After De Montfort University unveiled its new Hi-tech simulation suite, Quadrant Health sits down with Simon Oldroyd, Dean at the faculty of Health and Life Sciences, to discuss what the suite is and how it will help the development of healthcare students.
De Montfort University’s brand new, £1.7 million suite enables students to enhance their experiences on campus. Students at the university can use the new suite to practice real-life situations on simulation manikins, named Simpeople.
Hi-tech manakins have integrated software installed onto them so that data on the simulations can be recorded for training purposes.
Additionally, the learning space software also records the simulated procedure on high definition cameras and also records the audio. This offers a 360-degree on-demand feature to allow for extensive analysis for each student.
Simon Oldroyd told Quadrant Health: “We’ve had some simulation suites before but this is a big change for us. It is a huge simulation suite in a big open plan building. It is an open space that we can use for all of the faculty.”
We’ve had some simulation suites before but this is a big change for us. It is a huge simulation suite in a big open plan building. It is an open space that we can use for all of the faculty
Real-time feedback is essential for development
A key benefit of this development is the ability for students to get real-time feedback to help improve their skills. Simon explained: “If we are doing a certain procedure we can do it every week for ten weeks, so the students can look back at themselves and see how their approach to the patient has changed. It is a feedback mechanism as well.”
Not only does this technology help healthcare students get real-time feedback, but it also allows for greater depth and breadth of teaching.
“Some of the situations we can demonstrate could be critical situations. When they’re in clinical practice these situations might not come around that often. So a student could be on placement for a whole year and not see some of the situations that we can use in our simulation,” added Simon.
More than just technology
The Dean told Quadrant Health the importance of developing the suite itself, not just enhancing technology. To ensure this, the suite has an identical layout to a typical ward.
This has been done “right down to the last detail. Where the oxygen plugs in on a wall and so on. It is replicated because it has to be. The students have to feel that they’re in a clinical environment.”
While no one has had the chance to use the new simulation manikins, the Dean is very excited to have Healthcare students enhancing their education.