‘You never know when a disaster may occur’: TTUHSC El Paso students train for mass casualty response

EL PASO, Texas — It’s difficult to prepare for an emergency scenario, but doctors, nurses and EMTs must be ready on the frontlines in minutes when they occur. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso officials are trying to get healthcare students ready to take on those critical roles.

ABC-7 was given an exclusive look at mass casualty simulation on campus.

Medical, nursing and EMT students were warned by text of a (fake) explosion at a nearby school. Officials referred to the emergency as a mass casualty event, in which the number of patients and deaths was overwhelming.

“It was a huge blast,” said one patient-actor during the drill. “I rushed there as quick as I could. And I ran in and it was just chaos. There were bodies everywhere.”

University officials say these realistic trainings can sometimes cause traumatic feelings for students, but can be essential in improving response during emergencies.

“You never know when a disaster may occur,” said Dr. Scott Crawford, director of simulation at TTUHSC El Paso. “Being able to train in a controlled and simulated environment is the important part of this type of preparation.”

Students had to establish a triage location where patients would be assessed and categorized into groups based on severity of injuries. That site included a mock contamination shower, which would allow students to remove toxic chemicals from victims' skin and clothing.

Once students transport patients inside medical facilities, university officials observed and directed treatment from control rooms.

"These mass casualty incidents create a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress and a lot of chaos," said resident physician Greg Whitcher, who completed a similar drill last year. "Physicians should be the ones who are leading the response."

The simulation teaches skills that students hope they never need. They are lessons that many learned firsthand during the Walmart mass shooting.

"Those in the community have seen and experienced what could happen," Crawford said.

He said mass casualty training can lead to traumatic feelings for some students, which is why the school decided to simulate a scenario that was different than what happened with the Aug. 3, 2019 Cielo Vista Walmart shooting.