Recently, the Southeastern Technical Institute adult Practical Nurse and Medical Assisting students collaborated in a hands-on simulation training event, working together to reinforce their education and further develop their skills.
Before entering the Practical Nurse Lab, the Practical Nurse students were informed they were going to be using their skills in an emergency care situation by their instructor, Mrs. Carol Miller. The scenario: A local hospital has damage from a recent storm and has asked that the nearest clinic assist with the triage and treatment of their overflow patients.
Five beds were utilized and the Medical Assisting students were the standardized patients. They were provided with a script on Tuesday to prepare for the simulation. The Medical Assisting students took their role and played the part appropriately engaging the Practical Nurse students in the situation. The students’ role played various illness, injuries or diseases, complained of certain symptoms and modeled behaviors the nurses may encounter in an emergent situation. Medical Assisting Director Susan Beer was proud of her students’ participation. “The MA’s took on the challenge with zeal and displayed academy award-winning performances. Though the collaboration was primarily to assist the nursing students, the MA’s accurate portrayal of symptoms reinforced for them their understanding of various disease processes they have studied in their program.”
Once the scenarios were all completed, Mrs. Miller and all of the students met for a debriefing to discuss what each group thought of the experience; what it was like to be a patient and what it was like to be taking care of a standardized patient versus the simulated mannequin. Mrs. Miller and the students agreed that it was a worthwhile experience and she hopes to continue to incorporate this into the curriculum moving forward.
We would especially like to thank all of the Practical Nurse and Medical Assisting students, Practical Nurse Instructor Carol Miller, Medical Assisting Director Susan Beer, Instructor Patricia Illsley and Student Support Advisor Cristina Barros for their efforts throughout the day. We would also like to thank the Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School’s Video & Performing Arts students and their instructor, Ms. Brown, for their assistance with photographing and recording the event.