Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Students In Mock Disaster

Five nursing students at Southern Arkansas University (SAU) in Magnolia got a look at what life on the other side of the stethoscope was like. These five students recently participated in a mock disaster drill at Lion Oil Refinery in El Dorado.

The mock disaster drill involved the El Dorado Police and Fire Department officers, ambulances and the American Red Cross. The SAU students portrayed injured drivers and passengers, positioning themselves along the crash site.

"They have to have that drill," said Billie Cameron, associate professor of nursing at SAU. "It's necessary to check their preparedness in case of an actual emergency."

The SAU students who participated were all Level 3 nursing students at the college. Cameron hopes the experience will benefit all five students who took part in the drill.

"They had to put themselves in a different perspective. Now they'll be able to put themselves in the patient's point of view."

Rose Crump, a student from Haynesville, La., felt the drill would help her in her career as a nurse. "It was very realistic, and it was very educational," said Crump. "It gave me a new perspective on emergency medicine. We got to see if from the patient's side. It gives you new insight into how to treat patients, especially if they don't know what's going on."

The other four SAU students who took part in the mock drill are Karen Hunter of Sarepta, La.; Steven May of Rosston; Brookie Lewis of Haynesville; and Cassandra Wines of El Dorado.

Cameron, who was pleased with the experience the students gained through participating in the drill, was also pleased with the conduct of the SAU students.

"Everyone said their manner was very professional."