Wright State emergency medicine residents practice search and rescue techniques to understand patient experiences

About two dozen emergency medicine residents from Wright State University and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base participated in a hands-on outdoor learning experience to give them an appreciation for the work first responders do before a patient arrives at a hospital.

“We are kind of going back to our roots, and learning how to use a map and locate everything is a useful skill to have,” said Amir Mansour, M.D., a third-year resident who will wrap up his residency in a few weeks.

The residents were divided into two groups and completed various tasks throughout the day on June 18. Both groups participated in activities focusing on team-building concepts at the Wright State Challenge Course and at a wilderness search-and-rescue station, allowing participants to learn about safety and patient transport equipment used in rescue situations.

“Having that experience and practicing here, that way if we need to track someone down or something like that, it’s not our first time,” said Mansour.

Kermit Huebner, M.D., a member of West Virginia’s National Guard and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Wright State’s Boonshoft School of Medicine, organized the training.

“We are going over some of the basics on what happens during search-and-rescue operations and how to navigate using a compass and pace count in order to identify clues and find casualties,” said Huebner.

Huebner told the participants that learning these skills are important because when they are searching on trails or in the woods, they may not have a cellphone signal.