Learning outside the classroom walls
Ben White, left, talks to students about work with AirCare2.
When students in Meridian Community College’s Emergency Medical Technology and Paramedic programs came to the class, the classroom came to them.
One of the University of Mississippi’s Medical Center’s AirCare2 helicopters landed in the Tommy C. Dulaney parking lot where MCC’s division of Emergency Services is located. Students in the two programs learned firsthand landing zone requirements, communication with aircraft via radio, and patient status updates.
Students also went inside the aircraft and witnessed how patient care is maintained throughout transport to definitive care locations such as trauma centers.
MCC Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician Instructor Ben White is also a flight paramedic with AirCare2. He explained that the helicopter is a crucial resource for Mississippians, and bringing the aircraft to campus offered students another learning and training opportunity.
Joining the students were aircraft pilot Jessie Maxwell, and medical crew flight nurse Amber Love.