Alberta Health Services (AHS) has announced the opening of a new simulation centre at the Sturgeon Community Hospital designed to help healthcare workers feel more comfortable with treating patients.
The new simulation centre features a technology-integrated room which can mimic a hospital setting, an operating room or an emergency department. There are also extensive storage areas within the new section, as well as two breakout rooms that can be used for debriefs or to run smaller education programs.
The one-million-dollar price tag was funded solely by the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation and was designed by the Educate, Simulate, Innovate, Motivate (eSIM) program under AHS.
“We really took the needs of the hospital and learnings from other eSIM facilities across the province to create one of the most efficient simulation spaces I’ve helped build,” says Ken Brisbin, Simulation Lead – Planning for eSIM and AHS.
Simulation rooms like this help prepare healthcare workers for high-risk situations, develop confidence without the risk of harm coming from mistakes and to translate learning from the textbook into the real world.
As part of the centre, the hospital got a new manikin which can breathe, bleed, sweat, convulse and even speak in response to an operator’s directions.
“For our staff and physicians to deliver the best care possible, they must practise, especially less- frequent, high-acuity medical events and emergencies,” says Krista Nunes a Clinical Nurse Educator at the Sturgeon Community Hospital. “Running a simulation using an electronic manikin in fully equipped space that mimics a hospital environment helps us recreate the most realistic high-stress scenario possible. It helps ensure our healthcare team has the skills and competency to meet the needs of the community.”
The new specialized room was a much-needed upgrade to the hospital which used to use manikins to do practice operations and treatments. Although, due to a lack of available rooms, nurses would have to practice in board rooms.
“Our donors are committed to investing in educational opportunities that ensure staff and physicians at the Sturgeon are confident, competent and well-equipped to care for patients and families in our community,” says Katrina Black, President and CEO of the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation. “Thanks to the support from our community, healthcare teams at the Sturgeon have a dedicated place in the hospital to develop a solid foundation in patient safety and apply what they have learned when faced with real-world situations.”
