On Sunday, Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Tarleton State University Department of Nursing and the Stephenville emergency responders will host their first disaster preparedness simulation. The simulation will be followed by assessments of the activities.

“We are simulating the 15 to 30 minutes after a tornado touch down in the community and TSU campus,” said Cheryl Hunter, Coordinator for the Simulation Lab at Tarleton. “The premise being, the number of casualties quickly overwhelms the local hospital and TSU and the Department of Nursing respond to help. The nursing building will function as a patient overflow site for the hospital and the nursing faculty, students and community emergency responders will provide appropriate care until patients can be ‘transported’ to other medical facilities.”

Other departments assisting in the simulation include engineering, social work and psychology. ROTC will also be involved.

“This will be a good experience for us to put our skills we learn to the test, especially in situations like this where we are faced with the unknown and have to act quickly,” said junior nursing student Brooke Hennan. “Hopefully after the simulation, I will have a better understanding of how to respond and provide patient care in these types of chaotic situations. This is meant to prepare us so that if there was a real disaster, as a nursing student, I would be able to help out.”

The simulation will use several of Tarleton’s locations. The nursing building, intramural and practice football fields, Wisdom Gym and meeting space in the Barry B. Thompson Student Center will be in use during this time. Students on campus during the simulation are asked to please keep from entering the places being used for the simulation.

Cross Timbers Emergency Response team, Stephenville and Erath County first responders, university law enforcement, CareFlite and Red Cross representatives will also be assisting the Tarleton Nursing students with the simulation. It will be set up to resemble a real post-tornado disaster.

“This exercise will provide the nursing students with an opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary teams with other healthcare providers in our community,” said Hunter. “We want the nursing students to begin to create professional relationships with those they will work with in the future.  We also want to provide the students with the opportunity to learn about their role as a nurse in the event of a mass casualty disaster.”

The simulation will begin with first responders putting their EMS vehicles in the parking lot along Tarleton Street, approximately behind Mi Familia. Once the drill begins, Code Purple will alert students, faculty and staff. HAMM Radio Operator’s Club will also assist in getting the message out.

Once the exercise is complete, all those involved will meet in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center auditorium for a debriefing session. The results will be used as research for the Tarleton Department of Nursing to be a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in the event of an overflow of injured or casualties in a city wide disaster.