In simulation learning, students can see a mannequin’s response to certain actions, such as changes in vital metrics such as blood pressure and heart rate.supplied
The right decision in the right moment can make all the difference for health-care professionals and the patients who count on them. For the health sciences students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, making the right medical choices – often under high-pressure conditions – starts in the classroom.
“We put students in real-life scenarios where they feel the same stresses and pressure to perform as they would if they were in the same actual situation,” explains Matt McGurk, academic chair for the School of Health Sciences at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, a post-secondary institute focused on applied learning, with campuses in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert. “But the difference is that they get to do this in a safe environment where mistakes become learning opportunities.”
These safe environments are delivered through simulation learning, which combines leading-edge technologies with recreated real-life medical settings and, in some cases, medical actors. For example, students in the paramedic, nursing and radiology programs get to attend to high-fidelity mannequins that can speak, convey emotions such as pain, cough, blink, expand their chests to simulate breathing, bleed or even give birth.
Depending on particular actions that a student takes, a high-fidelity mannequin could register changes in vital metrics such as blood pressure and heart rate. These metrics allow students to assess the mannequin’s health condition and react accordingly.
“The retention from learning in these simulated environments is quite high,” says Mr. McGurk, who notes that simulation learning at Saskatchewan Polytechnic is created with input from industry-leading faculty and an advisory committee that ensures compliance with national and provincial competency standards. “Because the experience feels so real, it becomes easier to translate and apply these learnings when students graduate and face the same situations in real life.”
Mr. McGurk’s observations are supported by numerous studies over the years, which have cited the numerous advantages of simulation learning over traditional teaching methods. In addition to better knowledge retention and stronger academic performance, simulation learning has also been shown to improve student satisfaction and confidence in their newly-developed skills.
Nathan Rollack, a critical care paramedic who graduated from the advanced care paramedic program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and who is now a casual instructor, says the high-fidelity, immersive experiences from simulation learning are especially valuable in training students how to respond in high-stress situations.
“The first time you come across somebody who’s incredibly sick, if you haven’t had that proper stress response training, it will be very challenging to overcome that natural physiologic reaction and react appropriately,” says Mr. Rollack. “Simulation learning is hands-on and visual so that in a real-life situation, it’s easier to recall what you were taught to do because you’ve already physically been in that situation – and you’ve already had your hands on a ‘patient’ and you know what interventions have worked. In a way, you’ve already had real-world experience, but in a safe learning environment.”
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