Instructor Throws Voice, Letting 'Patient' Have Say in Treatment

Wednesday marked a “first” in Penn College's Nursing Program, as students – and instructors – tried out the newly installed Laredal SimView system in conjunction with the program’s human simulation manikin, SimMan 3G.

As part of a simulation day, associate-degree nursing students in the Foundations of Nursing course worked through three scenarios, each involving a same-day surgery patient (preoperative, postop and discharge teaching). During the postoperative simulation, faculty used SimView, which captures audio and video of the students caring for the patient. Using the system, an instructor can view and hear the simulation from a remote location, change the “patient’s” physical status, and communicate as the patient through speakers in the manikin.

“We found that the system encouraged the students to engage with the patient in a more realistic way, because the voice comes from the patient instead of someone in the room,” said Laurie A. Minium, assistant professor of nursing, who provided the photos. “We had positive feedback from students and instructors.”