On a warm sunny day this past October, four School of PA Studies students, with the assistance of MBKU’s Safety and Security Department, held an active-shooter simulation in the center of Marshall B. Ketchum University’s main campus. The event was a part of the students’ Masters Capstone project.
The Masters Capstone class at Marshall B. Ketchum University is an integral part of the students’ health care education, giving them the opportunity to apply the research and analytical skills they developed during the program to a graduate-level project that aligns with the mission and values of the University. For their project, Brianna Lynch, Victoria Callahan, Scott Stuart and Aaron Garmendia wanted to create something that would benefit the well-being of their community beyond the conclusion of their studies. They put together a “Samaritan Aid” training program for civilians to learn how to respond to and treat injuries after emergencies such as natural disasters or active-shooter situations.
As the project grew, so did its scope. A number of individuals and organizations donated the resources necessary to put together fully stocked emergency go-bags for the trainees to bring back to their communities, and the simulation was devised as a powerful way to put the training into immediate action. During the simulation, as the four PAs called out instructions and reminders, the volunteers worked together with focus and intensity, as their training withstood the stress of a real-life situation.
Aaron and his classmates were simply gratified to see their months of hard work pay off in grateful volunteers, carefully attended-to “victims” and a positive connection between the health care education they received at Ketchum and their community. “It was nice to find a school that embodies what each of us as individuals had a desire to do: to give back.”
The full Winter 2018 issue is available online. Read Now