St. Ambrose University Bachelor of Science in Nursing students will take part in a realistic disaster response exercise on Thursday, May 14, 2026, as a culminating capstone experience designed to prepare them for the complexity, pressure, and teamwork required in real-world emergency care.
The exercise will take place from approximately 7–10 a.m. at the St. Ambrose University Center for Health Sciences Education and MercyOne Genesis West Campus. Residents, businesses, students and visitors in the area should not be alarmed by visible emergency response activity, including fire engines, ambulances, simulated patients, emergency lights and sirens. This is a planned training exercise and not an actual emergency.
The disaster simulation will place nursing students in a severe weather emergency scenario involving a multi-vehicle crash, numerous casualties, hospital surge conditions, emergency department triage, MedSurg patient management and interagency coordination. Students will practice disaster response skills including rapid assessment, START triage, patient prioritization, communication, resource allocation, ethical decision-making and collaboration with EMS, fire, emergency management, and health-system partners.
Participating organizations include Scott County Emergency Management Agency, Scott County Medic Emergency Medical Services, Bettendorf Fire Department, Davenport Fire Department, MercyOne Genesis Health System, MercyOne Genesis EMS and St. Ambrose University.
Parking restrictions will be in place near the exercise area. The CHSE student parking lot will be barricaded from Tuesday, May 12, through Friday, May 15, and the mid-level faculty and staff parking lot will be restricted the morning of May 14. Approved alternate parking will be available in the upper lot of the CHSE building and in the larger lot near Family Resources. Vehicles parked in restricted areas may be ticketed or towed.
