Barton Community College’s medical and emergency services students stepped out of the classroom to test their skills in life-like emergency scenarios during Field Ops Day on campus Saturday.
Students from the Criminal Justice, Medical Assistant, Nursing and EMS programs participated in a variety of intense, realistic scenarios designed to be as close to the real thing as possible. Volunteer “patients” from all over the community allowed themselves to be battered and bloodied via sometimes gory make-up to give the appearance of realistic traumatic injuries ranging from severe lacerations to broken bones and burns.
Scenarios ranged a rollover accident to heart attacks. Many of the scenarios were set up so a patient will go from the scene to a mock emergency room, which was populated by nursing and medical assistant students. Patients and suspects could also be questioned by the Criminal Justice students throughout the scenarios depending on circumstances. The experience is full circle and all-encompassing.
Instructor and Coordinator of the EMS Program Jenny Ladd coordinates the event and said everyone who participates agrees to be completely serious and in-character so that the students get as genuine of an experience as possible. For most of the students, it’s their first taste of a real emergency.
Emergency Medical Technician student Calie Rous said the scenarios made her nervous, but she was also excited about the opportunity to get hands on experience in a safe environment.
“This helps us learn not to let adrenaline take over,” she said.