Evaluation
Parental Evaluation
The primary aim of the parental was to better understand the experiences of the children and their parents. A nursing faculty member and the graduate student who worked with the theater group met with the three parents who came to the exercise within 2 weeks. Information was reported in the graduate student,s final report on the project. Parent described the education and preparation for the event as excellent. They believed both they and their children were well prepared about what to expect during the simulation and felt all who participated became more aware of disaster-readiness. They thought the children especially loved the experience and the opportunity to experiment with the moulage. Several parents stated they would definitely participate with their children again. One mother stated her son, a boy scout, continues to use what he leaned during the disaster drill and preparation in his scouting experiences. They young actors remained in character much longer than did the nursing student who were conducting the triage and treatment. In several instances, Throughout the drill, the parents felt that nursing students totally over-looked the “injured” parent, and only treated the child. Some parents felt their children were better prepared for the scenarios than some of the student form the College of Health Professions. A mother described her daughter as “really getting into her role, and the nursing student did not seem to know what to do.” A second parent had commented that Not all of the University participants seemed as were prepared for us as we were for them. The makeup artists were great, and everyone in the first room where we prepared seemed ready for us; but once we entered the other side of the building, the University participants seemed surprised and nervous to have children there. Our children were instructed to act injured or scared, but the University participants didn’t seem to want the children to do that; some told the children to stop acting. Although my children and I did sympathize with the University participants, many of whom really didn’t seem to know what to do, an effective drill should have included “life like” patients, which we were trying to be.