Sophisticated dummies prepare students for real-life emergencies 

 
 
(From left) CDU Bachelor of Nursing students Tania Bennett, Oscar Tshuma, Nichelle Duthie and Melissa Bingham

State-of-the-art computer-controlled mannequins that can be used to create almost any medical crisis are preparing students at Charles Darwin University for real life emergencies.

CDU health sciences lecturer, Stephane Bouchoucha said the 21 mannequins located in the nursing laboratories on the Casuarina campus, have enabled students to learn from extremely realistic situations.

“These mannequins breathe, have a heart rate and even cry,” he said.

“Using the technology we can create real scenarios for students to use their knowledge to assess the emergency and provide the appropriate treatment in a hospital ward, remote area or in a community situation.

“With a remote control, we can change the breathing rate of the mannequins and even send our high fidelity mannequin into cardiac arrest so the students can respond with CPR and defibrillation.”

Mr Bouchoucha said the simulation equipment is currently being used in the existing clinical laboratory, but will also enable the delivery of high fidelity simulation in the refurbished clinical teaching space.

“The refurbished clinical teaching space will include an area with a two-way mirror and one higher specification mannequin to allow for assessment/recording of clinical procedure,” he said.

The new teaching space and equipment will enable the students to receive invaluable feedback and greatly empower them in their clinical learning.

The new mannequins will be used by CDU Bachelor of Nursing students to prepare for their placements in hospitals, communities and remote settings in the NT and around Australia.