Preparing for the Worst: Keyser Campus senior nursing students complete disaster simulation

Senior BSN students on the WVU School of Nursing Keyser Campus recently participated in a disaster simulation. 

Healthcare providers must be prepared to pivot, no matter the situation. To help best prepare nursing students for the unexpected, WVU School of Nursing Keyser Campus faculty recently led a disaster simulation. 

Dr. Kasey Beckman-Sirk led senior Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students in NSG 411 in the disaster simulation. The staged scene involved four patients who were seeing their providers at a healthcare clinic when a tornado hit. 

"Students used their triage skills in combination with the START/JumpSTART algorithm to classify patients using individual scenarios as either Minor, Delayed, Immediate, or Expected," Sirk explained. "This experience gives the students the skills necessary to not only respond in the event of a disaster but also use the skills developed in various nursing roles.

In a survey after the simulation, students indicated that they developed communication, teamwork, assessment, prioritization, and time management skills. 

“The scene and manikins as patients looked so real," said Keyser Campus Chair April Shapiro. "Dr. Sirk staged the room to look just like a tornado hit, with tables and chairs overturned, no lights because the electricity was out, sirens playing in the background and 'patients' on the floor. She simulated patient wounds and injuries using a moulage kit and other accessories. It was an amazing, life-like experience for students.”