THE UNIVERSITY JAIRY KANSAN
MONDAY AUGUST 18, 2008
NEWS13A
MEDICINE
Mannequin teaches students vital medical skills
Sim Man prepares students with real-life situations to apply in the classroom at KU Medical Center
The Sim Man, named Enrique Hernandez, simulates real-life medical situations for students to react to before working on human patients. The students are not graded on their performance but do receive participation points.
BY CASEY MILES editor@kansan.com
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Enrique Hernandez is lying in his hospital bed. His mother at his side, the 10-year-old Enrique tells his nurse that he isn't feeling very well. He's sweating and his breathing is becoming more shallow.
Ten-year-old Enrique has Type 1 Diabetes, and his blood sugar levels have dropped — he is becoming hypoglycemic. Enrique's mother explains to the nurse that he didn't eat much of his dinner. The nurse needs to quickly treat his hypoglycemia before it becomes more severe.
Except Enrique doesn't really have diabetes. He isn't even a 10-year-old boy. Enrique is a lifelike mannequin, built to accurately simulate many of the functions of a real human. And the nurse is still a nurse, albeit one still in school; the student and mannequin are in the simulation laboratory at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
The School of Nursing at the center uses simulations to help teach its students useful skills. By creating as realistic of an environment as possible, the school hopes to prepare students for what they will see in the real world. Simulations and discussions help students apply what they've learned in the classroom.
The laboratory looks like any other patient's hospital room. Monitors clustered around the bed. A computer terminal to search patient records. Cabinets and drawers containing supplies. There's everything necessary to take care of any patient.
But instead of an actual patient, the laboratory houses a Sim Man
mannequin, a patient simulation mannequin made by Laerdal Medical. Sim Man is a realistic mannequin that contains several technologies designed to simulate the actions and bodily functions of human patients.
From a computer station in the next room, lab instructors can change Sim Man's heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, among other things. His chest rises and falls with his breathing. Using a stethoscope, students can listen to Sim Man's heartbeat and breathing. His pulse can be felt through his wrist and neck. Breathing tubes can be inserted into Sim Man's mouth, and an IV can be inserted into his hand. Instructors can also communicate through Sim Man using a number of preprogrammed phrases, designed to help give feedback on how Sim Man is feeling. If more detail is required, a walkie-talkie projects an instructor's voice from underneath the mannequin's pillow.
Here, professors and faculty create simulation programs, designed to reproduce real-world scenarios, for students to use as learning tools. Mary Meyer, director of the simulation lab, said the idea is to allow students to experience events that they may rarely — or never — see in years of clinical experience. She said that even with a lot of clinical experience, most emergencies are rare, and so it was important that the school exposed students to those events in a controlled setting. That way, when it occurs in real life, they will be better prepared to handle the problem, having already seen it in a simulation lab.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Jennifer Ruck, Overland Park junior, said that she thought the simulations were a very valuable learning tool. She said she thought that the simulations would prepare her for situations she would eventually encounter with real clients.
Because of the one-way mirror in the simulation lab, instructors can watch everything that happens within the lab. The simulation follows a script of what actions and cues need to happen, and at what times. Two video cameras record everything that happens. Meyer said that most simulations also placed a student observer in the room, whose only job during the simulation is to take notes of what happens.
A medical student tests the heart of the Sim Man. Mary Meyer, director of the simulation lab, said that out of 40 groups, only two groups made the best decision in situations.
Many students fail in the simulation labs, Meyer said. They are not graded, but merely offered as participation points. Meyer said that in a recent lab, 40 groups participated, and all but two of them failed to make the best decision given the situation. However, Meyer said that it was the students who failed who often learned the most from the labs. Each simulation takes approximately 30 minutes to run, followed by a 30-minute discussion period.
"The real learning happens when we sit down and discuss what happened." Meyer said. She said that the student observer was one of the most helpful ways students could learn from what had happened during the simulation. Because the instructors have had so much more experience, it can be easy for them to be more critical of what students forgot in the simulation. However, a student observer has all the same knowledge as the other students. That way, the observer's notes can serve as more accurate interpretation of what students should have done in the simulation.
Because of the student's limited
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knowledge, one of the biggest challenges of running the lab is creating simulations that the students can actually accomplish. The students should have learned all the skills necessary to complete a simulation prior to actually doing one. However, the instructors have to remember that the students don't know everything and are only capable of handling situations that they've learned about in the classroom.
"You have to be really creative," Mever said.
The professors in the nursing school often met and discussed what types of simulations each class offered. If any hole was found, the instructors worked to fill it, so that the students would have a more complete learning experience while in the school. Again, Meyer stressed the importance of exposing the students to as many situations as possible, so that in a real life situation they would know what to do.
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Coordinators observe students to help them learn. A one-way mirror is present in the room for coordinators to help students improve with medical techniques;
As a KU student, you can be a member of the KU Alumni Association and show your Jayhawk Pride! Tradition Keepers is a level of membership for current KU students. As a Tradition Keeper, you will enjoy many fun and helpful benefits throughout the school year. The 2008-2009 Tradition Keeper benefits include:
- A "Hail to Old KU" T-shirt (new design each year!)
- A collectible KU glass
- Access to the 'Hawk to 'Hawk Mentor Program
- Free dinner during finals (fall and spring) at the Adams Alumni Center
- Access to the online directory
- Calendar of fabulous campus scenes (for 2009)
- A monthly e-newsletter and other email updates
- Invitations to special events and networking activities
- Invitations to special events and networking activities
- Membership card
- Discounts at local businesses
- And much more
Check it off
It's not too late to join for the 2008-09 school year! You can still join at www.kualumni.org or stop by the Adams Alumni Center; 1266 Oread Avenue. The cost is just $20 for all of the benefits listed above
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