One-of-a-kind lifesaving training
comes to Lancaster General College
If the new human patient simulator at Lancaster General College of Nursing & Health Sciences was any more lifelike, it would probably demand a paycheck for the valuable role it’s playing in medical training.
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Valerie Rieger-Grimm (right), Director of Learning
Resources at the College, guides students
through a procedure on the adult mannequin in
the Clinical Simulation Lab. |
In February, the College unveiled its Clinical Simulation Laboratory, which can create numerous medical scenarios for students to learn to treat patients. It is the most advanced system of its kind in the region.
“We can create a realistic portrayal of pretty much any situation medical professionals might encounter in real life,” says College President Mary Grace Simcox, EdD, RN. “It responds exactly as a human would respond.”
The laboratory features three mannequins—two adults and one infant—that can cry, sweat, blink, breathe and speak. Even the pupils can constrict and dilate. It has a pulse and responds to treatment—positively for correct treatment, and negatively if an improper treatment is given.
“Students can see what can go right and what can go wrong, and then learn from it,” Simcox says.
Before, students played the role of patients in simulation exercises. It added realism to the situations, but students were still limited in what they could do. Now, with the human patient simulator, students are able to inject intravenous medication if a treatment warrants. The simulator also mirrors a human response to CPR, intubation, ventilation and catheterization.
The mannequin is located in a reenactment room that is connected to a computerized control room. In the control room, the mannequin’s movements, symptoms, speech and sounds are controlled and real-world scenarios are created.
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Joseph Corvino, Clinical Simulation Coordinator,
works with students using the infant mannequin
in the Clinical Simulation Lab. |
The reenactment room is adjacent to a large classroom where students can watch live demonstrations through one-way glass or on video monitors. Student performances on the simulator can be video-recorded for evaluation and review.
The new simulator doesn’t replace required clinical rotations, but it allows for hands-on experience in a safe clinical environment. It also allows students to experience and treat less common ailments.
“Student response has been outstanding,” says Joseph Corvino, Clinical Simulation Coordinator. “They have been amazed at what it can do and what they can learn from it. And the best part is that we’ve only scratched the surface of its potential benefits.”
Clinical learning scenarios make up half of the educational experience in the nursing and health sciences curriculum at the College, Simcox says. “Traditionally this hands-on education takes place in hospital settings, nursing homes and community care facilities.”
Using the human patient simulator, students can practice treatments for known ailments, and if the outcome isn’t favorable, the scenario can be reset and students can discuss treatments that may produce a better result. Results of multiple treatment options can be examined and compared.
Students can also learn about medical conditions with the simulator. Students are given a case history and asked to manage the patient. They can review test results, analyze results, and make appropriate care interventions.
“This laboratory bridges the gap between the clinical environment and the real world,” she adds.
And not just for students, either, says Valarie Rieger-Grimm, Director of Learning Resources at the College. “This is a benefit to the whole Lancaster General network and to the community,” she says. The laboratory could be used to train local fire departments, ambulance personnel, police, Lancaster Career and Technology Center faculty, and Lancaster General medical staff and family residents.
“Patient care will improve because these healthcare professionals will have more practical training, thanks to the human patient simulator.”
The $1.2 million Clinical Simulation Laboratory was designed through a partnership between the College, Medical Education Technologies, Inc., Educational Management Solutions, Horst Construction and Cornerstone Design.
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Valerie Rieger-Grimm and Joseph Corvino are able
to provide students with a more realistic learning
experience at Lancaster General College of Nursing
and Health Sciences, thanks to the new state-of-the-
art Clinical Simulation Lab. |
Enrollment at the College is currently just under 500 students in nursing, allied health and general education programs. Plans are in place to double enrollment in the nursing program over the next three years, bringing the number of nursing students alone up to 500.
Simcox says the new Clinical Simulation Laboratory will create more learning opportunities for training healthcare professionals. “It will prepare them to meet our nation’s growing need for healthcare workers.”
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