Broward College students, faculty and staff joined local anesthesia, emergency medicine and general surgery residencies for a mass-casualty simulation on the A. Hugh Adams Central Campus in Davie. They worked alongside medical, fire rescue and health professionals on the drill, dubbed “Sun Shade Down.”
The exercise was meant to replicate the scenario of a propane tank explosion that would leave more than 40 “victims” made up of high fidelity mannequins and volunteers. The victims presented a vast array of injuries and complications, from a field leg amputation to smoke inhalation. Students had the opportunity to collaborate with first-responders from Davie Police, Broward County Fire Rescue Agencies, Aventura Hospital and Kendall Regional, among others. In all more than 250 participated, nearly 100 of which were from the College.
Students were anxious to start as they gathered at the Health Sciences Simulation Center, which had been transformed into “Sunny Side Hospital.” Nursing major Peter Coyle, 26, was thrilled to be a part of it all. His professional goal is to work in the ER after graduation. “This is something that we all want to be prepared for,” said Coyle before the drill started. “I could not ask for a better opportunity in school to prepare me for this kind of environment.”
For the next hour-and-a-half, nurses and other medical personnel rushed to save the lives of as many victims as possible. Despite the commotion a situation like this could generate, students kept their calm and focused on the job at hand. Ambulances kept pulling up to the hospital, bringing victims that needed immediate attention.As a student journalist, my goal was to find out as soon as possible what was happening. For the drill, I expected it to be extreme chaos. However, I was impressed by how well-trained the students were. This experience was definitely eye-opening.
Coyle was also beyond satisfied when the drill was over. “Clearly, we are learning how to be nurses but also how to interact with others in the hospital in different situations,” he said. “I really wanted to test myself here and do the best job I could. I think we all did.”
