Emergency Department (ED) nurses wore many hats during the citywide emergency preparedness drill on Friday, November 8. Nursing activities were centered around the ambulance bay and Emergency Department. ED nurses triaged victims who simulated various injuries, and assisted Radiation Safety, assessing radiation exposure levels with Geiger counters and decontaminating radiated victims in the Decontamination Trailer. ED nurses likewise cared for patients in the trauma room. The drill, which included a simulated Code Amber, was held in conjunction with other area hospitals, as well as local, state, and federal disaster preparedness officials.
“This exercise was extremely helpful for the nursing staff who participated,” said Jean Hickey, RN, MS, Emergency Department Nurse in Charge. “Not only did the drill provide great practice for a large-scale disaster, it also allowed us to determine which processes worked well and which processes need to be refined moving forward.”
“All participants did an excellent job with the disaster drill,” added Judy Perron, RN, nurse manager, Emergency Department. “Comments from the FEMA observer were very positive as to how we conducted the drill, working with multidisciplinary departments.”