Written by Bournemouth University Public Relations students Rosie Heath and Holly Jackson:
Bournemouth University (BU) students were on high alert after being briefed about a fictional ‘Godzilla-style’ attack on the streets of Bournemouth on the morning of Wednesday 25 March 2026.
Paramedic, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Mental Health Nursing students came to the rescue of those with a range of challenging injuries in an underground car park at The Old Fire Station, on Landsdowne Campus.
The students took part in a ‘major incident simulation’ which is designed to enhance their practical skills and support their ongoing studies. Even if the blow-up doll version of Godzilla used on the day didn’t quite match the ferocious nature of the character, the make-up and actors involved to recreate the chronic injuries made up for it.
Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) Makeup students played a key role in bringing the story to life by re-creating realistic injuries with special effect makeup, while second-year Paramedic students from BU volunteered to act as casualties.
Some of the injuries created included a range of traumatic scenarios including burns, lacerations, and simulated amputations. One first year student commented on the realism of the experience saying:
“It’s very loud, the actors definitely make you feel like it’s a real-life situation. Having qualified paramedics there really helps to build our knowledge and confidence.”
Another student said:
“We’re really excited for this simulation as it will help us understand scenarios that we might not get to experience in real-life.”
The car park was divided into three zones including a fully equipped paramedic response area, physiotherapy treatment spaces, and nursing stations addressing mental health needs of patients. In the simulated event, the Physiotherapy students treated three different case scenarios within a field hospital setting: a person with a concussion, a person with respiratory distress from inhaling toxic fumes and a person with a fractured ankle. Rachael Bewes, Physiotherapy Programme Lead said: “This was an exceptional experience for our students to practice using their skills.”
Volunteer clinicians from BU’s placement partners and external organisations including Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, and Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, were on hand to help first year Paramedic and Nursing students go through their initial assessment of the patients and help them to triage and stabilise them for further treatment.
Ben Abbott, Advanced Practitioner in Critical Care at Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance said:
"This is my second year supporting this training and it's always a great day. The first year students are very junior and new to this - we are looking for them to be able to do basic triage and patient assessment and they all did really well once they got over the nerves. The third-year students are looking to qualify in the next six to nine months so it's a different vibe with them. They are expected to know more about the medicine, the drugs, the therapy and the treatment that they can offer. They were very good - it's a stressful situation but it does push them to do the job that they are going to need to do at some point."
The simulation is designed to test students’ skills, teamwork, and ability to apply learning in a realistic, high-pressured environment as Adam Bancroft, Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science explains:
“This is a unique place of learning where we are creating challenging environments for students go through the fundamental processes of dealing with critically unwell people. We can ramp the pressure up or down depending on the learning objectives, ensuring students get the most valuable experience possible.”
The simulation highlights Bournemouth University’s commitment to providing hands-on, real-world training, preparing students for the demands of frontline healthcare careers.
For further information about the courses in Paramedic Science, Nursing or Mental Health Nursing, please visit the BU website.
