Georgia Southern University health care students experienced emergency medicine from a new perspective, stepping into the roles of patients, triage nurses and worried family members, during a simulated mass casualty emergency.

On Oct. 22, nearly 70 students in Georgia Southern’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy programs took part in a mock commercial aircraft disaster, helping airport staff and hospitals test their emergency response procedures. This was the first year GSU students participated.

The exercise began at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, where students were triaged and transported to either Effingham Hospital, Memorial Health or St. Joseph’s Hospital. The exercise put several systems to the test, including decontamination protocols, bed capacity, supply needs, admission procedures and staffing.

“Our students rarely get to see a hospital respond to a mass casualty event from the inside,” said Elizabeth Snyder, DNP, associate professor and interim chair of Georgia Southern’s School of Nursing, in the Waters College of Health Professions.

“This partnership gave them real insight into how a large system coordinates under pressure.”

For students, the experience offered a perspective on emergency response they can’t find inside a classroom. Instead being caregivers, they experienced the vulnerability of being patients during a crisis.

“Being on the other side of the stretcher showed me how overwhelming a disaster feels to a patient. I’ll carry that into every shift as a nurse,” said Alaina Twibell, a senior nursing student, who played a 24-week-pregnant patient with lower abdominal bruising and a laceration.