网曝吃瓜 Students Host Community-Involved Mass Casualty Simulations on Montana and Utah Campuses
网曝吃瓜 students on both the Montana and Utah campuses hosted community-involved mass casualty simulations recently, which aim to train medical students on how to respond and treat patients during high-stress emergency situations.
Montana
网曝吃瓜 鈥� Montana (网曝吃瓜-MT) hosted its first community-involved Mass Casualty Simulation on April 4. Around 150 individuals participated, including 网曝吃瓜 students, staff, and faculty; simulated patient contractors; the Billings Fire Department; and Montana State University Billings paramedic and nursing students. Riverstone Health and School District 2 Medical Careers students and staff also participated.
Cars donated by Hanser’s Automotive were set up on campus to simulate a car wreck with pedestrian injuries and deaths. There were two iterations, or rounds, of the simulation, where volunteers wore makeup to mimic specific injuries, like broken bones, scrapes and bruises, head injuries, crush injuries, and more. During these events, students learn how to prioritize patient care and how best to utilize time and resources, said Becky Anglin, DNP, RN, CHSE, Director of Simulation at 网曝吃瓜-MT.
鈥淭hese events are large-scale and require [an] 鈥榓ll hands-on deck鈥� type of approach that can be challenging without proper training,鈥� Dr. Anglin said.
One of the goals of the simulation is to teach students how to work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals during high-stress emergencies. Billings Fire Department firefighters extracted patients from cars, who were then triaged by paramedic students. Those students then provided patient hand-off reports to nursing students and OMS-II osteopathic medicine students who provided in-hospital emergency room care using the campus simulation facility.
The simulation聽not only adheres to聽the聽网曝吃瓜 curriculum but also satisfies the Interprofessional Education requirement of the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, or COCA. It also helps other participants involved to meet training聽requirements聽in their respective roles,聽Dr.聽Anglin聽said.聽
A Valuable Learning Experience for Everyone
Grace McDonald, OMS-II, acted as the triage zone lead during the simulation, the area where patients underwent preliminary medical assessment to determine their urgency for emergency treatment. She said she is fortunate to be a part of a medical school and community that values these training opportunities for students. Simulations like this help students apply their medical knowledge in real-world situations.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e incredibly important,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know a lot of people at different schools who don鈥檛 have these opportunities.鈥�
Peter Roland, OMS-I, participated as a patient during both iterations of the simulation, having had to receive treatment for a burned hand and an impalement injury. He鈥檚 participated in providing care during other, smaller-scale mass casualty simulations through the Military Medicine Track. He鈥檚 excited to act as a physician in next year鈥檚 community-involved event, but sees value in his role as an injured patient.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to see both sides of聽it聽鈥斅燽oth聽the patient and the provider,鈥� he said.聽鈥淚鈥檝e聽really enjoyed being聽a patient聽for聽this.聽It just gives you a unique glimpse into what聽they鈥檙e聽going through聽and how they are聽probably feeling聽and acting. You聽don鈥檛聽always put yourself in the head of the patient when聽you鈥檙e聽providing care.鈥澛�
Preparing for Next Year
Preparing for the simulation was a months-long process involving 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 Office of Simulation in Medicine and Surgery (SIMS) and a group of student volunteers, Dr. Anglin said. Since October 2025, students have been working out the logistics of the simulation during lunch-and-learn sessions.
The plan is to hold a community-involved simulation every year, with greater community participation, so that future students can be part of this valuable learning experience.
鈥淭his was a huge undertaking, and everyone who came and volunteered their Saturday has been amazing,鈥� Dr. Anglin said.
Utah
网曝吃瓜 鈥� Utah (网曝吃瓜-UT) held its largest mass casualty simulation to date on March 21, with 250 participants. The event involved 网曝吃瓜 students, staff, and faculty; Dammeron Valley Fire & Rescue; the Washington County Sheriff鈥檚 Department; EMT students with Dixie Technical College; the Community Emergency Response Team; simulated patient contractors; local high school students; and more.
Patients simulated injuries consistent with a double bombing, including blast injuries, burns, amputations, and others.
网曝吃瓜-UT’s goal was to teach students how to triage, stabilize, and care for patients in high-stress environments while coordinating with other healthcare professionals.
A Tradition in Learning
The Utah campus has held community-involved simulations for several years, and this simulation has seen increased student participation, strengthened partnerships, and an expanded range of complex trauma scenarios.
Samantha Williams,聽OMS-II,聽oversaw聽the聽simulation鈥檚聽planning and execution as聽Student Doctor Coordinator.聽She鈥檚聽been involved聽in the聽event over the last three years, first聽as a聽student in 网曝吃瓜鈥檚聽Master of Science in Biomedical聽Sciences聽(MSBS) program.聽聽
Williams found that playing different roles during the simulation over the years and seeing how it鈥檚 grown has been a unique experience. This year, she noticed that everyone has a different level of experience in situations like this, and that it creates opportunities to both learn and help others in real time.
鈥淏eing able to step back and observe at times also gave a different perspective, especially when things didn鈥檛 go as planned, which often turned into some of the best learning moments,鈥� she said.
Filling in the Gaps
Williams hopes that everyone who participated walked away from the event having learned something meaningful, no matter their role. She’s especially grateful to have worked with a variety of healthcare professionals and first responders.
鈥淲orking with clinical providers from different backgrounds was also a huge part of the experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ach person brought their own approach to problem-solving, and being able to learn from that, even outside of emergency medicine, was really valuable.鈥�
Samuel Majka, OMS-I, learned a valuable lesson from the simulation, saying that the stress from mass casualty events exposes gaps in one鈥檚 medical knowledge. No one can be fully prepared for events like this, but training helps.
鈥淣o one is ever truly ready for the weight of a mass casualty event, and that reality is what drives us to keep learning and training so that when the worst happens, it can be just a little less devastating,鈥� Majka said.
Learn more about 网曝吃瓜’s simulation facilities and its commitment to promoting hands-on learning.