Kettering College Holds Disaster Simulation Event
October 31, 2024 – Kettering College’s interprofessional education (IPE) simulation center team hosted an all-day disaster simulation event for senior Nursing students to give them insight into what might occur during a mass casualty event.
For the second year, the event was held offsite at Calamityville in Fairborn, Ohio. Calamityville is a training center on 50 acres that was created solely to prepare first responders and military for disasters by replicating real-world emergencies.
Phil Smith, IPE simulation center coordinator at Kettering College said this year’s scenario mimicked a chemical factory explosion. At the beginning of the event, student “victims” received moulage to imitate realistic injuries ranging in severity. (The event, although serious in nature, fell on Halloween, so wearing gory makeup added to the spirit of the day).
Students on the designated rescue squad were tasked with finding victims and working under pressure to follow protocol. Phil says, “The students practiced emergency triage protocols (SALT) to prioritize care for a large number of patients with limited resources. They also worked through the process of managing and moving victims through a makeshift medical facility, simulating the chaotic aftermath of a disaster.”
“I now understand the roles of first responders who bring patients to the hospital for nurses like me to care for.”
-Hana’a Hindi, Senior Nursing Student at Kettering College
This immersive experience is part of Kettering College’s Nursing curriculum to allow students the chance to learn critical skills for disaster response and patient care while being surrounded by commotion and experiencing adrenaline rushes.
Nursing student Hana’a Hindi (above [in a shark costume for Halloween])participated in the disaster simulation event and said it was a valuable part of her education. She had the opportunity to first be a patient who needed help and then a nurse who had to triage patients and determine which location they should be sent to.
She says, “It was a challenging experience to figure out this new triaging experience that was different than what I was used to. However, it gave me more appreciation for all of the people who come together to help during disaster events in our community. I now understand the roles of first responders who bring patients to the hospital for nurses like me to care for. I’m so thankful for all of the Kettering College faculty and staff and Calamityville staff who made this happen.”
About Kettering College
Kettering College is a fully accredited, faith-based healthcare college in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, offering career-focused medical degrees through traditional and accelerated programs. A division of Kettering Health, Kettering College is located on the Kettering Health Main Campus and is chartered by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.