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Nursing students from DeSales University’s “Community and Public Health” course and Cedar Crest College’s “Health Promotion of the Community” and “Health Promotion III” courses will unite to participate in an emergency response training exercise on Friday, October 8, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately noon in the McShea Student Union and adjoining parking lot. Joining the nursing students will be members of the DeSales Emergency Medical Services (DSU EMS), DeSales University Police, Cedar Crest EMS (CCC EMS) and members of the local community emergency medical services. More than 80 people will participate in the event.
The training exercise will provide participants with the full drama of an emergency situation following a tornado. Approximately 30 nursing students will play the role of victims.
First responders with transport units on the scene will include the DeSales Emergency Medical Squad, University Police and CCC EMS. In addition, the Upper Saucon Ambulance Corps, North Eastern Pa. EMS Council, Lehigh County Emergency Management Agency and Dewey EMS (Hellertown) have been invited to the event. TV/Film students from DeSales will also help to capture the scene for promotional and teaching videos.
Approximately 60 DeSales and Cedar Crest nursing students will take part in the tornado simulation. The event will last about two hours. Preparations will take place from 7-8:45 a.m. and the drill will begin at 9 a.m. Most of the action will take place in the McShea Student Union and adjoining parking lot. The last hour of the simulation will be devoted to a debriefing session.
Participants will conduct themselves in the same way that emergency systems do in an actual situation. This includes prioritizing care and transporting victims. University Police, DSU EMS and CCC EMS will help to manage the scene, just as police officers would in a community at large.
The simulation experience will help nursing students learn “what is a disaster, what is their role in a disaster, and how to collaborate with EMS. It’s an active learning experience for them to understand concepts of disaster awareness,” said Mary Brinker, simulation lab coordinator at DeSales.
Brinker also stressed the multiple ways in which students will learn collaboration from the drill. “It’s a collaborative effect for our EMS to collaborate with the community and nursing students. It’s this huge collaborative effect among EMS, nursing students and community ambulance corps,” said Brinker.
Although the tornado simulation drill has been held in the past, it has doubled in size and is now a large mass casualty incident. This is because DeSales has joined with Cedar Crest College for this year’s event. View a video of last year's tornado simulation on the DeSales YouTube channel.
“It’s a good partnership between the two schools,” said Brinker. “The mindset behind it is so the students can learn from each other and develop rapport with each other because they’ll have to communicate with each other when they’re out there working. Not to mention, it gives them all a chance to drill. It keeps everyone up on their skills. Everyone can draw from that experience,” Brinker said.
Among those helping to coordinate the disaster event are: Dr. Mary Ellen Miller, assistant professor of nursing and course coordinator at DeSales; Mary Brinker, simulation lab coordinator; Dr. Sandra Leh, director of the nursing program and assistant professor of nursing at Cedar Crest College; and Heather Clark, adjunct instructor of nursing at Cedar Crest College. Also, Kevin Wasson, captain of DeSales EMS; Chris Petersen, director of DeSales EMS; and members of the Cedar Crest College EMS. In addition, Dr. William Zajdel, medical director of DeSales EMS; and John Kloss, director of the Eastern PA EMS Council.
Members of DeSales EMS also helping with the event are EMTs Ray Nebiker; Chris Barron; Dana Moore; Mark Ubbens; Juliette Bonn; Joanna Miller; Kenny Faust; Mary Kate Boylan; Ryan Hay; Kelly Morgan; Kyle Kromer; Gustavo Rodriguez; Andrew Cholewa and Victoria Storey Also first responder, Kristina Klein and students Justin Rohrback; Tonya Schneider; Ryan Arey and Joe Dabbs.
For more information about the nursing simulation experience at DeSales, please contact Mary Brinker, simulation lab coordinator, at 61-282-1100 extension 1705, or at mary.brinker@desales.edu.
Press Release: DeSales University and Cedar Crest College Partner for Disaster Simulation, Fri., Oct. 8 | Posted on: 10/6/2010
For more info:
Tom McNamara, Executive Director of Communications
DeSales University | 2255 Station Avenue | Center Valley, PA 18034
610.282.1100 x1219 | Tom.McNamara@desales.edu |
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