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Texas A&M simulates disaster to train students in emergency response

On Friday, the Texas A&M University Health Science Center conducted Disaster Day, the largest student-led emergency response simulation in the nation.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas —

On Friday, the Texas A&M University Health Science Center conducted its eleventh iteration of Disaster Day, the largest student-led emergency response simulation in the nation. 

Nearly 600 students from the Health Science Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences along with members from the Texas A&M Corp of Cadets and the Texas National Guard worked together during the disaster scenario.

The event, begun by the Texas A&M College of Nursing over a decade ago, offers future health care and public health professionals an opportunity to practice triage at a disaster scene, patient care in a mock field hospital and disaster management.

“They will be doing many real-life scenarios that would occur during a disaster when we may a ll be called upon to perform skills that are somewhat outside of our comfort zone,” said Doctor Carrie Byington, vice chancellor for health services at Texas A&M University. “It allows for a realistic experience that our students will never forget.”

Credit: KAGS

The event was held at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s (TEEX) Disaster City, a 52-acre mock city that serves as a training facility for emergency responders.

Each year, participants must work through a different disaster scenario, which isn’t revealed until the morning of Disaster Day to simulate an unexpected situation. This morning, students were confronted with a chemical explosion and building collapse, which left over a hundred “injured.”

Volunteers portrayed victims of the disaster and donned makeup portraying realistic wounds. Students encountered many different medical crises ranging from victims with minor cuts to a woman giving birth to a man crushed by a bookshelf. 

“Disaster Day is a unique opportunity for students to gain firsthand experience in emergency response, conducting duties that are usually entrusted to health care and emergency officials,” said Christine Kaunas, MPH, executive director of interprofessional education and research. “With interprofessional collaboration, hundreds of students understand how they can conduct disaster response when lives are at stake while building critical thinking and teamwork abilities.”

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