VERMONT TECH NURSING PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS CUTTING-EDGE SIMULATED "PATIENTS" DURING HEALTHCARE SIMULATION WEEK
Randolph Center, VT (09/10/2018) — WILLISTON - Healthcare Simulation Week, September 17-21, 2018, sponsored by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, celebrates healthcare professionals who use simulation, or life-like mannequins, in a safe, effective and efficient environment in which to practice their skills without practicing on live patients. Vermont Technical College's Nursing Program has been using simulators since 2010 and will be hosting Simulation Open Houses featuring demonstrations of the simulators. Simulators are very high-tech, life-like mannequins designed to do just about everything a real person can do including breathe, talk and give birth.
Michelle Stearns, the Simulation Program Director for Vermont Tech's Nursing and Allied Health Programs, said, "We use simulators to train students for high-risk patient situations, such as heart attacks. Patient safety is our number one goal." Stearns explained that simulation allows Vermont Tech students to practice patient care before caring for live patients in nursing homes, hospitals, and other healthcare settings. "By practicing on the life-like mannequins, our nursing students can hone their nursing skills," she said, "It allows the students to have hands-on practice-anything from tube insertion to cardiac care," Stearns said the simulators also are useful as part of dynamic educational scenarios: medical and surgical complications, childbirth and emergency department visits. Carefully scripted scenarios can help students prepare for mass casualty events like natural disasters, terrorism or active shooters.
This year the Vermont Tech Nursing Program purchased seven new simulators to enhance their nursing students' experience. Their most recent addition is a maternity simulator who actually gives birth. A variety of birth scenarios can take place, including breach. "We can't plan births, of course." Stearns said, "but with this simulator, students can actually see and participate in care during a birth."
While Vermont Technical College's home base is in Randolph, Vermont Tech has 11 Nursing Program locations across the entire state including those in the Northeast Kingdom, Williston, Randolph, Brattleboro, and Bennington.
September 17 12PM-3PM Clarke Hall, Room 205, Randolph Center Campus, 124 Admin Drive, Randolph Center, VT 05061
September 19 230PM- 5PM Williston Campus, 101 Lawrence Place, Williston, VT 05495
September 20 1PM-4PM Bennington Campus, 105 Union Street, Bennington, VT 05201
September 21 1PM-4PM Brattleboro Campus, Brooks House, 41 Harmony Place, Brattleboro, VT 05301
The purpose of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) is to serve a global community of practice enhancing the quality of healthcare. SSH seeks to improve performance and reduce errors in patient care through the use of simulation. The society fosters the development and application of simulation-based modalities such as human patient simulators, virtual reality, standardized patients and task trainers. Established in 2004 by professionals using simulation for education, testing, and research in health care, SSH membership includes a diverse group of more than 3,500 health care professionals, researchers, educators and developers from around the globe.