February 21, 2013
Following a February 5 Chamber of Commerce open house, the Fort HealthCare Simulation Lab accepted the generous donation of a GERITM manikin. This new manikin joins two others already housed in the Simulation Lab, but provides a more realistic opportunity for nurses and other healthcare professionals to practice over 30 various skills, including tracheostomy and catheter insertion on elderly patients.
The GERITM manikin was donated by Arthur and Nancy Nesbitt. Arthur spent nearly 40 years at Nasco, many as the organization’s president. He is grateful to Fort HealthCare and Thomas Nordland, MD, who performed his knee replacement in November 2012, for having top-notch healthcare and surgical services so close to home.
The Simulation Lab at Fort HealthCare is the main hub for ongoing skills practice and mock scenarios. Simulation allows clinicians to practice in a controlled environment so they are more fully prepared to act in actual medical procedures and emergencies.
Simulation specialists conduct the training scenarios and monitor participants through indirect observation from a control room. A formal debriefing of the learning experience follows each simulation session where participants reflect on training activities, decision-making processes, positive and negative outcomes as well as alternative approaches. The Simulation Lab will also allow Fort HealthCare staff to safely evaluate new equipment as it is introduced to staff or a policy or process change prior to implementation.
For more information about the Simulation Lab or to make a donation, contact Lisa Rudolph, RN at Lisa.Rudolph@forthc.com or (920)568-5206.