Better Training = Saving More Lives

Among its many other vitally important tasks, Magen David Adom (MDA) is responsible for certifying all the paramedics in Israel. Prior to 2023, the organization trained approximately 350 new paramedics annually. This year, the number will be nearly double. "The war made everyone understand how important paramedics are. They are crucial for saving lives," explains Dr. Shafir Botner, Director of Magen David Adom's Paramedic School.

Much of the increased demand for paramedics comes from the IDF. Unfortunately, the last year and a half of war has provided plenty of opportunities for the army to learn how to improve its protocols for evacuating wounded soldiers. One of the outcomes is that now every army unit, no matter how small, includes at least one soldier who is a certified paramedic. Since MDA trains all the army paramedics, it quickly needed to start training hundreds more soldiers.

1,800 hours of training
Paramedics are professional first responders trained to provide emergency medical care to people who are injured or ill. They are usually the first to reach individuals experiencing severe medical conditions – rushing to the scenes of car accidents and terror attacks, helping people who were injured or experiencing worrisome symptoms while at home or elsewhere, and urgently treating wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Paramedics must quickly assess a patient's condition and make lifesaving decisions before they reach the hospital. They are authorized to administer advanced lifesaving medications and perform invasive procedures such as intubations. As such, they are one of the most important links in the chain of survival for both soldiers and civilians in critical condition.

Israeli paramedics are required to undergo at least 1,800 hours of training before they can be certified, which usually take 18-24 months for civilian trainees and 12-14 very intensive months for soldiers. This is 10 times more training hours than for EMTs. The paramedics course is divided into three stages: 900 hours of didactic studying in a classroom setting, where they learn basic skills; 250 hours of hands-on shifts in hospitals, including in the OR, ICU, and trauma unit; and around 650 hours of additional training in intensive care ambulances.

For decades, MDA has been training Israel's paramedics at a facility in Ramat Gan that is now not only too small; it's also extremely outdated. In addition to not having enough classrooms to accommodate the current number of trainees, it doesn't offer the modern equipment that is widespread around the world for training topnotch medical professionals. For example, the existing classrooms aren't suitable for AV or simulation systems that are today considered essential parts of training programs in other countries.

New, cutting-edge facility
The new Center for Advanced Emergency Medical Training, which will soon be inaugurated in Ramle, will be a cutting-edge facility that will enable MDA to offer the most advanced training courses to future generations of Israeli paramedics and EMTs. Spread over 32,680 sq.ft., it will include plenty of smart classroom space and a large variety of state-of-the-art simulation rooms. The new Training Center will be part of the Marcus National Blood Services Center, and just like the rest of the complex, it will be completely protected against rocket attacks and earthquakes.

Although the new Center's chief mission will be to train paramedics and EMTs for Magen David Adom, the IDF and also Israel's Police Department, it will also offer training programs to many other cohorts.

Among those who will take courses at the new Center: medics interested in continuing education, medical professionals seeking advanced training in emergency medicine, young women fulfilling their National Service by becoming paramedics, people training to become phlebotomists, and everyday citizens who want to learn First Aid, CPR and other basic emergency lifesaving skills.

Simulation rooms are increasingly common around the world for training medical personnel, but the new MDA facility will take simulations to the next level. No fewer than 14 different simulation rooms will provide the best possible preparation for treating victims in a large variety of locations and using many different skills. Thanks to advanced technologies, instructors will be able to create lifelike scenarios and monitor the trainees' performance.

Seven multi-scenario simulation rooms will provide an interactive clinical training environment designed to replicate various experiences, such as emergency procedures performed on adults and children of different ages. A series of rooms that simulate different home environments, including kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms and bedrooms, will make it possible to practice in everyday settings that are frequently encountered by paramedics, and to more effectively rehearse pre-hospital first aid care. A hospital simulation room with two real hospital beds will be used to practice moving patients, as well as for birthing scenarios, using ultrasound scans and other important skills.

Remarkably realistic simulations
Dr. Botner points out that a one-of-a-kind virtual reality (VR) simulation room will feature an actual Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulance, mounted on a hydraulic, multidimensional platform. The hydraulic system will simulate real-world motion and various road conditions encountered by ambulances. Lights, sirens, and communication systems will be completely functional. The ambulance will be housed in a green-screen environment that employs an augmented reality computer system to transform the room into a variety of virtual lifelike scenarios.

"Thanks to advanced VR technology, our trainees will be able to practice, for example, attending to an injured person who is lying in a pool of blood on a specific Tel Aviv street. They will have to stop the bleeding quickly and then transfer the man to the ambulance in the simulation room," Dr. Botner explains. "The sound effects will be just like in a real ambulance – with the siren and radio blaring; the view outside the window will be of Tel Aviv; and it will feel like the driver is driving very quickly, like in an actual ambulance."

One of the truly trailblazing simulation rooms at the new Center will be equipped with a technology that can simulate weather, including a variety of wind and rain conditions. It will also enable trainees to practice scenarios involving hazardous materials, during which they will gain experience treating victims while wearing unwieldly hazmat suits.

"We will also be able to simulate evacuating wounded people with helicopters. In reality, when helicopters land nearby, they make a lot of noise and create a great deal of wind and dust – and our paramedics must know how to work under these conditions. We will be able to simulate the noise and wind inside one of our special rooms," Botner elaborates, adding that he believes the new MDA Training Center will be the only one in the world with this capability.

Thanks to its size and cutting-edge facilities, the new Center for Advanced Emergency Medical Training will enable Magen David Adom to meet the increasing demand for training civilian and military paramedics. Just as importantly, the state-of-the-art simulation rooms ensure that future trainees will be better prepared than ever before to save lives later on.

Israel relies on Magen David Adom:

A nonprofit established in 1930, Magen David Adom (MDA) is Israel's national ambulance, blood, and disaster-relief service, as well as its representative to the International Red Cross. Over the years, MDA has always been at the forefront in times of national need. In the immediate aftermath of October 7th, MDA activated all 1,400 of its existing ambulances, as well as its Medicycles, helicopters, and all other vehicles. Since that day, Magen David Adom EMTs and paramedics have treated approximately 14,600 people, often while under rocket attack and gunfire themselves.

On call 24/7 and staffed by highly trained and experienced EMTs and paramedics, MDA typically responds to over 1.3 million calls a year. With just over 3,000 full-time EMTs, paramedics, physicians, and phlebotomists on its staff, MDA relies heavily on its more than 32,000 trained volunteers, aged 14 to 93, who put in a combined 4.5 million hours every year, as well as on friends from around the world who fund ambulances, training, supplies, and infrastructure.

American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) is MDA's largest supporter, providing vehicles, equipment, medical supplies, and funding to build the new Center for Advanced Emergency Training

For more information, visit www.americanfriendsofmagendavidadom.org

Partnered with Magen David Adom