Innovative Sim Man arrives at Havering campus
London South Bank University (LSBU), one of the top providers of nursing, midwifery and allied health education in London and the South East, has made a significant investment in a new simulation manikin which will help its nursing students to practise their practical patient care in confidence before they take their skills onto the ward.London South Bank University (LSBU), one of the top providers of nursing, midwifery and allied health education in London and the South East, has made a significant investment in a new simulation manikin which will help its nursing students to practise their practical patient care in confidence before they take their skills onto the ward.
Students at the Havering campus of the University are now able to use the sophisticated Sim Man in classes to work through a number of real-life scenarios. Previously students have travelled to the University's Southwark campus in London to practise their skills on the simulation dolls.
Sim Man's gender as well as its vital statistics - including respiration rate, pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation - can be varied by the University lecturer to demonstrate a variety of chronic and acute conditions.
John Crangle, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care, who teaches students how to use Sim Man, was this week interviewed by the Romford Recorder and said: "I learned on a plastic manikin - it was nothing more than a children's doll.
"Sim Man is proof of the technological advancement that has been made in the medical field - now we are giving the students the chance to learn on Sim Man and then transfer their skills to real patients."
Students are typically given a scenario prior to meeting the manikin and they then attend to the 'patient', recording their vital signs to make their assessment. For example, they may have respiratory issues, or heart problems. They can even ask Sim Man basic questions, as the lecturer can programme it with a number of pre-recorded answers, so that it can verbally complain.
If the students make a good assessment and intervention, then they should see the manikin improve, but if they don't make the correct decisions the manikin will deteriorate. They are given time following a Sim Man session to reflect on the training and to debrief on what went well and where improvements could be made.
Joseph Smith, a second-year BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing student at LSBU, this week told the Romford Recorder: "When you're training there are lots of things that you can't carry out on patients. The Sim Man means that we can practise things like CPR in the way that they should be done."
The Sim Man manikin also has a number of advanced features that that can be used for teaching advanced skills on post registration courses.
Colin Winter, Lecturer in Orthopaedics at London South Bank University who is using the Sim Man in his classes at the Havering campus, says: "We're very excited to be able to offer our Havering nursing students the opportunity to train with the Sim Man manikin as there is extensive research which shows the positive effects of this kind of health education.
"I've been using Sim Man to teach students at our London campus for two years, and the student response has been fantastic, with students highly rating the benefits of being able to practise their skills for the first time in a realistic environment where there is no risk to patient safety."
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