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High-tech Mannequins Give Nurses Real-life Experience

 |  By HealthLeaders Media Staff  
   November 24, 2009

Many facilities across the nation are investing in state-of-the art technology that allows students and staff members to gain real life experience without the fear of killing a patient.

The high-tech mannequin, Sim Man 3G, costs roughly $27,000, but can cost up to $60,000 with additional accessories and programs available for download onto the mannequin. Even though many facilities have been forced to cut back on their programs and spending, the price of Sim Man 3G has not deterred facilities from purchasing the state-of-the-art technology.

Many facilities who have purchased the technology have received grants from organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Education, the RGK Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to help fund the simulation training.

The University of Phoenix recently introduced its new, state-of-the-art SIM Man 3G "patient" mannequins as part of its new immersive learning-nursing center. The new learning center is part of the LPN and BSN degree programs, and the university plans to integrate it into other nursing degree programs as well.

A recent renovation to the 4,100-square-foot center has combined critical thinking, immersive learning, and the use of simulation training to provide students with the opportunity to learn and develop skills they will need for a future in nursing.

With the help of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Grambling School of Nursing recently purchased the Sim Man 3G. Grambling also purchased a simulation mannequin mother in labor, a young boy, and a newborn baby to go along with the Sim Man 3G mannequin.

In Texas, Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos is the first of four hospitals in Central Texas to introduce the Sim Man 3G to healthcare employees. They received a grant from the RGK Foundation to establish a mobile simulation education program in conjunction with the F. Marie Hall SimLife Center.

The Sim Man G3 is usually operated by a lab technician or medical professional in a high-tech control room. A fully equipped, simulated-reality hospital room with four beds and patient monitors, a video monitoring system, and an observation and debriefing room for playing back recorded video allow students to gain hands-on experience through simulation training.

The simulation laboratory offers students real-life patient care scenarios and an opportunity to review their work after the simulation has ended. Depending on the facility, there can be a class of nursing students or staff members all working with the mannequin at a time, or a select group of students, with the rest of the class reviewing and watching.

Once the simulation is complete, the students or staff members go into a debriefing room, where they are able to watch a video and listen to recording of the session to see what was done wrong or right.

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