Students from Northwestern Polytechnic, as well as over 100 first-responders and volunteers took part in a mass-casualty training exercise on Tuesday.
If you were wondering what the commotion was between NWP, and the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital, on April 28, it was students sharpening their skills in a mass-casualty like scenario.
Nurse and paramedic students were spread-out between the NWP parking-lot and the education-wing in the hospital. One of two education sites was the NWP parking lot, where a fake scenario took place of a bus and gas tanker crash. Students had to help the volunteers who were “injured” during the crash, and check on their well-being before being shipped to the hospital.
At the hospital, students would take-over the care on both volunteers and practise dummies.
NWP President and CEO Dr. Vanessa Sheane says that during the event, students were not graded, and the event is used to help the students sharpen their skills.
“It’s designed to give paramedic and nursing students an immersive real-world simulation, with real-world learning experience in a controlled-environment. They get to practise their skills, critical thinking, communication skills, and actually practise what they have been learning in the classroom.”
This was the 2nd-time the school has put-on the simulation, Sheane added that the simulation helps the students get away from the text-books.
“In a simulated experience, it takes them out of the classroom, out of the lab setting, away from the textbooks and actually hands-on, getting dirty and practising their skills. Especially in health-care, and health-care education the simulated experiences are tremendously helpful. In a true real-world experience if this was a real-life emergency, hesitation, delays, mistakes, can have detrimental effects.”
Multiple local first responders helped put on the event, including; Advanced Paramedic Ltd., various Alberta Health Services departments, Grande Prairie Fire Department, Grande Prairie Police Service, and STARS Air Ambulance.
“We’re really grateful to our community and the supporters who help us put this on for our students.”
It is likely that NWP will be hosting a 3rd simulation next year.
