UKIAH, Calif. – Mendocino College hosted an Operation Rescue Trauma Simulation Clinical Day event on Monday, Oct. 29.

Four fire engines, a Reach Air Ambulance, and dozens of Mendocino College students in the nursing and emergency medical services programs participated.

Several volunteer victims of the simulated two-car crash had a range of mock injuries for the students to diagnose and treat, including two deceased victims.

The objectives of the simulation were triage assessment, professional communications, and the use of the “jaws of life” extraction tool for trapped victims.

Prior to the actual simulation, a half day of workshops were held focusing on response to trauma events that included orthopedic and burn trauma, facial trauma, C-spinal immobilization skills, and mass casualty triage.

Students earned up to ten clinical hours of credit for participating in the simulation.

The result of five months of careful interagency planning, the event was designed to address the need for health care students to engage in inter-professional training – a need identified by the Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Coordinating the event were Mendocino College’s Nursing instructor Kimberly Swift, and EMS instructor Theresa Gowan.

Support from Amy Henry with Reach Air, and Chief Kirk Thomsen of Ukiah Valley Fire Authority also made the event possible.

Additional guidance and support came from Dr. Duncan Johnston and Dr. Gerry Lazzareschi from Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, who were present to assist students in their trauma assessments in the state-of-the-art simulation lab in the nursing program area at Mendocino College.

The event was rich with information and hands-on experience, benefiting students who will go on to serve those in need in their health services careers.

More information can be obtained at www.mendocino.edu/nursing or by calling 707-468-3099.

The Mendocino College Ukiah campus is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah.