Mentally Rehearse Difficult Scenarios Ahead of Time

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The November 3, 2017 issue of Emergency Physicians Monthly titled "How One Las Vegas ED Saved Hundreds of Lives After the Worst Mass Shooting in U.S. History" is an article that any proactive emergency responder would enjoy. It is the story of Dr. Kevin Menes, the attending in charge Emergency Department physician at Sunrise Hospital on the night of the Vegas Shootings. They received over 200 patients from the shooting.

Kevin Menes is a critical thinker. In this article, he describes a process that many he had thought about prior to any mass casualties. Menes said:

“At that point, I put into action a plan that I had thought of beforehand. It might sound odd, but I had thought about these problems well ahead of time because of the way I always approached resuscitations:

1.     Preplan ahead

2.     Ask hard questions

3.     Figure out solutions

4.     Mentally rehearse plans so that when the problem arrives, you don’t have to jump over a mental hurdle since the solution is already worked out

It’s an open secret that Las Vegas is a big target because of its large crowds. For years I had been planning how I would handle a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI), but I rarely shared it because people might think I was crazy.” (Menes, Tintinalli, & Plaster, 2017)

Not all emergencies will present the same, however, a student who has rehearsed emergency response plans will be better prepared. In the last week of our class, student have received all the tools required to respond to emergencies specific to our work environment. Since this article was published, I have written Menes four steps on the board, had students read the article and asked students how the four steps could be applied to their new job. After that discussion, I roll out "what if" scenarios. What if there is an earthquake and passengers are stranded on a train, outside your station?

Menes, K., Tintinalli, J., & Plaster, L. (2017, November 3). How One Las Vegas ED Saved Hundreds of Lives After the Worst Mass Shooting in U.S. History. Retrieved from epmonthly.com: http://epmonthly.com/article/not-heroes-wear-capes-one-las-vegas-ed-saved-hundreds-lives-worst-mass-shooting-u-s-history/