Story Published: Jan 9, 2012 at 5:38 PM PDT
Story Updated: Jan 10, 2012 at 8:13 PM PDT
SIM Man.
On the second floor of Pullman Regional Hospital, you'll find two robotic manikins that simulate real-life responses through computer technology and assist in clinical training for medical professionals and students. SIM Man and SIM Baby allow clinicians to practice advanced life support skills. They react to just about everything, even medication. Each manikin comes with a hefty price tag of around $30,000 and medical officials say they're worth every penny.
"We use him to help train new nurses in our ICU [Intensive Care Unit] by having SIM Man respond to different scenarios, such as kidney failures, complete heart failures and different traumas so those nurses can begin to develop confidence in how to take care of him," said Pullman Regional Hospital Clinical Educator and RN, Donna Haynes.
Students studying medicine at Washington State University through the WWAMI [Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho] Medical Program work hands-on with SIM Man and SIM Baby, applying everything they've learned in the classroom in the SIM Lab.
"We're just now this spring going to use him for the first time with the WAMI medical students and we're really excited about this pilot program," said Haynes. "They'll come use SIM Man and SIM Lab to continue to develop their physical assessment skills."
Hospital officials say they're looking to add another SIM manikin to the family…a SIM Mother, who will simulate real-life responses to pregnancy. Clinicians at Pullman Regional Hospital say that no matter how sick SIM Man gets, he still manages to root for his favorite university.
"GO COUGS!" said SIM Man.
Pullman Regional Hospital was able to purchase the SIM manikins through grant money from the Empire Health Foundation and the Avista Foundation.
