Not your average dummies
The beeping of a heart rate monitor gradually begins to decrease, until it goes completely silent.
The patient’s life hangs in the balance, and although the nurse does everything she can, she is unable to save her patient. With tears in her eyes, the nurse calls the time of death.
Although this may sound like the tragic loss of a life, it isn’t. The nurse is a student at Jefferson State Community College participating in a simulation, and her patient is a high-technology manikin that reacts the same way a living patient would.
“They really get attached to the simulator, they really mourn if something happens,” said Anita Naramore, a professor at Jeff State who works in the simulation lab. “I have also had students tell me that it makes them realize how important different aspects are of catching things early like lab values and those kind of things.”
Naramore said the simulations are very helpful for bringing a realistic quality to the scenarios, and they allow students to practice real-life situations in the safety of a lab. When students make mistakes, the lab helps them remember to never make it again.
In a field like nursing, making mistakes can cost real human lives, but Naramore said the simulation lab creates a safety net for a student who might have never dealt with an emergency situation before.
“It’s actually an eye-opening experience for them because usually with my scenarios…I am looking to see how quickly a patient can go bad,” Naramore said. “The simulation itself helps to bring the theory of the classroom more to life.”
Naramore said she believes students know what a big learning experience the simulations provide them because many request more simulations in their class evaluations. Jeff State attempts to have simulations every semester to help students feel comfortable with assessments.
“It is a very fun experience because you can actually see the student’s response,” Naramore said. “If they see a patient going bad, they will know which area [to check] and what to do next.”
Meet the manikins
Adult Manikin
The adult is the most realistic dummy at the Shelby County campus. Students can stick it for an IV, and it gives blood return so the students know they have hit the vein and are in the right spot. The manikin also can release secretions, release urine when students put in a catheter, and moan and behave like a person.
Pregnant Manikin
Shelby County’s Jeff State campus will soon be getting a higher-technology version of their pregnant manikin, which simulates a birth.
Pediatric Manikins
Jeff State also has two different dummies made to teach about working on young patients. They have an infant manikin and a child-sized manikin for simulations.