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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X S E P T E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 2 2 14 H E A LT H C A R E / W E L L N E S S A t Central Maine Community College in Auburn, a high-tech mannequin named Victoria is pregnant with her baby, Tory. Also referred to as a simulator, Victoria can go into labor and deliver the baby. Both mannequins have real- istic blood pressure, pulses, bowel sounds and eyes that blink. ey can be made to seem like they're speaking. "We control the rate of labor, we have the contrac- tions on one screen and we'll have the fetal heart rate on another screen," says Kathy McManus, chair of the college's nursing program. "Students can look at how mom is doing, how baby is doing in utero – and the advantage is that we can stop and start. ose are teachable moments." Simulators and other high-tech equipment used to train students in the health care professions are getting more sophisticated all the time. And simulation capacity is expanding. For example, new simulation technology and simulation coordinator positions are among key elements as Maine's community college system looks to double its nursing program to 480 students per year, thanks to a $2.5 million allocation included in Maine's supplemental budget earlier this year and matched by MaineHealth and Northern Light Health. e expansion is part of an ongoing effort to use simulated environments to provide near-real-world experiences to students in supervised training settings, says Jessica Dreves, chair of the nursing department at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. Leading institutions use advanced simulation technology to improve graduates' competence, espe- cially in clinically high-risk, low-occurrence situa- tions, Dreves says. "e technology used in a simulation lab com- bines real clinical gear, robotic, full-body simulators, simulation-specific monitoring, wireless controllers, communication equipment and audiovisual record- ing apparatus," says Todd Dadaleares, Southern Maine Community College's healthcare simulation operations specialist. "At times, clinical actors or standardized patients will be trained to play specific roles as a patient, family member or embedded par- ticipant to guide the simulation and/or the learners through the scenario." He adds, "A well-run simulation should have all the elements of a well-rehearsed one-act play." Debrief Simulation has numerous benefits. Unlike real life, instructors can stop and restart scenarios, giving students time to ask questions and practice maneuvers. e quality and ease of use of today's simulators has improved vastly, requiring hand-held computer tablets and monitors. "ere used to be a massive computer," says McManus. "Our first simulator had a room that ran the compressor. All the wires and the compression hoses came through the wall and hooked to the mannequin." Also useful is the ability to record simulations, allowing for playback and constructive critique. Dreves says simulation is used across the Southern Maine Community College nursing cur- riculum in various ways. "In our beginning semesters, simulation is a great way to safely demonstrate assessments, medication admin- istration, interventions such as intramuscular injections and urinary catheter insertions," Dreves says. In later semesters, high-fidelity mannequins can simulate scenarios such as childbirth and life-threat- ening scenarios across the lifespan, from infant to F O C U S A well-run simulation should have all the elements of a well- rehearsed one-act play. — Todd Dadaleares Southern Maine Community College P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY The Simulation Center control room monitors the medical surgical patient room seen through the window at the Central Maine Community College Nursing Program in Auburn MEDICAL practice Today's high-tech patient simulators help grow student skills and health care workforce B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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