meds2GROW Provides Affordable Way to Teach Safe Medication Administration to Nursing Students
A common struggle encountered by undergraduate nursing education programs is how to sufficiently expose students to medication administration best practices prior to graduation given the limited opportunities to participate in the process during hospital clinical experiences. There are two major limitations encountered in regards to teaching best practices of medication administration outside of the clinical setting: budget and fidelity. meds2GROW offers a low-cost solution with a high-tech feel which allows for unlimited high stakes skill practice, in the safety of nursing simulation programs. Today we take a look at this unique educational solution which was built for clinical simulation programs on a budget that will be in the exhibit hall at INACSL next month. Developed by two nursing simulation educators, meds2GROW was built to affordably teach the practice of safe medication administration to undergraduate nursing students.
meds2GROW is the flagship product from the company Sim2GROW, Sim2GROW was founded by two nursing education colleagues and lifelong nurses and became an official business in 2015. The idea for the company grew out of a mutual belief in the need for quality simulation modalities in all undergraduate nursing programs, regardless of size or financial status of the institution. The company founders have a strong background in clinical nursing, nursing education and simulation. Both continue to work in the ares of healthcare simulation and nursing education. Their mission is to provide practical products to undergraduate nursing program simulation labs. As nursing educators themselves, the team is focused on supporting nursing lab coordinators who wish to incorporate state of the art technology and safe practices, in areas such as medication administration, while remaining responsible stewards of their resources.
The meds2GROW team works hard to ensure that the medication administration skills that nursing students acquire from using their solution will easily transfer to any automated dispensing unit in any clinical setting. meds2GROW is an ideal match for simulation labs challenged with minimal simulation staff and resources who are still looking to provide practice in med admin. The solution is already in use by UTICA College, TRINITAS, Harford Community College, Valdosta State University, KEAN University, Messiah College, Hartwick College and many more!
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meds2GROW System Benefits
- Appropriate for skills lab and high-fidelity simulations
- Customizable easy patient and medication order entry
- Includes medication barcode scanning
- Provides printable barcode patient identification bands
- Produces post-administration documentation
- Negligible daily maintenance
- Automatically resets between uses
- Expandable at any point in the future
meds2GROW System Includes
- 2 iPads with cases (one for Dispensing and one for eMAR)
- Mobile Cart with Power Strip
- RFID Simulated ID reader to “unlock” system
- Bluetooth Barcode Scanner
- Medication Drawers
- Over 100 simulated sustainable medications
With meds2Grow there is no annual fee or ongoing costs, because the purchase price is a one-time cost with no annual fees! The system is compatible with other medications that you already have in that the barcode key tags can be used alone or attached to actual pills/vials/syringes etc. Furthermore, there are roughly 100 of the most commonly prescribed medications in the formulary, but, if by chance, there is a specific medication that must be included to meet your learning objectives for a particular simulation, they have included several “blank tags” that can be labeled to make it whatever meets your needs. Those blank tags can be reused as other meds as your program moves forward. The formulary medications were specifically selected to represent a wide range of medication classifications looking less at regional preferences toward specific medications.
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“Recently student reps spoke at a faculty meeting and brought up was meds2GROW system, suggesting how terrific it was because it made the simulation so much more realistic. When I give the new students an intro to meds2GROW, I mention how it was created by two nurses and how you never know how you will use your nursing knowledge!” Cathy S. from Harford Community College
The overarching goal of meds2GROW is for students to have a safe environment in which to repeatedly practice and develop the muscle memory and critical thinking associated in administering medications appropriately and safely and to become comfortable in identifying when to assess and document additional parameters in the medication administration process. The solution can be used both in practice lab as well as in conjunction with nursing simulation scenarios.
What we here at HealthySimulation.com like about a solution like meds2GROW is that the platform allows nursing simulation programs always on strict budgets (like those found at many community colleges) to safely practice the methodology of medication administration. The core fundamentals of med admin for nursing students are available here in an agnostic system which focuses on the knowledge needed to understand the principals of the process. While obviously training on medication administration carts that are simulated versions of actual medical devices used in healthcare settings may be ideal, the costs of such devices is frankly out of the question for some programs. Thus, meds2GROW offers a unique and affordable way to learn medication administration!
Attending the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning 2019 Event in Phoenix next month? Stop by the Sim2Grow booth #215 to see why attendees from last year’s nursing simulation conference suggested “It’s beautiful in its simplicity”, this is “not just another high tech ‘toy’ that won’t get used”, and how “it meets our needs”!
Visit the sim2GROW Website to Learn More!
Lance Baily, BA, EMT-B, is the Founder & CEO of HealthySimulation.com, which he started while serving as the Director of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas back in 2010. Lance is also the Founder and acting Advisor to the Board of SimGHOSTS.org, the world’s only non-profit organization dedicated to supporting professionals operating healthcare simulation technologies. His co-edited Book: “Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice” is cited as a key source for professional certification in the industry. Lance’s background also includes serving as a Simulation Technology Specialist for the LA Community College District, EMS fire fighting, Hollywood movie production, rescue diving, and global travel. He and his wife Abigail Baily, PhD live in Las Vegas, Nevada with their two amazing daughters.
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