The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 25
Lancaster Medical School’s Mobile Simulation
Teaching Unit is the first in England
Dr Cliff Shelton of Lancaster Medical School on the left of the
Executive Dean of FHM Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone (centre) and
the Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Schofield
“We are confident that students will benefit from the unit and that it
will prepare them for the roles they are going to undertake when they
graduate and start their own careers in health and social care.”
A £480,000 Mobile Simulation Teaching Unit has been delivered to
Lancaster Medical School to help train medical students, anaesthesia
associates and NHS staff.
The Mobile Simulation Teaching Unit can also be used to help train the
NHS workforce across North Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Funded by both Health Education England and Lancaster University, the
Unit is the first of its kind in England.
The Head of Lancaster Medical School Professor Marina Anderson said:
“It’s essential that we develop innovative ways to equip our doctors of
the future with the skills they need to deliver excellent healthcare to
all. Our Mobile Simulation Teaching Unit is an exciting new resource
that will allow us to take cutting-edge clinical education out to the
community that we serve.”
The Mobile Simulation Teaching Unit contains eight patient trolleys
which can be occupied by either manikins or simulated patients.
Students can practice diagnosis, communication and treatment as part
of their training.
The interior can be changed to simulate different medical environments
such as an emergency department resuscitation room, operating
theatre or hospital ward.
Dr Shelton said: “What is really exciting is the potential to go out and
visit local hospitals and communities and work with other institutions
to engage in multi-professional training. For example, we could take
the Unit out to Barrow or Kendal and train NHS staff or student nurses
alongside our own students, and we are in preliminary discussions
about this.”
Lancaster Medical School already supports the NHS workforce in the
North of England through its Anaesthesia Associate Blended Learning
Programme to reduce long waiting times for NHS surgery.
The Medical School is ranked 13th in the UK and 1st for Student
Satisfaction in the Complete University Guide 2024.
The Guide also ranks Biomedical Science at Lancaster 2nd in the UK and
4th for Student satisfaction while Sports and Exercise Science is ranked
10th in the UK and 1st for Student Satisfaction.
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The manikins simulate clinical findings, display vital signs such as heart
rate and blood pressure, and students can use them to practice skills
such as taking blood or inserting urinary catheters. They are even
programmed with basic expressions such as “my tummy hurts” and can
respond to simple questions with a “yes” or “no”
Dr Cliff Shelton, Director of Simulation and Clinical Skills at Lancaster
Medical School, said: “We can decide which illnesses the manikins will
have and set them up with signs of that illness. You could have one
manikin with a broken leg, and another having a heart attack, for
example. We can help the students learn to prioritise tasks, diagnose
and treat problems, and communicate effectively with patients and
colleagues.
“This has the advantage that we can ensure that the students learn
to manage situations that they may struggle to access on traditional
placements because they are rare or high-stakes.
“The medical students are also not practicing on real patients so there
is no risk, and the students feel safer to make mistakes and learn from
them. A key element of this type of training is the debrief when we
reflect on what happened, and look at how any treatment can be
improved.”
Health Education England’s Regional Director for the North West Chris
Cutts said: “It has been an absolute honour for us at Health Education
England to work with our colleagues at Lancaster Medical School in
funding this exciting and cutting-edge Mobile Simulation Teaching Unit.
“We are dedicated to educating and upskilling students and healthcare
providers, and firmly believe that simulation-based training as a
complement to face-to-face practice yields better learning, and in turn
better patient outcomes, which is our ultimate goal.
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Issue 394
July
2023
25