Chipola Nursing Students Train on High Tech Patient Simulator

6/12/08

Chipola College nursing students recently got firsthand experience in a medical emergency scenario using a new human patient simulator.
The future nurses found themselves in a mock emergency room with a young child in breathing distress along with a panicked and somewhat-challenging mother.
The students performed basic tasks such as taking patient history, checking vitals, drawing blood and starting IV fluids. As the trauma progressed the students were faced with decisions regarding the best course of care in a deteriorating situation. Students had to decide which medications to administer and make quantity conversions for a child.
According to Lucinda Graven, Assistant Professor of Nursing, the scenario helped the students gain valuable experience in making quick and decisive decisions in a stressful environment.
"The Pedisim simulator can be adjusted to suit the education point of the student. The medical issues and training are basic in the initial semester and progressively increase in difficulty as the students move through the program," said Graven.
Jackson Hospital employees Tracy Mears and Amy Samson played a major role in setting up the patient simulator and evaluating the scenario for the Chipola students.
Funds for the human patient simulator came from a Succeed! Florida Nursing Profession grant. Chipola was awarded a total of $253,000 to help introduce nursing students to real life medical situations with three human simulators, including a male and female adult. The Pedisim human patient simulator can breathe, bleed and talk just like a real patient.
For information regarding entrance requirements to the Chipola nursing program, call 850-718-2278.