Wendy Harrison

NEWPORT NEWS

Paul D. Camp Community College nursing students assisted for the third year with a national event that was recently held at Newport News Park.

MedWAR, which stands for Medical Wilderness Adventure Race, provides an opportunity for students to be involved in both learning and teaching other racers, according to Associate’s Degree in Nursing Program Lead Trudy Kuehn. “It also gives them the chance to spend a day with nature and learn about wilderness medicine.”

Eighteen PDCCC nursing students were sent out in the park with various scenarios assigned to them. They act out the scenarios, and if needed, teach others about the correct results. Scenarios range from near drowning and hypothermia to snake bites and ankle sprains.

“The challenge is to be adaptable and flexible while running the race,” said Kuehn.

According to the nursing lead, this unique event combines wilderness medical challenges with the growing sport of adventure racing.

“The race was also developed as a tool for teaching and testing the knowledge, skills and techniques of wilderness medicine, and for promoting teamwork and collegiality among competitors,” she explained. MedWAR is sanctioned by North American Educational Adventure Racing.

“We are happy to have been able to provide assistance for this event each year and excited to see what next year brings,” said Kuehn.

For more information about nursing and allied health programs, contact Carol Griffin, cgriffin@pdc.edu or visit www.pdc.edu.

WENDY HARRISON is the public relations specialist for Paul D. Camp Community College. She can be reached at wharrison@pdc.edu.