Advanced Care Paramedic students from Holland College recently embarked on a study tour to Nassau, The Bahamas to find out more about the private and public hospital system there.
Nine students and three members of faculty made the trip from Charlottetown to Nassau. Each student attended an eight hour shift in the Emergency departments of Princess Margaret Hospital and Doctors’ Hospital, both located in Nassau. The experience proved to be educationally rewarding in many ways, with a first hand look at private and public hospital system and the disparities separating both.
Each student also attended an observational shift on the ambulance with the National Emergency Medical System (NEMS). The Holland College students spoke of a gifted and dedicated staff within the NEMS, working with minimal resources and a limiting scope of practice. The shifts attended offered a variety of calls from routine transfers of patients for tests to deadly traumas.
Advanced Care Paramedicine learning managers Sue Norquay and Matthew Macleod, presented professional development opportunities for local paramedics working in Nassau. Matthew presented the topics of Airway Management and Trauma Management, and Sue provided information on pharmacology, essential as the Bahamians prepare to increase the number of medications within their scope of practice.
The cultural experience was memorable as well. The students and faculty visited local restaurants and sampled local cuisine such as conch fritters and conch salad. Holland College and the College of the Bahamas have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate students and staff exchanges.
For more information about this release, please contact:
Sara Underwood, Media and Communications Officer
Tel: 902-566-9695
Date: Friday, May 22, 2009
