BLINN HEALTH SCIENCE STUDENTS GAIN DISASTER SIMULATION EXPERIENCE
More than 100 Blinn College students put their healthcare expertise to the test today to aid 700 patients in the midst of a wildfire.
The disaster and resulting injuries were simulated—designed specifically to test student’s skills in a high-pressure environment—but the learning opportunity was very real.
“This event allows students to act out the role of their professions and really teaches them how to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in the event of a catastrophe,” said Sami Rahman, director of simulation at Blinn’s Health Science Center campus. “It’s an invaluable experience for their future.”
Disaster Day originated at Texas A&M with 20 students whose ailments were written on paper and stuck to their limbs. Over the past eight years, the event has developed into a true-to-life simulation in which several hundred students and community members volunteer to act as patients with conditions ranging from simple scrapes to life-threatening injuries.
Students from Blinn’s nursing, radiology and physical therapist assistant programs assumed roles as healthcare providers or patients impacted during the wildfire scenario, providing care inside the gymnasium of Central Baptist Church in College Station alongside students from Texas A&M University’s Health Science Center.
According to the scenario—kept secret until the event to provide a more realistic simulation—a wildfire and corresponding explosion devastated Bryan-College Station and left several hundred wounded. The fire engulfed two area hospitals, leaving 700 patients be cared for in the church gymnasium.
Volunteer patients, including several Blinn students, were painted with make-up to portray an array of injuries from minor burns to gaping wounds. The volunteers created an intense, lifelike scenario for the student healthcare providers, letting out shrieks, crying for help and panicking under the gravity of the crisis.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Courtney Gehrmann, a second-year nursing student from Nacogdoches. “It was stressful at first until we figured out how to work together and what our specific responsibilities would be. I learned a lot about prioritizing in an emergency situation and how to work with healthcare professionals at all levels.”
At the conclusion of the simulation, supervising faculty and healthcare providers led a debriefing session with the students, spotlighting successes and highlighting areas for improvement.
“The students continue to impress us year after year,” said Smiley Flores, dean of Health Sciences. “With this experience, students learn that collaboration and communication help them provide better patient care. If they can communicate well, the patient sees the benefits.”
Blinn’s Division of Health Sciences, based at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, offers associate degree nursing, dental hygiene, emergency medical services, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, fire science, therapeutics manufacturing, veterinary technology and vocational nursing programs designed to train students for high-demand professions.
