Major Incident at City South Campus, students on hand at the scene

The first semester of university following the summer is somewhat of a shock to most students. It was undoubtedly for our third-year radiography students, who just participated in a large-scale campus crisis scenario. You have to be prepared for anything when working in radiography, even if it means abandoning everything in the middle of a session to attend to patients who are yelling in the hallway.

When students arrived on the scene, they discovered three patients who were completely dressed in character, complete with bandages, artificial blood-stained clothing, and prothetic radius bones hanging off. Holly Pickford, the lecturer in diagnostic radiography, and Jodie Bryant, the head of simulation, made sure the event was as realistic as possible. As would be the case during a huge crisis, everything was hyper-real. Despite the first shock, third-year student Arbaz acted quickly and used the new abilities they had learnt. “It was difficult; we were inside when we heard someone yelling for assistance. We believed there was simply one patient, but there were actually three emergency crises going on, and you weren’t sure who to call.

Additionally, the experience helped the students develop their critical interpersonal skills with patients and their capacity to prioritize patients based on their requirements. By confidently communicating their results and perspectives to academics in the midst of the high-pressure circumstance, they had experienced an increase in their professional confidence. While roleplaying may seem like a lot of fun, hosting a Major Incident Simulation event is a useful teaching tool. “What we are actually trying to do with this event is give students a safe space to develop their skills,” explained Holly Pickford, who sat down with us to discuss. It enables kids to make errors and grow from them in a safe setting, allowing them to reflect on the experience in real life if necessary.

Many of the skills that students gain are acquired throughout their placements. “We’re confident in our students’ abilities to undertake imaging examinations, but we are throwing complex situations at them to see if they can deal with distressed patients and how well they can interact with other areas of the team while under pressure.” However, nothing can prepare you for a major incident; preparation is essential.Attend our next open day to experience the action for yourself. You will have the opportunity to test out some of our recently acquired facilities and equipment.

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