Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Community Healthcare - (Page 56)

The Real Sims: Computer technology aids in training, saving lives By ElisE sims Unleashed t’s a scene right out of ABC’s hit show Grey’s Anatomy: a newborn gasping for breath, heartbeat slowing and chest barely moving. A group of medical professionals gathers around the baby’s bedside and jumps into action, working quickly and calling out vital signs. A closer look reveals the newborn isn’t real but is an animated simulator, and the nurses and respiratory therapists are practicing, all in an effort to enhance processes and procedures, increase patient safety and save real lives. Community Healthcare System nurses are getting hands-on experience and taking training to the next level with the help of advanced simulation technology, or robots. Nursing students at Purdue University Calumet have the same opportunity in the school’s clinical teaching laboratory, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the healthcare system’s parent company, Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana. I At St. Mary Medical Center, Laura Cannon, R.N., OCN, and Etta L. Weatherspoon, R.N., M.S., prepare an IV for SimMan Simon, a full-scale patient simulator that allows healthcare professionals to practice lifesaving skills and scenarios. almOst Human “Simon [the adult SimMan] talks and makes real sounds. You can take his pulse, hear his heartbeat, listen to his breathing—he’s a full-scale patient simulator that allows us to perform relevant ALS [advanced life support] skills and scenarios,” Gianfermi says. And nurses in training benefit from immediate feedback to medical interventions, whether it’s creating an airway, inserting a chest tube or starting an IV, she adds. “It can help calm nerves and promotes confidence,” Gianfermi says. “It’s a great way to improve the education and training that we offer our staff year-round.” Like SimMan Simon, SimNewB™ allows learners to practice and perfect their skills in a risk-free environment, except all the body parts are on a smaller scale. The baby accurately represents a full-term, newborn girl, weighing 7 pounds and measuring 21 inches. “We share learning scenarios with the educators at Purdue Calumet,” says Sharon Hurd, R.N., M.S., director of Education Services for St. Catherine Hospital. “The teaching focus may be different—they are instructing students and we are providing additional training to our nursing staff—but the scenarios [real-life situations] and our goals to provide quality care and enhance patient safety are the same.” Hands-On ExpEriEncE Two life-size simulators, one adult and one infant, are helping nurses in training—both at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System and at Purdue Calumet— practice difficult, life-threatening clinical scenarios in the safety and security of the classroom. “Simulation training helps a group of people practice working together as a team,” says Jeannette Foley, R.N., M.S., regional director of Community Healthcare System Education Services. “It helps improve essential communication and coordination of skills.” “We look to see how our new nurses employ their skills, then discuss and review the scenario to see if there need to be any improvements,” Foley says. “We can re-create any situation that deals with a system on the body,” says Raquel Gianfermi, R.N., M.S., director of education at St. Mary Medical Center. OnlinE Innovating Excellence Technology helps Community Healthcare System advance its practices to offer you the best care possible. For more information, visit www.comhs.org. 56 Vim & Vigor • W I N TER 2 011 http://www.comhs.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Community Message
Community Briefs
A Future of Lullabies and Good Nights
Exceeding Your Expectations
Back in Action
Supplementary Knowledge
Keys to Survival
Clearing the Air
Mark Harmon of NCIS fame makes 60 look good
This One’s for the Girls
Life After a Loss
Do Your Diabetes Homework
Healthy Returns
Beyond Blue
Spotlight on St. Mary Medical Center
Spotlight on Community Hospital
Spotlight on St. Catherine Hospital
Helping Families in Crisis
The Real Sims: Unleashed

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Community Healthcare