Donna Hunn, APN, a nurse practitioner on the medical response team at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital, was one of about 45 medical professionals who recently attended a Difficult Airway Management course presented jointly by Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and the Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI). Hunn found the training invaluable. A couple of days after she completed the course she was first on the scene of a patient who was not breathing and she successfully intubated the patient. With the knowledge she gained during the course, Hunn was able to quickly intervene and promptly get the patient breathing.

“The intubation course that Methodist and MERI offered gave me invaluable hands on experience that cannot be duplicated with a mannequin,” said Hunn. “Had I not attended the course, I would not have had the confidence or skill to intubate the patient I found who was not breathing.”

Methodist and MERI plan to offer more courses to teach additional medical personnel how to properly intubate. Participants practiced intubating human patient simulators and anatomic donors. The course is designed to educate first responders in the hospital such as critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, and emergency response team members.