Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) partnered with Ivy Tech Community College and several local first responder organizations to organize a mock disaster event to educate criminology and nursing students. The mock disaster consisted of a terrorist attack on campus that involved stabbings and an active shooter.
Criminology students completed preparation tasks for setting up the crime scene and directing victims where they needed to be. The Vigo County Sheriff’s Department entered the scene to actively track down the criminals. After the criminals were found and taken into custody, nursing students were released to take charge and complete the triage training and simulation. Victims were treated accordingly based on their injuries and their severity.
Olivia Welch, a senior nursing student at SMWC shared, “The simulation is very important because, as a nurse, you never know when a disaster might occur, so it’s important to be aware of, what to prioritize and the importance of teamwork.”
Although the event was a simulation, Welch attested to the fact that nerves were high when students first entered the mock crime scene. “When you first walk in, it’s hard not to be nervous because of the uncertainty of not knowing what a disaster might happen. In the midst of it, it’s very intense, but in the end, it’s about doing the most good for the most people. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to participate.”
Marcia Miller, Ph.D., dean of the Division of Nursing and Sciences, elaborated on the importance of providing educational simulations to students. “We do our best to prepare students for practice. We were thankful to have a number of Ivy Tech students participate in today’s simulation in addition to our students from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Every year, we change up the disaster and we partner with several different safety facilities and organizations in town that assist in the event.”
Although nerves can be high, Miller shared how crucial it is to make the experience as realistic as possible for the educational benefit of students. “There are several victims that participated in today’s event. We try to simulate injuries of all types that can occur in a disaster. The students must triage them and prioritize. Our hope is that they have a better sense of what to do if they ever find themselves in a disaster situation.”
In total, there were over 20 victims in the event and nearly 40 nursing students participated in the simulation. The following local organizations assisted in organizing and facilitating the event: The Vigo County Sheriff’s Office and Vigo County Emergency Management Agency.
In conclusion, Miller shared that each event takes about a year to plan and that the College is thankful to have the support from the community to conduct such educational simulations. “It’s good for the students and it’s great for the community to have the coordination activity so it helps us prepare if we ever need to respond to a situation.”