La Trobe University is developing interactive online training games designed to prepare regional healthcare students for emergencies, including natural disasters and incidents involving large numbers of casualties. The project aims to give students practical opportunities to practise emergency responses, even when they are studying away from major university campuses.

The development was reported by ABC News in its Central Victoria regional briefing on 29 October 2026. Associate Professor Erin Smith is leading the work, which has received support through the Tim Fischer Fellowship.

The training is intended to address an important challenge in regional healthcare education: students need to develop the skills and confidence required to respond to serious emergencies, but access to specialised simulation facilities and realistic training exercises can vary depending on where they study.

Natural disasters can place considerable pressure on healthcare services, particularly in rural and regional communities. Bushfires, floods, severe storms and other emergencies may result in multiple injuries, damage to medical facilities and disruptions to transport. In these circumstances, local healthcare workers can become essential to the initial emergency response.

Mass-casualty incidents present additional challenges. Healthcare teams may need to assess large numbers of injured people, identify patients requiring urgent treatment, coordinate available resources and communicate effectively with other emergency services.

The proposed online games will allow students to practise responding to simulated emergencies through interactive scenarios. Instead of relying entirely on classroom explanations, students can work through situations that require them to assess information, make decisions and consider the consequences of their actions.

The digital approach could also make emergency training more accessible to students who are studying in regional locations. Online learning can allow participants to engage with scenarios from their own study environments, reducing the need to travel every time a training exercise is conducted.

The project is being designed around emergencies relevant to rural communities. This is significant because regional healthcare workers may face different operational conditions from their counterparts in larger cities. Longer travel distances, limited local resources and the need to coordinate with services across wide geographical areas can complicate emergency responses.

Associate Professor Smith said regional students would be among the first responders when many emergencies occur in rural areas. Preparing them before they enter the workforce is therefore an important part of building regional emergency-response capacity.

Interactive training can complement existing teaching by giving students opportunities to practise decision-making in a controlled environment. It may also help educators identify areas where students need additional instruction before they encounter similar situations during clinical placements or professional practice.

However, online simulations are not a replacement for practical clinical training, supervised experience or established emergency-response procedures. Their value will depend on how accurately the scenarios reflect real challenges and how effectively they are incorporated into healthcare education.

The project also highlights the potential for digital tools to support training beyond major metropolitan centres. As regional communities face risks from extreme weather and other emergencies, accessible education resources may help prepare future healthcare professionals for demanding situations.

La Trobe University's initiative is still being developed, and the university has not announced a confirmed public launch date in the regional report. Its progress will be important for determining how the online scenarios are introduced into student training and how their effectiveness is assessed.