THUNDER BAY -- Confederation College students got a taste of real-world emergency situations on Friday.
Those training to be paramedics, police officers, firefighters, nurses and radiation technologists teamed up in a practical emergency scenario for the second Inter-Professional Education Day.
The event's 2015 success inspired administrators to collaborate in the examination annually.
"This gives them a safe environment for them to practice their skills and get hands-on experience understanding what needs to be done," said Anthony Menei, lead organizer and second-year Paramedic student.
"The whole point is to try and put students in a situation where it's as life-like as possible but it's OK to make mistakes so they can learn from it."
Stress was evident among the 140 students whose cooperative and practical skills were tested in the simulations.
Scenarios included drug overdoses, allergic reactions, chest pains and the day was highlighted by responding to a staged hostage situation.
"It gives the students opportunity to break down what would normally be a silo education; that is, the students concentrating in their area of focus and now being able to expand that and being exposed to students in other professions," said Shane Strickland, associate dean for the School of Health, Negahneewin and Community Services.
