In celebration of Healthcare Simulation Week from Sept. 15-19, the Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences clinical simulation team held an open house at the UCCS Simulation Learning Center on Sept. 16.
A dynamic, hands-on training space designed for multidisciplinary healthcare providers, the high-fidelity lab replicates real-world medical environments, from inpatient hospital rooms to emergency departments. Students and professionals alike can practice critical scenarios such as childbirth and intensive care using advanced robotic manikins and standardized patients.
The manikins, designed to mimic human responses, include the sophisticated SimMan 3G, which can produce a variety of physiological responses such as bleeding, sweating, seizures and different cardiac episodes. There is also “Noelle,” a manikin that comes with another manikin of a newborn baby to simulate realistic labor and delivery scenarios, and “Hal,” a manikin modeled after a five-year old child that includes a variety of responses physiologically through different sounds in his chest, lungs and bowels, as well as speech responses appropriate to a five-year-old.
These immersive learning opportunities are also extended to hybrid and remote learners, and the lab incorporates simulated home environments and virtual reality platforms to improve communication.
“It was wonderful to welcome so many colleagues from across campus and showcase what we do in the simulation lab,” said Julie Sweum, Simulation Program Manager. “Many people were surprised by how realistic the space is and how immersive our hands-on learning experiences are for students. We heard comments like, ‘I had no idea this was here—it looks just like a real hospital!'”