Future doctors and nurses gained first-hand experience in responding to multiple trauma patients in a large-scale simulated multi-vehicle crash at South East Regional Hospital in Bega yesterday.
The simulation gave students a realistic insight into the challenges of rescue, response and treatment in an emergency situation involving multiple agencies.
As a key part of their post graduate medical degree studies, medical students from the Australian National University (ANU) are central to the exercise and observed a clinical simulation demonstrating a response to trauma care and emergency medicine with multiple simulated casualties.
ANU Rural Clinical School medical students alongside nursing students from the University of Canberra and University of Wollongong watched on as local emergency services - including NSW Police, NSW State Emergency Service, NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, VRA Rescue NSW and NSW Ambulance work to rescue, triage, treat and transport 'patients' in a realistic, hands-on training environment.
The annual event, hosted by Southern NSW Local Health District with clinical training led by ANU Rural Clinical School lecturer and South East Regional Hospital anaesthetist, Dr Nathan Oates, provides students and staff with a rare opportunity to experience the challenges of emergency response outside the hospital setting before patients are transported into hospital.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Ryan Park:
"The training day demonstrates the strength of collaboration between health and emergency services in regional NSW.
"This is about preparing the next generation of doctors, nurses and paramedics by putting them in an environment that is as close to real-life as possible.
"This exercise also showcases the extraordinary teamwork between our hospital staff, emergency responders, and educators, who all share a commitment to keeping our communities safe.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley:
"When students witness what unfolds at the roadside or in the chaos of a call-out, they get insight into what our police endure long after the scene is cleared and having students see this work helps build trust, collaboration and deeper respect between future professionals.
"The work of police is so often unseen and by opening this world up to students, we honour it and give it the recognition it deserves.
"Students don't just learn from textbooks. They learn from people and there is no better teacher of resilience, humanity and service than our police."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib:
"Our emergency services train for the unexpected every day, and exercises like this make that teamwork real. Bringing students into the mix shows how communication, quick thinking and coordination on the ground can make all the difference in a major incident.
"This is a great opportunity to have students learn alongside real first responders and experience first-hand what coordinated emergency response looks like in the field."
Quotes attributable to Member for Bega and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health, Dr Michael Holland:
"This exercise gives students the chance to learn in the same environments where they will one day live and work.
"It's an outstanding example of rural training in action and an investment in our future health workforce."
Quotes attributable to Southern NSW Local Health District Chief Executive, Margaret Bennett:
"We're incredibly proud to be supporting ANU to deliver this training opportunity.
"Hands-on learning in such a dynamic, multi-agency setting provides invaluable lessons that textbooks alone cannot deliver.
"We are committed to supporting initiatives like this that build confidence, strengthen clinical skills and encourage the next generation of healthcare professionals to pursue rewarding careers in our region."
