MacEwan University Clinical Simulation Laboratory Effectively Operates at TNMU

It has been almost ten years since the beginning of close cooperation between I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, MacEwan University in Canada (https://www.macewan.ca/home/) and the Ukrainian Resource and Development Center (https://www.macewan.ca/academics/centres-institutes/ukrainian-resource-and-development-centre/). During this time, three grant projects were implemented, bilateral exchanges of teachers and students were carried out. In addition, a joint Canadian-Ukrainian course “Global Health” was launched, which involved the educational community of both universities.

In September 2022, within the framework of cooperation, TNMU received as a gift a multi-functional Nursing Kelly manikin with the SimPad® system, which significantly expanded the opportunities for mastering practical skills by students of the Academic and Research Institute of Nursing and Simulation Training Centre. This also gave impetus to the creation of a specialized clinical skills room.

The realistic simulation-based manikin platform enables students to perform patient assessment and basic patient care procedures including oral and denture care, oropharyngeal suctioning, endotracheal tube insertion, securing and care, and tracheostomy care and tracheal suctioning, gastric lavage, cystotomy, colostomy and ileostomy placement, injections and placement of intravascular catheters, urinary catheters, and enemas. The ability to determine the peripheral pulse and measure blood pressure (with a range of 0-300 mmHg, measurement accuracy is +/- 4 mmHg) are clinically significant. The peripheral pulse simulator controls brachial and radial pulses. The pulse is active only when palpated and is synchronized with the programmable ECG. The carotid pulse is generated manually. SIMPAD® SYSTEM allows you to synchronize heart sounds with ECG, auscultated lung sounds with breathing, carry out individual selection of lung sounds, intestinal sounds depending on the disease, which is provided by a manual remote control with a touch screen. The touch screen simulates the patient’s monitor and records the main parameters in the log: pulse, heart rate, ECG, SpO2, BP, temperature, CO2, SpO2.

For proper training, a separate clinical skills room named after MacEwan University is equipped, in which, in addition to the manikin described above, there are also other dummies for teaching practical skills.

We express our deepest appreciation to the authorities of MacEwan University and the director of Ukrainian initiatives, the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre of MacEwan University, Larysa Hayduk, for their cooperation and significant contribution to the development of nursing education in Ukraine.

The information was provided by Associate Professor Svitlana Danchak.