New Technology for Nursing Simulation Labs

Thanks to a grant from The McLean Contributionship and donor contributions from the President's Excellence fund, the "Nursing Anne" Patient Simulator has joined GMercyU's SimMan and SimBaby in the nursing simulation labs of Maguire Hall.

The Nursing Anne Simulator, made by Laerdal, offers our nursing students the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning. Students can perform a variety of skills ranging from basic patient handling to more advanced nursing care. Nursing Anne Simulator features interchangeable parts and accessories to create a variety of simulated patients, including, but not limited to; a senior Caucasian woman with white hair, wrinkles, and brown age spots and a young Hispanic woman with olive-tone skin and dark hair.

Faculty can choose from pre-programmed content designed with a focus on specific learning objectives, or they can adapt or create their own patient simulator scenarios to be more consistent with a course's specific objectives and/or student needs.

Among numerous details, Nursing Anne features:

• Realistic patient care procedures, including placement and care of NG tubes, gastric lavage, and gavage, complete urinary catheterization.
• Anatomical landmarks with palpation of anatomy including clavicle, scapula, and anterior superior iliac crest. You can also train on IM injections that require palpation for proper insertion locations.
• Conscious patient characteristics, including palpable pulses, spontaneous breathing and blinking eyes.

Using Nursing Anne, students can learn everything from how to auscultate anterior and posterior lung sounds, as well as heart and bowel sounds, to how to perform an infusion of fluids and medication using bilateral (pre-ported) IV arms or via central line catheter.

"Nursing students have been able to show a deeper 'buy-in' when working with the Nursing Anne Simulator," said Megan E. Mustachio, MSN, RN, WCC, CHSE, GMercyU Nursing Instructor and Simulation Faculty/Coordinator.

"The greatest benefits are gained from the touch of the realistic skin of the manikin, the visible and palpable landmarks, as well as the ability to articulate at major joints. This manikin, with her variety of skin tones, has also answered some of the calls for diversity in our equipment. It is my hope that all students in the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions have a meaningful interaction with Nursing Anne."

This article originally appeared in GMercyU's Fall 2021 President's Report.