New Simulated Patient Helps McLaren Caregivers Provide Better Care
McLaren Greater Lansing has a long history of as a teaching hospital for physicians, nurses and other clinical staff with training programs affiliated with Michigan State University, Lansing Community College, Baker College, and other higher education institutions. Part of the commitment to being a teaching hospital includes providing innovative ways for current and future caregivers to learn the latest evidence-based clinical techniques and maintain a high-level of patient care skills.
Recently, the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation approved a grant for nearly $100,000 to purchase a new training tool for staff called SimMan 3G. This real-life patient simulator can help clinicians improve their time management, decision-making, and communication with fellow co-workers and other departments, leading to better overall care and patient satisfaction.
“Part of what we do in clinical education is rehearse emergency codes to help new and experienced staff sharpen their skills,” said Amanda Lampron, manager of clinical education. “The new simulator allows us to replicate a more realistic and involved experience for training staff so we are prepared for any situation that comes through the door.“
According to the Laerdal Medical Company who created SimMan 3G, it can display neurological and physical symptoms. The SimMan comes with a long list of features that optimize simulation-training scenarios including automatic drug recognition, light sensitive pupils, and bodily fluid excretion. These features provide the opportunity to practice many basic and advanced clinical skills without risk to patients.
“SimMan 3G can recreate all of the breath, heart, and bowel sounds that you would expect in a human. It sweats, bleeds, and urinates,” said Lampron. “It can react to medications and if the medicine is administered too quickly it might drop its blood pressure, or change its pulse. The instructor can manipulate vital signs and even turn its lips blue if it is not getting the correct amount of oxygen.”
McLaren educators spent five months learning how to use the new technology to ensure they would be experts when it came time to train staff. All clinicians at McLaren Greater Lansing are required to complete annual competency assessments and are required to attend multiple training events throughout the year to ensure they are providing the best patient care possible. The SimMan gives McLaren a high-tech tool to help clinicians learn new patient care techniques and maintain their skill level.
About McLaren Greater Lansing
McLaren Greater Lansing and McLaren Orthopedic Hospital operate the region’s most distinguished cardiovascular and orthopedic surgery programs that—together with McLaren Greater Lansing’s oncology, women’s care and wide-ranging diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical services—consistently lead in clinical quality and efficiency. The hospitals are part of McLaren Health Care, mid-Michigan’s largest health care system. Visit mclaren.org/lansing.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Flint, Michigan, is a fully integrated health network committed to quality evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 12 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, the state’s only proton therapy center, an employed primary care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 250,000 lives, home health and hospice providers, retail medical equipment showrooms, pharmacy services, and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 45 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive centers in the U.S. McLaren has 22,000 employees and more than 40,000 network providers. Its operations are housed in more than 350 facilities serving the entire Lower Peninsula of the state of Michigan along with a portion of the Upper Peninsula. Learn more at mclaren.org [mclaren.org].
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Source: PRESS RELEASE
