Allied Health
Sciences juniors attended to a mock gas explosion in the school’s Bakery and Pastry Arts lab, as part of the first aid and safety certificate training. The junior students put their skills to the test in this mock disaster
drill scenario, where they had to assist patients at different stations who had
suffered injuries and trauma from the explosion.
Nervous energy
was felt throughout the bakery as the students entered the scene and began to
inspect the different stations, and assess the patients with injuries that
varied from lacerations and burns to unconscious victims.
Local EMT
professionals and JVS Allied Health Sciences seniors with first aid and safety
certifications observed and graded the students.
“Bringing in the local EMTs and paramedics adds to the experience,” shared Holly Sofia, Allied Health Sciences Instructor. “These professionals help assess the students and provide important feedback. My hope is that the students feel they have been trained well enough and have the confidence to handle any medical emergency or trauma situation without freezing up.”
Ashlee Moran, junior from Brookside, shared her thoughts on the drill. “It was pretty intense but a really good learning experience. It is putting together everything that we have learned so far, and I felt prepared.”
Really nerve wracking was how Madyson Nail, junior from Amherst, described the drill. “I did like the drill even though it was pretty nerve wracking at times, and we learned so much from it too.”
Both Nail and
Moran plan to get a jumpstart in the healthcare industry through a partnership
with Lorain County Community College that allows them to become state tested
nursing assistants (STNAs) during the summer between their junior and senior
year of high school at the JVS. Both young ladies also have the long term plan
of becoming RNs.
According to Sofia, every first aid & safety course ends with a mock disaster drill to challenge the students’ skills. Students can earn 2 college credits for completing the course with a "B" or better, as well as certification through the American Health & Safety Institute (ASHI) and the American Heart Association.