RVU Colorado Hosts Mass Casualty Simulation
Parker, CO – April 12, 2025 – Rocky Vista University (RVU) hosted a dynamic and immersive Mass Casualty Simulation on its Colorado campus, offering students an invaluable hands-on training experience designed to prepare them for high-pressure emergency situations.
Approximately 200 individuals participated in this large-scale event, including RVU students, faculty, first responders, local physicians, and community volunteers. The simulation recreated a bombing triage scenario, transforming the campus into a realistic emergency site where students had to apply clinical skills, think critically, and collaborate under pressure.
To heighten the authenticity of the experience, five ambulances and a fire truck were on-site. At the same time, volunteers, many in special effects makeup, portrayed victims with a range of traumatic injuries. The result was a high-fidelity exercise that challenged students to triage, stabilize, and coordinate patient care in a chaotic and fast-moving environment.
This year’s simulation was a collaborative effort organized by RVU’s Office of Simulation in Medicine and Surgery (SIMS), the Emergency Medicine Residency Interest Club (EMRIC), the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons Medical Student Section, and the Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (SAMOPS).
Student Doctor Marguerite Whiteside, a second-year student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, offered, “As future medical professionals, many of us will be called upon to provide critical care during and after traumatic events. For most participants, this explosion simulation was our first taste of what that truly entails. This experience pulled us beyond the classroom, challenging us to apply our classroom didactic knowledge to an evolving, real-time scenario. It was a powerful reminder of why we chose to pursue medicine: to be ready to step up when it’s needed most.”
To learn more about RVU’s innovative medical training programs visit, www.rvu.edu /academics/simulation/.
About Rocky Vista University:
Rocky Vista University is a health sciences university with campuses in Colorado, Utah, and Montana that provides quality healthcare education while inspiring students to serve with compassion, integrity and excellence. RVU works to advance healthcare through its programs in medicine and health sciences. For more information, visit https://www.rvu.edu.
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