FORT SMITH — Students from the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Smith took part in live disaster drills on Thursday.
The drills used real people, simulation mannequins, a surgery cut suit that allows students to cut into them like they would skin, and members of the Fort Smith EMS.
The simulation was a regional event, said Harvey Potts, M.D., executive director of simulation and clinical skills for the college. The simulation offered real-world scenarios that would require the responders to assess the situation and base their care off different levels. Potts said it was part of the training process that students make real-time decisions and employ critical thinking.
"We use a standardized patient center, which are simulated patients, community members that come from Fort Smith the community itself that we have trained to role play cases for our students," Potts said.
The college, located in Chaffee Crossing, continues to grow after breaking ground earlier this year on the College of Health Sciences. This new college will house the doctor of physical therapy, doctor of occupational therapy and the physician's assistant programs.