HELENA — A partnership between St. Peter's Health and Helena College is helping train the next generation of emergency responders through the donation of a retired ambulance.
“For me, it means everything to have all of the correct tools to get these students as prepared as I possibly can, which ultimately is my goal,” Paige Montgomery, Helena College’s lead EMT instructor, expressed.
(WATCH: Helena College receives ambulance donation from St. Peter's Health for EMT students)
St. Peter’s Health will soon add a new ambulance to the fleet to replace one that is showing signs of wear and tear. Normally, the older ambulances are sold, but not this time.
Chris Mulberry, the EMS manager for St. Peter’s Health, noted, “They run a great EMT program here, and it was an opportunity to give back because these are the people who will be coming to our future, and now they can have a little bit more realism in their training.”
Helena College’s EMT department has around 18 students each semester and is one of the only in-person EMT programs in the region.
“It is a lot different to teach in a classroom, sit at a desk, and read a book when your job is not going to be that at all,” Montgomery shared. “It is going to be working in this tiny confined space, taking care of super critical patients, and talking to people face to face one on one in tight quarters.”
Training inside the functioning ambulance allows students to learn equipment placement, scene flow, patient movement, and communication patterns in the same type of setting they will encounter in the field.
“Now they get that extra little piece that you don’t have to have, but it enhances that education,” Mulberry said.
The relationship goes beyond the donated equipment. St. Peter's also ensures Helena College EMT students have placement to meet their clinical requirements for graduation.
Each EMT student participates in three 12-hour ride-along shifts with St. Peter's ambulance services as part of those clinical requirements. Students also complete rotations in St. Peter's emergency department, where they build practical skills in a real care environment.
Both St. Peter’s Health and Helena College say the partnership is not only strengthening EMT education today, but also helping build a more prepared EMS workforce for the future.
