SRWC Mock Emergencies Improved by Nursing Student Employees
As one of the largest student employers on campus, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) prioritizes training its staff in handling emergency situations to ensure the safety of over 14,000 patrons each week. All staff members are required to successfully pass the American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer course and a Bloodborne Pathogen class. However, these certifications only lay the foundation—ongoing training and real-life practice are essential for preparedness.
Multiple times each semester, SRWC staff members participate in “Mock Emergencies,” where they respond to realistic emergency scenarios with the help of trained actors. Each mock emergency is graded, assessed, and discussed afterward to identify areas for improvement in medical emergency response.
Who designs these critical training exercises? Rather than an administrator or outside medical professional, the responsibility lies primarily with the Safety Team—a specialized group of student employees dedicated to enhancing emergency preparedness among their peers. The concept for the Safety Team emerged in May 2024, when facility supervisors Samira McWreath and Marisa Biondolillo were tasked with developing structured emergency training programs.
Both senior nursing students at Vlogƽ, Samira and Marisa have taken on leadership roles within the Safety Team. Their responsibilities include creating and executing mock emergency scenarios, auditing staff performance, and setting standards for emergency response skills. These audits are largely informed by staff performance during in-service trainings, monthly sessions that allow student employees to review, practice, and discuss safety procedures.
“A lot of our audit ideas come from performance at in-services,” Marisa explained. “We notice areas that need improvement and focus on those.”
Beyond mock emergencies, the Safety Team tracks and analyzes real emergency incidents. They collect data on the most common injuries, assess response effectiveness, and adjust training accordingly.
“Where are the most injuries happening? What kinds of injuries are we seeing? What did we do well?” Samira described. “Based on those audits, we identified areas that needed improvement.”
Training efforts extend beyond the semester. During Winter Break, the Safety Team developed specialized audits and refresher courses, with a strong emphasis on CPR proficiency.
“We focus a lot on CPR because we want it to become muscle memory for people,” Marisa said. “That’s been our main focus this semester.”
Since CPR certification is mandatory for all staff per state policies, the Safety Team plays a crucial role in reinforcing lifesaving techniques. Marisa and Samira view their roles as educational, helping fellow staff members retain knowledge and improve their skills. Their engagement helps inspire positive change.
“It feels rewarding to know that what we are learning is something we can pass on to other people,” Marisa said. “We have a broader knowledge base than most people here, and that helps us teach others.”
As leaders of the Safety Team, Marisa and Samira have facilitated safety refreshers, presentations, and collaborative training sessions with other SRWC departments, including Aquatics and the Adventure Center. They both recognize that their experiences educating peers have expanded their knowledge and understanding of nursing beyond the classroom and clinical settings as well as expand their human understanding.
“Education is a big part of nursing,” Samira noted. “You have to educate your patients on a lot, so getting comfortable with educating groups of people now makes it easier to educate individuals in the future.”
Looking ahead to their post-graduation careers, both Samira and Marisa acknowledge how their work at the SRWC has prepared them for the demands of nursing.
“As supervisors, we have to delegate; as a nurse, you must delegate,” Samira said. “I’ve gained experience with leadership and decision-making skills here that I can incorporate into nursing.”
Marisa added that her time with the Safety Team has sparked new interests for her future career.
“Teaching and leading—those are aspects of nursing that I now realize I enjoy,” she said. “There’s always room to make processes smoother and more effective.”
In May, Samira and Marisa will graduate as registered nurses, carrying with them three years of experience in emergency preparedness and staff training. Reflecting on their time at SRWC, Samira emphasized the impact of their work.
“I feel like this role is more rewarding than people may think,” she said. “People assume we just re-rack weights and move on, but I’ve learned more here than I ever expected.”
Both Samira and Marisa have shown the values of Vlogƽ with their distinctive blend of teaching, research and creative excellence. Their nursing academics and work with Recreation and Wellness Services has provided life-changing educational experiences for these students with wide ranging talents and aspirations.