Earticle

Purpose: This comparative experimental study aimed to analyze the impact of clinical practice experience on paramedic students’ knowledge of bag-valve mask (BVM) devices and their ventilation performance. Methods: A total of 52 third- and fourth-year students enrolled in the emergency medical service department of a university in Chungcheongnam-do participated in the study. Theoretical knowledge was evaluated using a structured pretest. Operational competence was assessed with an advanced airway simulator (BT-CSIE, Korea) to measure average tidal volume, inspiratory time, and interbreath interval. Results: Students who completed the clinical practice course demonstrated significantly better inspiratory time (p = .005) and interbreath interval (p < .001) during endotracheal tube ventilation. Furthermore, those with actual experience ventilating real patients achieved more accurate tidal volume delivery when using a face mask (p = .002). However, the correlation between BVM knowledge and procedural skills was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Clinical training and direct patient exposure appear to enhance BVM proficiency among paramedic students. These findings suggest that integrated education—including not only repeated procedural training but also real-world performance opportunities in clinical settings—is effective.