When a player goes down on the field or a patient experiences an unexpected emergency, an athletic trainer must be ready to jump into action.
J.R. Wise ʼ16, ʼ21 MSAT, an athletic trainer for the Lynchburg Fire Department, brought three of his paramedic colleagues to the University to work with the Master of Science in Athletic Training students on how to prepare their patients and effectively support EMS in the case of an emergency.
“What I’m hoping to do by having [LFD] come in is to get the students to understand what happens after we call EMS,” Wise said.
“I also want them to understand that, while, yes we go over emergency care in the AT program. … [EMS] is a higher level of care.”
The class began as a sit-down discussion with Captain Holly Mason, a paramedic with 14 years of experience at the LFD. The athletic training students listened intently as she addressed the basics of what to do during an emergency while waiting for EMS to arrive.
“The scene doesn’t start when we get called,” Mason said. “The scene actually starts when the incident happens and that’s where y’all come in.”
Mason explained to the students what EMS would need from them upon their arrival which included basic information such as name, age and a big picture overview of what happened.
“What you see and what I see are completely different,” she said, emphasizing the importance of not going into the weeds with too many details. Mason explained that paramedics have about 10 seconds to decide how they are going to “fix the patient” and that time begins the moment they lay eyes on them.
Once the students finished their sit down with Mason, the class moved to the parking lot of Turner gymnasium where two EMS vehicles were waiting. The students received demonstrations and explanations of different equipment as well as the opportunity to explore the two rigs and ask questions.
“Where this is really going to come in handy for them is in emergency planning,” Wise explained.
“If they’re somewhere they know [EMS] is going to be there quickly, all they really need to do is make sure air is going in and out and blood is going round and round and then hand them off. But if they’re somewhere like the middle of Nelson County they know it’s going to be a minute so they need to plan accordingly.”
The collaboration between Wise, the Lynchburg Fire Department, and the University of Lynchburg’s MSAT students underscores the crucial role athletic trainers can play in emergency situations. By working closely with EMS professionals, these students are gaining valuable hands-on experience that prepares them to respond effectively and confidently when every second counts. This type of training ensures that they are skilled in immediate care as well as supporting the transition to higher levels of medical assistance.
To learn more about the University of Lynchburg’s Master of Science in Athletic Training program and how it prepares students for real-world challenges, visit our MSAT program webpage.
