I used one of the patient simulators today! In our nursing lab we have 8 hospital rooms set up with a bed, a table, a sink, etc. I went to my assigned room with my lab group and there was this mannequin sitting there blinking, with his chest moving up and down like he was breathing. Today we only practiced blood pressure on the sims. The instructor can set the BP to whatever they want and then we have to see of we can get the correct numbers. The sims are all controlled by a laptop and can do almost anything a real patient would. For example, if you shine a light in their eyes, their pupils constrict!! They have teeth and a tongue and their skin even feels real. They get rashes, bruises, they cry, vomit, urinate, everything. It's really weird. I found out today that we don't do injections on most of them - for that we use the lower technology sims and regular medical dummies. The intructors don't want us getting holes all over those things since they cost anywhere from $200k to $300k!! I'll post more after I find out what else they can do.

ps. Most of their functions are spontaneous after they are turned on. The instructor told us not to be surprised if one day we lift the sheet and find out our "patient" is incontinent...

Wow! That is totally cool! Sounds like you're going to get a lot of good use out of them! :)

Can you take a digital picture of them? that is if you are allowed. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble over that. :uhoh21:

Have fun with them !!!!:chuckle

Wow, that is awesome! I sure wish we had stuff like that. The only practice we got on injections was into an orange! That sounds like that will really help you out, good luck!!

Lucky you! We don't have these (only old dummies) but I have read about them. For others, here are some links to info about these types of sims...

http://www.nursingspectrum.com/MagazineArticles/article.cfm?AID=5926

http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2004/04/simMan.html

http://www.s-t.com/daily/06-99/06-30-99/d13he197.htm

ohhhhhhhhh how I wish we had something like that!

Those guys are a lot of fun! Makes me laugh everytime ours says, "I don't feeel so goood ----cough, cough." He also occssionally tells us what great nurses we are! :chuckle

^^^LOL, Leesie, that sounds so funny! I haven't heard ours talk yet. For now they just breathe and pulse. Minnielynn, I'm not sure if I can take a pic, since we can't even be in the lab w/out an instructor, but I'll see about it.

we have one of those at my school, can't wait to meet him!! LOL! :rotfl:

They are totally cool!

Those are so cool!

I wish I knew what to expect from my lab.