Replacing the 565 series of Noelle Birthing Manikins, Gaumard released their new 554.100 manikin model today.

This mid-range Noelle costs less than the flagship 575 series model but still has most of the same functionality including the birthing mechanism, automated hemorrhaging, pulses and more.  Dilated pupils or other advanced eye systems are not included on this model, which also does not run wirelessly.  But the price is also significantly less as well!  Watch the video below to learn more about the features of Noelle 554.100!

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Take the tour of the new Gaumard Noelle 554.100!

During an email list-serv conversation for the Gathering of Healthcare Simulation Technology Specialists, I noticed James Cypert from CalBaptist had an insightful response when a fellow GHOSTS subscriber asked the community:

“I am in the process of hiring a simulation technician and was wondering if other centers had any novel techniques (i.e. diagnose a broken task trainer) for interviewing/ screening candidates and their aptitude for work in this field?”

James’ response starts below:

I do not have a novel way per se. But I do have a recommendation that may benefit everyone. In a discussion with some of the local facilities in the area, and my introduction to them stimulated some discussion in this very area. Apparently, many people have been having discussions about whether technicians should have a strong medical background, (EMT, etc.), or should they have a strong technical background. (Continue reading by clicking the “Read more” link below.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Today I am thrilled to announce a NEW meeting specifically designed for Healthcare Simulation Program Administrators to be called HealthySimAdmin! Taking place October 18th + 19th at the University of Nevada Las Vegas Greenspun Hall, this one-of-a-kind event promises to provide the answers our growing community has overwhelming requested!  Join us in Las Vegas or watch this event live from your office desktop.

So check out the new HealthySimAdmin page to watch the announcement video, share your needs, subscribe for updates, meet our expert panel and learn more!

METI, now a brand name of CAE Healthcare, was at IMSH 2012 this year demonstrating the company’s continued commitment to being a leader in healthcare education.  At IMSH, I spoke with Regional Sales Director Brian Donohue about what this merger means for the medical simulation community as well as what we can expect from CAE Healthcare in 2012.

Also, be sure to check out my preview demonstration of the CAE Viamedix Ultrasound Simulator.  What really excites me about this merger is the amazing potential CAE now has to bring lessons learned from over half-a-century of simulation in aviation and other massive industries to the medical simulation community.

Now that METI is under the umbrella of CAE Healthcare and will have access to all this additional experiences I have a strong feeling we will be seeing a lot more trend-setting announcements from the company in the years to come.

Check out this amazing CAE 3000 helicopter simulator to see what I am talking about!

 Visit CAE Healthcare and METI to learn more.

At IMSH I had a brief moment to talk with Dr. Robert F. Buckman, Jr. M.D., an internationally-known surgeon and inventor of medical technology devices, about the surgical simulator products available from Operative Experience.  Even though we only had a short conversation I was really impressed with the level of realism inherit with the Operative Experience surgery simulator product line.  Check out my interview with Dr. Buckman below:

Realistic surgery simulator procedures available from Operative Experience include:

• Point-of-injury Hemorrhage Control
• Low Transverse C-Section
• External Fixation of Femur
• Shunting of Femoral Artery and Vein
• Proximal Control of Femoral Artery
• Subdural Hematoma
• Below Knee Amputation
• Above Knee Amputation
• Fasciotomy

The Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC.Org) helped fund the development of these amazing surgical simulators. Visit OperativeExperience.com to learn more about their surgery simulation products and services!

At IMSH I presented Streamlining Daily Sim Lab Operations with Kam McCowan and Darin Bowers.  This course was designed to share strategies to increase efficiency in your sim lab, which is crucial to the long-term success of your program.  As the Director of the Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas I shared some administrative secrets to help increase such efficiency.  (The article starts here and is continued by clicking the “read more” link below.)

Meetings

First, to ensure your simulation team has an opportunity to discuss daily operations, be sure to create a protected time Monday morning for a weekly staff meeting.  This meeting will provide staff a chance to go over issues from the previous week as well as coordinate for the week scheduled ahead.  Addressing concerns from the previous week will provide an opportunity to develop policies and procedures that will help prevent such issues from repeating in the future.   Coordinating the week ahead will ensure your team is scheduled correctly for the current week’s simulations.  As well, the team will be able to report on equipment, updating each other about items that are out-of-service, new or that need to be ordered.  Be sure to have an administrative or simulation assistant take minutes from the meeting so action items can be given due dates and progress can be mapped.

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Did you know that last year the “Gathering of Technicians” event was the world’s first conference dedicated specifically to Healthcare Simulation Technicians?  Over 85 Sim Techs from around the U.S. & Canada came to Las Vegas for two days of hands on training in manikin programming from all major vendors, hardware maintenance, audio video production, medical terminology, lab operations, team communication and medical moulage?   Check out highlights from last years GOT SIM!

Well, after many months of hard work, I am happy to share that the NEW website for the annual “Gathering of Technicians”, which is now being called the “Gathering of Healthcare Simulation Technology Specialists”(or GHOSTS) has finally launched!  Check it out at:

http://www.SimGhosts.Org

SimGhosts.Org is the online hub for the GHOSTS meeting, which is taking place August 3rd and 4th, 2012 in LAS VEGAS!

Also at the new website, you can also join a list-serv to engage in conversations with other Sim Techs from around the world, as well as find shared simulation lab documentation, links, how-tos, and other valuable resources!

Do you want to teach at GHOSTS 2012?

This year we have opened a call for presentations from the community. Submit a GHOSTS presentation proposal by MARCH 16th to share your valuable insights with the Healthcare Simulation Technology Specialist Community. 

Presenters will have discounted registration for GHOSTS 2012!

So check out the new SimGHOSTS website and welcome to GHOSTS!

Looking forward to August,

Lance & the GHOSTS Team!

Bobbie Merica is a leading expert in the field of healthcare simulation moulage.  As an accomplished simulation author, workshop educator and lab coordinator Bobbie is the definition of “simulation champion”.  But now her latest work Medical Moulage: How to Make Your Simulations Come Alive has set the bar to a whole new level!

Imagine over 630 pages of moulage recipes ranging from stings to prolapsed cords with detailed instructions for ingredients, equipment, application techniques and even cleanup!  Each recipe has several large and clear photos (over 1200 full-color in the book) which help demonstrate the steps involved and what the finished product should look like.

The clean layout and simple instructions make moulage recipes easy to understand and quick to follow.  Not only does Bobbie cover the techniques necessary to craft the specific recipe in question but also helps us “set the stage” with other moulage tips that can help further ‘bridge the gap’ to simulator realism.

To see what I mean just check out this downloadable Medical Moulage recipe for “Sutures” where Bobbie writes:

“Depending on the surgery, a postoperative suture may cause considerable pain and discomfort.  Surgical sites should be monitored closely during the first several days to watch for possible complications and to ensure wound integrity.  Place a gray-haired wig and reading glasses on simulator.  Age a hard set of teeth to show slight decay between each tooth, as appropriate for an older person (see: Teeth, Aged).

Using a makeup sponge or your fingers, liberally apply white makeup to the face of simulator, blending well.  Add a small amount of light blue eye shadow to the area under the eyes to create dark circles.  Lightly spray the forehead, upper lip, and chin of simulator with pre-made sweat mixture. “

All this before we even get to the application of the wound onto the patient! Thus, one can see the thoughtful consideration of each and every recipe designed in Medical Moulage, all of which helps to ensure we can provide a high quality simulation for our learners.

Bobbie not only provides appropriate cases to utilize for each recipe but also recommends other “usually used in conjunction with” recipes for that disease process.  For example, in this pink abscess moulage from Medical Moulage (which is just 1 of over 300 recipes), Bobbie reminds us the appropriate cases for the recipe include:

• AIDS
• Cancer
• Chemotherapy
• Chrohn’s disease
• Diabetes
• Etc.

So to summarize: I have never seen such a complete and thorough presentation of medical moulage recipes.  I guarantee if you pass Medical Moulage around at your next simulation staff and educator meeting, your team will be inspired into the creative process for designing new scenarios, updating old scenarios and adding moulage to your simulation lab toolbox.

Thus, I highly recommend Bobbie’s Medical Moulage: How to Make Your Simulations Come Alive book for every healthcare simulation lab library.  You can buy the book from amazon with the link below:

The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) is pleased to announce  the Anthony Battaglia Pocket Nurse Scholarships!

Each year, four non-transferable scholarships are made  available through a generous donation from Pocket Nurse® to support attendance at the annual INACSL  conference. These scholarships are designed to stimulate interest and participation in the development and  advancement of clinical simulation in nursing and learning resource centers through the payment of  conference registration costs.

The Anthony Battaglia Scholarships are open to all educators, learning resource specialists, managers, and  students who are interested in the design and development of clinical simulation to enhance education, research,  and practice in nursing. Priority will be given to current members of INACSL and first time attendees.  Recipients will be recognized at the INACSL business meeting held at the annual conference.

To learn more and to apply download the Anthony Battaglia Pocket Nurse INACSL Scholarship Flyer !

Let’s start 2012 off with a bang with this AWESOME user-created manual for the Simman 3G from Kaiser Permanente’s California based simulation team Dr. Mark Meyer, MD FAAEM and Regional Simulation Coordinator and Technician Darin Bowers MA.

You can download the Kaiser Permanente user-created Laerdal Simman 3G manual here.

After praising KP’s team for their work, I asked Darin several questions about the manual:

Lance: What is this manual for?
Darin: This manual is a brief summary to the practical use of Sim Man 3G.  We have only included information that covers the basic start up and showdown of the system, as well as basic troubleshooting advice.

Lance: Why did your team create this manual?
Darin: We created this manual to go with the Train the Trainer course Dr Meyer and I teach at the 13 medical centers.  None of our sites have simulation technicians, so we train RNs and MDs in the use of the equipment.  Since they are already busy learning debriefing skills, plus their busy clinical schedules, we wanted to give them a simple and practical guide for using the equipment.

Lance: How has this healthcare simulation lab operations manual helped your simulation program?
Darin:  It has helped in giving simulation instructors a starting point  for the operation of the equipment, as well as a reference for use if I am not available via telephone for technical support.

Lance: Who uses this manual now?
Darin:  We give the full version of the manual to anyone conducting simulation within the southern California region of Kaiser Permanente.  We have also given copies to other regions within KP.

Lance: How long did this manual take to put together?
Darin: The full version of the manual, (which contains the other simulators used by KP), was definitely a work in progress.  Dr Mark Meyer and Jean Lilja, RN, created an indepth version several years ago.  When I came to Kaiser Permanente, I worked with Dr Meyer and we revised his older version.  One of my personal desires with the revision was more step-by-step instructions with screen shots to facilitate understanding.  Personally, I have probably spent about 40 hours on revisions and additions to the older manual.  Dr Meyer and I, see this manual as a work in progress and we add additional content yearly (sometimes even sooner).

Included in Kaiser Permanente’s operations manual are:

• Instructions on how to turn on and turn off the Laerdal Simman 3g
• Webcam setup
• Patient monitor initiation
• Directions on how to use the Simman 3G GUI (Generated User Interface) software
• Healthcare simulation manikin orientation guide
• Advanced patient monitor controls
• Complete Simman 3G parts list

You can download the Kaiser Permanente user-created Laerdal Simman 3G manual here.

Dr. Mark D. Meyer MD, FAAEM

Regional Sim Coordinator: Darin Bowers MA

Developing an operations manual for and by your simulation team will not only help to provide standardization to your program but also cut down on user-errors.  Operations manuals help to streamline productivity, increase learning speeds for new users, and help to prevent information  loss in the event of staff turnover.