Nursing Students Participate in Disaster Triage Simulation

In this simulation, students evaluated 10 patients and determined their triage level. The students assessed certain signs like respiratory rate, heart rate and level of consciousness, while taking into account the patient’s age and any other given background information. The patients were a mix of both mannequins and real patients. This was the first year the stimulation was used as an extra credit assignment for NU475. Instructors plan on doing it again in the future.

This activity is a chance for students to learn and practice determine how severe a patient’s injuries are during a disaster such as tornado or building collapse. This is an important skill for nursing students to develop because a disaster can strike at any time and is usually an unplanned event causing detrimental amounts of casualties and injuries in the surrounding community. By developing these skills students will be more equipped if there were to be a disaster in the future.