01/24/2026
Our Disaster by Design class recently hit the road for a mass casualty exercise in Manatee County, where students stepped into the shoes of patients as they served as actors and observers to experience a hospital emergency response in action.
The day started with moulage and makeup, where students transformed into casualties with realistic injuries—from smoke inhalation and head lacerations to gunshot wounds. Stephanie Beaudoin shared, “…even though the exercise was a simulation, I got to be immersed in a real-world hospital setting … I found it extremely helpful to be able to learn from real-life medical staff and nurses how to act in a disaster exercise and what the first steps are to do.”
Students then entered the Emergency Room with assigned roles and scenarios. Some were wheeled in on stretchers, others ran in a panic, creating realistic chaos for security, medical providers, and hospital staff to respond. Austin Craven reflected, “The highlight for me was the performances by our rabble-rousers … I look forward to discussing this exercise in class and applying what I learned in planning future exercises.”
The exercise gave students an invaluable patient perspective as well. Andres Duarte explained, “Seeing the response from a patient’s perspective helped me understand how preparation and teamwork save lives.” For many, it was a chance to connect classroom concepts like emergency preparedness, interagency coordination, and the HSEEP exercise design cycle to real-life practice.
Beyond the action, students observed the behind-the-scenes planning and coordination that make these exercises possible. Maritza Eddington noted, “This experience connected to class topics on emergency preparedness and interagency response and opened my eyes to mass casualty response.” Meanwhile, Cyndia Hao was inspired by the teamwork on display: “Watching everyone work together was like seeing a real Marvel movie. Biggest takeaway for me? Communication and teamwork save lives.”
The day concluded with a hot wash debrief, where students, volunteers, and emergency personnel reflected on what went well and what could be improved for future exercises—demonstrating the full HSEEP cycle in action while providing students with a unique opportunity to evaluate and share their thoughts about what the providers did well and where they could improve.
We’re incredibly grateful to Manatee County FDOH and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center for making this hands-on learning experience possible. Our students left with a deeper appreciation for the response to a mass casualty incident, public health coordination for designing and evaluating exercises, and the critical role of preparation when disasters strike.
