SMITHFIELD – A family of high-fidelity manikins, who blink, cry and even give birth, is helping nurses and other health care professionals practice and learn new skills. These sophisticated models live mostly in the education classroom at Johnston Medical Mall but also travel to hospital departments for additional trainings.
Lori Martin, director of education, says high-fidelity simulation is a commonly used training tool at nursing schools and larger hospitals. “For years, we’ve had a goal to bring it here to improve our educational offerings,” she said.
Nurse educators can program the manikins to mimic a wide array of psychological and physiological changes brought about by conditions such as stroke, sepsis and heart attack. And they’re designed so students can practice assessing patients as well as recognizing and treating medical emergencies.
The education department bought its first high-fidelity manikin last year. Among other things, Noelle, the pregnant manikin, has helped labor and delivery nurses learn how to respond to medical emergencies, such as a shoulder dystocia, which happens when a baby’s shoulder gets stuck behind the mother’s pubic bone during birth, Martin said.
In November, the Johnston Health Foundation gifted three additional manikins, an adult male, a child, and a baby. Recently, a nursing team on a medical floor practiced resuscitating the child manikin during a drill.
Nurse educator Hank Long, who led the simulation, thinks the sense of realism that comes with using high-fidelity manikins enhances learning. “Our teammates come away feeling better prepared to handle a real emergency,” he said.
Mannequin