt.  That doesn’t mean I’m not jealous of the experience, though.