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OTC Stages Simulated Disaster Drill for Unique Hands-On Training

In partnership with East Georgia Medical Center, Evans Memorial, Bulloch County EMS, and Air Evac 95, Ogeechee Technical College (OTC) recently conducted a simulated disaster drill, offering students a valuable hands-on learning experience in managing medical emergencies during a crisis.

The drill began at 12:00 PM outside the front entrance of the Joseph E. Kennedy Building and featured a realistic bus crash scenario. Twenty-six simulated patients with a range of injuries—from minor cuts to life-threatening trauma—were assessed, triaged, and treated by students from OTC’s Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Echocardiography, Sonography, and Paramedicine programs. OTC’s Criminal Justice program also played a role in surveying the scene.

“We began planning this event back in September,” said Stephanie Lindamood, Associate of Science in Nursing Instructor. “I’m so grateful to all the OTC faculty, staff, and administration who helped bring everything together, as well as to our community partners for sharing their expertise. This was an unforgettable experience for our students and a fantastic opportunity to see how these programs collaborate in real-world patient care.”

To enhance the realism of the event, Esthetician students from OTC spent hours prior to the drill applying special effects makeup to the volunteer “victims,” most of whom were first-year healthcare students.

The two-hour simulation concluded when the final patient was “discharged” from the mock emergency room. Each participating program will conduct a debriefing session to reflect on the experience and discuss how it connects to their ongoing classroom instruction.

Noah Montgomery, a student in the ASN program at OTC was stationed as triage nurse during the exercise and commented on how realistic and engaging the drill was.
“I want to give a special shoutout to our Esthetician students who made the victims injuries incredibly realistic, said Montgomery. “Serving as a triage nurse for this exercise helped me realize how important my role is in a setting like this. People are putting their lives in my hands and I have to make sure that I get them the help they need as quickly as possible. I was able to handle my responsibilities well because of the excellent training I have received here at OTC.”

Additionally, students from OTC’s Georgia Film Academy Film program were on site to film the event, gaining practical experience while also helping healthcare faculty document the drill for future review and training.

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