The athletic training (AT) students in ATC 340 (Clinical Practicum III) are starting a unit focused on Emergency Action Plans (EAPs). EAPs are first introduced to AT students in first year classes. Now as third year students, they are provided the opportunity to review their understanding of the professional and legal need for EAPs and also advance their application. Students will finish this unit by creating their own EAP over a real-life national event.
One important factor that is important in any emergency situation is communication. Today students participated in a variety of communication rope exercises. Through this, they learned the importance of working together, providing clarity in directions, and in listening to others.
Students were challenged in a variety of ways including in two exercises, taking away the ability to communicate with vision (pointing at things, seeing, etc.)
In the debriefing that followed, students realized that there may be times in an emergency such as phone or radio calls where they will need use words alone to communicate. Students discussed their reactions to these situations and applied this to considerations for implementation and evaluation of their own EAPs.