Aaron Hall, anesthesia student, holds the manikin’s airway open while Melissa Nelson, registered nurse, performs CPR in a simulated cardiac arrest during hip replacement surgery in the operating room. Chris LaFleur, certified registered nurse anesthetist, is in the center back.
He blinks, he takes breaths, and has a pulse. He can simulate many real bodily functions, including fluctuation in blood pressure and other vital signs.
High tech manikins such as this male, a female manikin that can simulate the birth of a baby, and an infant manikin were recently used at Riverwood Healthcare Center to simulate scenarios such as cardiac arrest during surgery, complex obstetric deliveries, and pediatric trauma featuring a blocked airway. On May 12 and 13, doctors, nurses and other Riverwood healthcare professionals had an opportunity to practice how to respond to real emergency situations that may arise with patients.
This sophisticated training was made available through Ridgewater College via its SimLab semi-truck mobile training unit equipped with computer-operated manikins and high-tech equipment to offer clinical, hands-on learning experiences. All the training scenarios are tracked with medical equipment to show what an actual patient’s response would be to medications, CPR and other clinical treatment that health care professionals apply during the training session.
“The advanced G3 male manikin will automatically respond to any interventions,” explains Tracy Oevermann, critical care paramedic who was the on-site training coordinator from Ridgewater College. “For example, if he is given a medication, his blood pressure might drop suddenly as it could in a real person; the doctor or nurse then has to reassess and perform interventions to correct the negative response.”
The Ridgewater mobile lab features an emergency room and triage area for prioritizing patients in disaster scenarios. However, Riverwood brought the manikins into its own facility to allow health care professionals to train in the areas where they care for patients, such as intensive care unit, birthing center, operating room and emergency room, and to use their own equipment that would be used in real emergency situations.
“SimLab provides realistic clinical training on low-frequency, high-risk type of medical situations such as how to handle a complicated birth or treat a patient with a missing limb,” explains Jan Erickson, registered nurse who coordinates education for healthcare professionals at Riverwood. “This training gives our health care professionals experience that can help build their confidence and skills—and ultimately save lives. We were thrilled to bring this advanced training to our staff.”
This training was made possible through support from AdvancedMN, serving northeastern Minnesota workforces with customized training. The cost was covered by Riverwood Foundation through the Michael Zilverberg Education Fund plus support from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board and Minnesota Job Skills Partnership.