Patient Simulation Lab

The patient simulation laboratory provides students with the opportunity to tackle real-life scenarios in a safe and supported environment.

Set up like a hospital ward, the Lab contains six full body human patient simulators; 1 child, 1 baby and 4 adults that can mimic everything from the common cold to a major heart condition. Using these simulators means that students can practice health-related scenarios in a safe, realistic environment, without any risk or harm to real patients.

Human patient simulators

Human patient simulators are sophisticated computer controlled mannequins that can be programmed to exhibit a range of signs and symptoms. They replicate real patients and can breathe, cry, sweat, bleed and talk. They also have pulses, chest, heart and bowel sounds.

The Simulation Lab has four bays with bedside cabinets and bedside monitors, hospital sounds, equipment and props. This creates a realistic ward environment where different patients and clinical scenarios can be simulated. Two of the human patient simulators are wireless and portable, which means they can be used to simulate scenarios away from the Simulation Lab, for example in a park, a car, restaurant or street.

The Simulation Lab is unique as it also houses a sound-proof Control Room with one way mirrored glass, which means that the mannequins can be operated covertly, thus creating an extremely realistic clinical experience. The voice of the patient appears to come from the mannequins themselves. Instant feedback, access to physiological data, for example, respiration rate, heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiography (ECG) and verbal responses enable delegates to interact fully in order to assess, diagnose and treat the patient simulators successfully.

State-of-the-art equipment

All the simulation equipment can be linked up to our hi-tech computer and audio-visual aids. Groups of students get to role-play a wide range of different scenarios, with a lab co-ordinator observing, running and intervening in the scenario remotely.

Our equipment includes:

• Emergency Care Patient Simulators: Anatomically correct, feature-rich mannequins, which can be used for the physical demonstration of various clinical signs including bleeding, breathing, blinking eyes and convulsions.
• iStan Patient Simulators: A step up from the ECS, the iStan adds an essential human element to patient simulation. It moves, breathes, can cry out or moan with pain, providing a realistic patient for you to practice on
• Pedia Patient Simulator: A complete reproduction of a six-year-old child enabling you to practice paediatric scenarios
• Baby simulator: This mannequin makes it possible to interact with our most vulnerable patients - in a safe, realistic learning environment

Sophisticated computer equipment can also provide detailed physiological information for each of the simulators under observation. The lab will help you develop the clinical skills you need but also the high level communication skills that will make a real difference to your patients.