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On April 3, students in the Elmira College Nursing program learned how to manage a potential outbreak of bacterial meningitis during a public health emergency drill. This hands-on approach to learning taught the students how to keep calm and communicate effectively amid stressful situations.
“I think it helped us gain a perspective on community nursing as well as how to handle big challenges like meningitis,” said Claire Meeder ’23, a Nursing student who participated in the drill. For Meeder, the situation was close to home. She contracted the viral form of meningitis, which is rarely life-threatening, in her first year of college.
“As someone who previously had meningitis, it brought me some relief knowing people are willing to help quickly and put a stop to it if meningitis does spread again,” she said.
“This emergency drill, like other simulated clinical experiences, provides our nursing students with a valuable, realistic experience collaborating with other health professionals to solve real-world problems and enhance skills necessary to respond to the needs of patients and the community,” said Milissa Volino, Director of Nurse Education and Associate Professor of Nurse Education. “As a result of incorporating opportunities like the emergency in our existing curriculum, our students are better prepared to transition to practice as a registered nurse.”
The on-campus drill involved a simulated patient who described symptoms consistent with bacterial meningitis. The nursing students investigated the patient, determined who the patient was in close contact with, and then set up a point of distribution (POD) to dispense preventative medications to those exposed to prevent further disease transmission.
“I chose to build this exercise to give our senior nursing students insight into the nurse’s role in a public health infectious disease response,” said Deborah Woglom, a member of the EC Nursing faculty and organizer of the emergency drill. “I chose bacterial meningitis because it is very different from COVID. I wanted the students to understand many other infectious diseases need monitoring. It was realistic because meningitis spreads among young people on college campuses and there have been recent outbreaks of meningitis across the United States. This exercise allowed students to have fun and learn at the same time.”
Woglom explained that during the drill, after learning of a suspected case of bacterial meningitis, the students conducted a case investigation and discussed the case with an epidemiologist from the New York State Department of Health, representatives of the Chemung County Health Department, and representatives from EC’s administration. Based on the information, the team decided to set up a POD at Elmira College to dispense appropriate antibiotics to anyone exposed either on campus or in the community. The students then set up the POD and dispensed antibiotics to over 75 “community members” in less than an hour.
“We are deeply appreciative to have been offered the opportunity to assist with this drill. As we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has a role to play when responding to a public health emergency,” said Kali Beilman-Martin, Public Health Program Coordinator for the Chemung County Health Department. “It is our hope that students came away from it with a better understanding of a public health response as well as an interest in helping protect their community in the future.”
Lauren Foster ’23, a Nursing major, was assigned the role of POD manager. She liked the authenticity of the simulation, especially how the volunteer actors added to the real situations health professionals are likely to encounter in an emergency.
“For me, the best part of the experience was taking a timeout in the middle to check in with the participants and see what needed to change to make things more efficient," said Foster. “I learned how to effectively communicate, take suggestions, find ways to keep an efficient flow of distribution, and, of course, it helped to further develop my teamwork abilities.”
Medeer felt similarly. “The stimulation was great for connecting us with patients, as anxiety and stress are big factors in major disasters like this,” she said.