DCH Foundation Board Provides Funding To Purchase of a Nursing Anne Training Simulator Manikin for Staff Training

Nursing care has changed dramatically in the nearly 100 years DCH Health System has served the West Alabama community, but the roles of nurse and patient care assistant have remained vital in providing one-on-one care to patients.

As technology has advanced, so has the need to educate staff and provide training. The DCH Foundation Board recently funded the purchase of a Nursing Anne Training Simulator Manikin for the DCH Quest Simulation Center at DCH Regional Medical Center. The manikin will help boost the education and expertise of DCH nursing staff.

“This new simulation manikin will impact patient care by offering a practice and educational environment that is lifelike and realistic,” said Katie Hicks, assistant director of Operations/Clinical Education at DCH. “The patient care staff who are trained on this manikin will be more comfortable with procedures and assessments when delivering patient care.”

Nursing Anne is a manikin designed for scenario-based training for the care and management of a wide variety of inpatients. Its preprogrammed simulation content is designed to provide nurses with hands-on clinical training while focusing on specific learning objectives such as:

• Patient monitoring – integrating a simulated patient monitor enhances clinical realism and will challenge critical thinking skills
• Patient care
• Circulatory skills and IV drug administration
• Heart, lung, bowel and vocal sounds
• Blood pressure and pulse
• Wound assessment and care

“The DCH Foundation is proud to be a part of DCH’s continued efforts to provide this advanced teaching tool to our staff,” said Molly Ingram, vice president of development. Funding for this project was provided through donations received from DCH employees, volunteers and community donations.