VCOM Institutional Policy and Procedure Manual

VCOM Policy and Procedure

Policy #U031

drills, exercises and follow through activities to review each test. Emergency response and evacuation procedures (e.g. emergency guidelines) are publicized during these tests (in conjunction with at least one test per calendar year) and documentation of the tests are maintained by the VCOM Department of Operations. Documentation for each test will include: a description of the exercise, date, time, and whether it was announced or unannounced. Tests of the components of the emergency notification systems are conducted and documented, via announced tests. Testing frequency varies depending on the mode of communication. All tests of components of the emergency notification system are clearly identified as test messages. Pertinent emergency follow-up information will be disseminated as soon as it is available. Updates and follow-up messages may be sent via the mass notification system. Members of the campus community and larger community may also monitor updates via local/national news media. Students in their OMS 3 and OMS 4 years are largely off-campus in a clinical site not owned or operated by VCOM. As such, OMS 3 and OMS 4 students should familiarize themselves with the emergency policies and procedures of each clinical site in which they participate in clinical rotations. During orientation of the OMS 3 and 4 year, students will be notified of the emergency policies and procedures of the core clinical hospital site by the Clinical Site Coordinator and/or the DSME. In the event of any emergency or disaster, students in VCOM’s core clinical sites should contact the Clinical Site Coordinator or the DSME for further instruction. In out-patient settings, students should follow their preceptor’s instructions in an emergency or disaster. When it is safe to do so, OMS 3 students should notify the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and/or the Director for OMS 3 Clinical Rotations of the emergency/disaster. Similarly, OMS 4 students should notify the Associate Dean for OMS 4 and GME and/or the Director for OMS 4 Clinical Rotations. In cases of large disasters or dangerous events, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, students should not only notify their DSME and Clinical Site Coordinator of their safety but also the Associate Dean. 5.3 Fire Safety As part of VCOM’s fire safety procedures, students, faculty, and staff are provided with building evacuation maps. These are provided to all new employees upon hire and all first-year students at orientation. All students, faculty, and staff are also provided these maps annually. The evacuation maps show features of the building, including exits and stairway locations and outline the evacuation route that should be used by building occupants according to where they are in the building. Evacuation plans exist for all VCOM buildings. Faculty, staff, and students should review and be familiar with the evacuation plans. Fire alarms can be sounded for many different reasons including an actual fire, an intentional activation, an accident during cleaning, smoke or steam of any type, or a defective detector. VCOM also conducts periodic fire drills to ensure that all building

VCOM Campus Safety and Health Policy

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