[Clinton, N.C.] – In the unfortunate event that you should ever need to call 911 in a life or death situation, it pays to have people show up who know how to help. Thanks to a donation made to Sampson Community College by Sampson County EMS. Now, the college has yet another tool to make sure EMS students have been put in real life scenarios.

PHOTO: Magill gives student Kimberly Owens a tour of the new ambulance. 

Sampson County donated an ambulance to the college that had been donated to the county by Sampson Regional Hospital in 2011. “The unit serviced EMS well, as the unit began to obtain high mileage it wasn’t feasible to keep it in our fleet,” says Ronald Bass, Emergency Management Director of Sampson County. “We felt that the miles left on the vehicle should not go to waste. It will be an asset to the college in its EMS training program as it will give students experience in the back of a real ambulance.“

The donation should allow SCC to get many years of service from the unit. “This was at no cost to SCC,” says Angela Magill, Department Chair and EMS Coordinator. “Yet, it will provide so much needed hands on experience for our students. They need to know how to operate actual equipment they will need on the job and this just adds another dimension to our ability to provide that for them.”

“In healthcare careers, particularly in situations that involve life and death decisions,” says Dr. Veronica Stevens, Division Chair of Health Programs. “You want that student to be comfortable that they know how the tools and how the equipment operates when they are in the field.” Stevens says this is made possible because of the great networking between the county and the college. “What great teamwork…and to insure that we take the best care of the people in our own community. There is no greater training than to actually be able to put your hands on the equipment, or the ambulance in this case, and actually do it!”

Dean of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, Amanda Bradshaw agrees. “We want to supply students with real world experience and it’s hard to do it without equipment. It’s great to have videos and books and other learning materials but it’s crucial when they can physically touch and feel the things that they will eventually use to save lives.” For more information about health careers at SCC, contact Angela Magill at amagill@sampsoncc.edu.

 

About Sampson Community College:  Sampson Community College is a member of the North Carolina Community College System, located in Clinton, NC in Sampson County. The college offers many programs to include two-year degrees, college transfer, continuing education and workforce development options and early college education.