Maile Allzer with Simulation in Motion Montana gave a group of Montana State University Billings nursing students a bear attack case briefing Thursday morning inside a 40-foot blue bus on campus.
Nonprofit Simulation in Motion Montana conducts exercises like this one across the state to prepare emergency workers for the type of scenarios they might encounter.
Thursday’s lesson simulated the traumatic injuries of a bear attack.
“When these specifically rural track students are working with a facility with one or two other people, and it’s hunting season, and someone comes in with a bear attack, which we have a number of every year, then they have seen this simulation once,” said Allzer.
Over 16 minutes, the mannequin simulates the breathing, blinking and heart rate of Tom, the bear attack victim. Tom survives.
“It was a little scary,” according to nursing student Anna Waldorf from Billings, but helpful.
“A lot of our sims in school are based in a hospital setting, to get the more rural in the field training without it being an actual bear attack I think is really essential.”