Last fall SimMan, a $35,000 piece of educational equipment, was donated to the School of Nursing and many nursing students have been frustrated that this highly touted piece of equipment hasn’t been used very often.
Although nursing students have desired to use the equipment in the classroom, it appears that SimMan is not being used to his potential. Julia Barone ’07 expressed disappointed in regards to her first SimMan experience.
“Although it was nice to finally meet SimMan, the introduction left a lot to be desired. I watched as four of my fellow classmates interacted with the mannequin,” she said. “In the future, I hope that I get the chance to learn first-hand from SimMan, I want to be able to use him before I graduate.”
“SimMan is a patient simulator mannequin that provides an opportunity for students to interact with a responding ‘patient’ that cannot be harmed,” said Dr. Suzanne Campbell of the School of Nursing.
“He talks, breathes, you can hear heart sounds and palpate pulses; put in IV’s and chest tubes; provide medications; and interact in a simulated scenario that reflects what students encounter in the clinical setting,” Campbell said.
The SimMan had been on the School of Nursing’s wish list for some time, according to Diane Mager, director of the Learning Resource Center.
Olivia Weeks ’05, an adult learner in the School of Nursing, made plans to donate the SimMan before she graduated in May.
The School of Nursing received the SimMan in October 2005.
Julie Cronin ’07 is one of the many nursing students who is annoyed by the fact that SimMan had not been used.
“The SimMan has not impacted my education,” Cronin said. “I have only seen it on two separate prospective student days in the fall, when it was set up in the lab for display purposes only.
I almost feel that this exhibit is false advertising for the School of Nursing, as this equipment has barely been used.”
Caitlin Dacey ’07 feels the same way.
“Being able to say ‘yes, Fairfield has a SimMan’ is great, but it really isn’t all that special until nursing students get to benefit from it,” she said.
According to Campbell, a lot of training is required to use the equipment. In the fall more than half of the nursing faculty attended a two-day workshop provided my SimMan’s manufacturer, Laerdal.
In June, eight members of the nursing faculty will attend the Simulation User Groups Conference, according to Campbell.
In addition to formal training, faculty must also write up scenarios for SimMan.
A university committee has been formed with representatives from the Center of Academic Excellence and the departments of Communication, Media, and Visual ‘ Performing Arts, according to Campbell.
While Cronin understands that training must occur, she still has frustrations.
“We’ve been hearing about this great technology for so long,” she said. “We all just want to get to use it first-hand.”
The School of Nursing has plans to begin using SimMan this semester. According to Mager, the equipment will be used in Health Assessment to teach vital signs and in Critical Care, a course usually taken by seniors.
While SimMan can help in the classroom, Campbell said that SimMan is not really meant for the classroom, but more for learning in small groups.
“We are not just talking about adding a new mannequin that can do tricks, we are talking about a complete paradigm shift in the education of future nurses,” said Campbell.
“Only four to six students at a time will be working with SimMan for a specific scenario…the technology upgrades will allow us to project this scene into the classroom where [students] will have a chance to observe, critiques, and write up care plans,” Campbell said.
Renovations are planned for the School of Nursing this summer, according to Campbell. These renovations will provide SimMan with its own room, a faculty control room, and classroom for observation.
Renovation plans also include a home care room and a labor and delivery room, according to Mager. The School of Nursing also plans on getting a second SimMan and a SimBaby.
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