LPN Students Participate in Infectious Disease Drill

To adapt to a changing world, the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) students, in the Eastern Suffolk School of Practical Nursing Program, participated in an infectious disease drill. They worked in teams to collect data from other students who acted as patients during a crisis simulation. They assessed symptoms and compiled data, and then debriefed to determine interventions and treatments.

For the exercise, students were told that a number of patients entered their emergency room during the past 24 hours displaying multiple symptoms. None of the patients were acquainted, they did not come in contact with each other, or have similar backgrounds. No other details were provided to students in order to replicate realistic emergency conditions.

Said ESBOCES Teacher Coordinator Christine McNally, “The students did not have advanced knowledge of the types of symptoms the patients would present. All patients were isolated and pretended to have various issues, such as coughing or fever, and a few common ones, which were blisters or a rash.” It was up to the students to ask the correct questions, accurately record information, and not make assumptions.

Additionally, learning to remain calm during a crisis and acknowledge that each person is there to support their team is vital. All collected data was shared and reviewed with the goal of containing the outbreak and successfully treating patients. All students were required to dress in full personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent further contamination.

This is the first time the LPN students have participated in this type of training, which will better prepare them for employment in real-world medical environments.

The Eastern Suffolk School of Practical Nursing is the Practical Nursing Program of Eastern Suffolk BOCES.