The Effectiveness of Educational Training and Simulation on Readiness to Respond to a Traumatic Event

Due to the growing number of mass shootings in the United States, students should be prepared for a catastrophic event such as a mutiple victim mass shooting. Students need to be aware of the increased incidence of these tragic events and be ready to respond to the aftermath if an event should occur. They require the necessary skills to respond accurately and rapidly to an emergency situation when faced with a traumatic event. Exposure of individuals to education on proper responses and providing hands on experience with a shooter scenario could decrease the morbidity and mortality of the victims awaiting emergency response. Emergency situations, such as a mass shooting, can be mimicked using simulation. This presentation will discuss the use of a collaborative educational video and a multiple standardized patient shooter simulation scenario (including victims and family members) using theater students to enhance emergency preparedness for undergraduate nursing and family relations students. This presentation will discuss the development of the educational video and standardized patient simulation to improve the student’s learning experience. This presentation will display data from a mixed-method study on student perceptions of the educational video and standardized shooter simulation and whether this training enhanced their readiness to respond to a multiple patient traumatic event. The participants completed survey tools evaluating their perceived readiness to respond to a crisis event at three separate intervals. The participants completed a survey tool including demographics and a quantitative readiness rating score at the beginning of data collection. The participants viewed the educational video and then completed a survey with a quantitative readiness rating and also completed qualitative questions regarding the impact of the educational video on his/her readiness to respond to a crisis. The participants were then facilitated through the standardized patient simulation experience. The simulation experience included multiple trauma and medical patients and their families in the aftermath of a community shooting. Participants were expected to maintain safety, and provide care and support to the victims and families in the aftermath. Each participant then completed a final survey after experiencing the standardized patient shooter simulation which included the quantitative readiness rating and qualitative questions regarding readiness after the educational video and simulation experience. This presentation will also provide an overview of the benefits of a training module using an educational video and a standardized patient simulation scenario to educate emergency readiness to undergraduate nursing students.