By EMS1 Staff
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — EMS students at a community college are learning how to administer Narcan in an effort to combat the opioid epidemic.
Students at Mass Bay Community College who are training to become EMTs and paramedics, practiced administering Narcan on mannequins.
While paramedics normally administer the drug, EMTs, firefighters and police officers are now able to do so, reported WCVB.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve built in a lot of scenario work so that our students can identify opiate overdoses and treat them, as we would in the field,” the college’s EMS Program Director Kimberly Altavesta said.
One scenario in which students practice administering the drug is when a patient suffers a fall while overdosing. Students learn to treat both the overdose and injuries sustained in the fall in under 15 minutes.
Students also participate in clinical work, partnering with EMS agencies.
“Just this weekend, I was out on a call, and we had an overdose, and it was very similar, it was very real,” student Scott Gobar said.