It wasn’t a complete disaster, but more of a simulation of one.
Nursing students at Lenoir Community College went through Operation Sleepover on Monday, a series of live-action scenarios designed to give them a feel of what it’s like to man a shelter following a catastrophic event, like a hurricane.
“They had the practical nursing students and the freshmen playing the roles of different people,” LCC spokeswoman Richy Huneycutt said. “Some with post-traumatic stress, some that were heavily injured.”
Freshman nursing student Ivy Boyette, who played one of the people needing to be treated, said the process was more realistic and eye-opening. Senior associate degree nursing students handled the patients coming in, conducted triage and treated the patients at one of eight designated stations.
“The reason we did this exercise was to help our senior nursing students get a sense of disaster nursing, and preparedness and response,” said Barbara Callahan, nursing instructor at LCC. “LCC is a designated shelter site, so we thought that would be very apropos to let them have that experience.”
The reason for the name Operation Sleepover is students had to manage patients who, as a result of the storm, would be staying at the shelter overnight. They were prepared with food and drinks and whatever else deemed necessary. LCC teamed up with the Red Cross, who runs the shelters, for pertinent information on what should and shouldn’t be done.
“Doing a simulation like this is hands-on; they have to do problem-solving,” Callahan said. “They have to set priorities; they have to organize what’s happening. And, they have a varied flow of clients. Sometimes, today, they had a few trickling in, and other times they were overwhelmed at a certain station.
“Each were assigned stations. We had faculty at each station to be facilitators, and then we had a shelter coordinator that would also be available.”
The idea to run the simulation came about in fall 2012, and with the positive feedback from students who participated, it’s likely to be woven into the nursing curriculum in the future. It’s designed to take aspects of the job students learned earlier, while combining it with new skills they learn during the process.
“Sometimes they did it very creatively, and other times they followed standards and rules,” Callahan said. “This complemented a lot of things they’re all putting together this semester for the seniors, since they’re about to graduate.”
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.