School of Nursing, UVAC to hold disaster simulation on campus May 5

An active shooter with multiple victims will be the focus of a disaster simulation May 5 at the University of Maine for students in the School of Nursing and University Volunteer Ambulance Corps (UVAC).

The event, from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. on campus, will feature a simulated active shooter and 20 actors with a range of injuries, including those that are life-threatening. The scene will take place in the Field House; a mock hospital will be set up in the School of Nursing, first floor of Dunn Hall.

The simulation will provide hands-on training for 40 UMaine senior nursing students in a 400-level community and population health class, developed by assistant professor Kelley Strout. The students will be evaluated on their disaster response, including triage of victims.

UVAC staff, led by Student Chief Aiden Koplovsky, a senior who is a zoology pre-med major, will be joined in the disaster training exercise by area fire and rescue personnel.

Numerous volunteers from the UMaine community are involved in the planning and implementation of the disaster simulation, including Susan Wheaton, director of the nursing labs, who will lead moulage; Valerie Herbert, director of the simulation lab, and registered nurses from local health care organizations.