Northern Borders Academy / PTECH Workplace Learning Field Trip

Thursday, November 8th was an exciting day for Northern Borders Academy PTECH students. At 10am they met the flight crew of the LifeNet Fixed Wing Aircraft at the Malone Airport. The crew flew in from the Potsdam base to introduce our students to what LifeNet does in St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Lewis, Jefferson and surrounding counties in Northern NY.

LifeNet is a community-based program that provides air medical transport services throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Their critical care medical staff is highly skilled and trained in areas such as burns, cardiac, pediatrics, respiratory, and trauma, and can assist with specialty-team transports. Their fleet of helicopters and fixed wing aircrafts are equipped with specialty medical interiors that support intensive/critical care medical transports.

Students had the opportunity to meet with the pilot, paramedic, and nurse that make up one of the flight crews, and have conversations about their job, how they came to be in their job, different types of scenarios they've been a part of, the required training to be part of the flight crew, and the differences between practicing in a hospital setting versus in an aircraft. Not only did they learn about the interesting aspects of practicing critical care in an aircraft, but they also learned about the important duties of the pilot and the functions and costs of the equipment on the aircraft.

A special thank you to Andrew Teig, LifeNet Flight Paramedic; Charity Glenn, LifeNet Flight Nurse; Peter May, LifeNet Pilot; and the staff at the Village Offices for allowing the group to use the court room to stay warm during the field trip.