July 2022 - SEM Trainers

3 Tips to Choose the Right Manikins for Medical Simulation with SEM Trainers

Simulation brings a lot of new benefits to medical training, like hands-on training, a risk-free environment, and building a number of different skills. And with the medical simulation industry growing, now, there are more kinds of manikins than ever. But with so many options available, how do instructors decide which ones to get for their simulation labs?

How to Choose the Right Manikins for Your Medical Simulation Lab?

Although there are a myriad of simulators available, ultimately, there are 3 main factors to consider that will help you pick the right manikins for Medical Simulation to fulfill your needs- features, cost, and fidelity.

1.It should fulfill the purpose

The first thing to think about is what you will want to use the manikins- which skills you will want to teach using the manikin. For example, if you will be teaching airway management, these are the questions to ask: Will you need both adult and child manikins? Will you need the defibrillation features? Will you need intubation functionality? (..and so on) You might also want to avoid overspending on a manikin with too many extra features that will end up never being used. What is the point of splurging on a manikin that you will only use to 40% of its potential?

Let’s take another example. Suppose you need the students to learn how to place a catheter and get proper fluid return. The KERi Complete will be enough for that. But if you want them to learn more comprehensive diagnostics and patient care, you will either need to go for the Advanced KERi which is equipped with an IV and blood pressure training arm, or complement the KERi Complete with a training arm purchased separately (and then spend the rest of the money on other things for the simulation lab).

2.Consider your budgets

While we would all always like to get our hands on all the state-of-the-art, high-tech and the most high-fidelity manikins for training, in reality, it is not always possible to do so. (But fortunately, at SEM Trainers, we bring you dozens of high-quality, reliable manikins to choose from that will suit your needs). More often than not, we have to work with limited budgets due to limited funding available. That is why instead of splurging all your money on a couple extraordinary manikins with way too many features, it might be a good idea to figure out your requirements and distribute your budget across those. When looking for manikins, ask yourself questions like- Do I need all these features or will the one with fewer features do just as well? How much fidelity do I really need for teaching this particular skill? There may also be upfront or annual fees for add-ons like training, installation, warranties, and service fees to account for, so it’s always best to consider the entire expense before making a choice.

3.Think about the fidelity-cost trade-off

Manikins come in different fidelity levels. High-fidelity manikins look and behave more realistically compared to the low-fidelity ones. Some skills require the scenario to be more realistic and believable- they may be better off using those high-fidelity manikins that offer a higher degree of realism. But high-fidelity manikins are far more expensive than the low-fidelity ones. And while it can’t always be a bad thing to go for the high-fidelity manikin everytime, the truth is that you have a budget to stick to. Ultimately, you have to make a trade-off between the level of fidelity offered and the cost of a manikin. Sometimes, you will have to make do with the level of fidelity that is just good enough for the purpose.

So, if you are an instructor, by keeping in mind the purpose of the manikin (which will decide the features you will need), the budget you have available (which will be best distributed according to your needs), and the level of fidelity you can afford at a convenient cost, you will be able to make the right decisions about the manikins to get for your simulation lab.

Check out the range of manikins offered by SEM Trainers:

5 Reasons Why Simulation Training is Better | Healthcare

The benefits of incorporating simulation training in teaching specific medical skills are manifold. But what are the 5 biggest advantages that make it a viable option that delivers superior results to using the traditional teaching paradigm alone? Let’s find out.

What is Simulation Training?

Simulation training is the process of reproducing realistic environments and situations (often with the use of lifelike simulators/manikins and trainers/medical skills) to create a hands-on learning experience for a learner to practice certain skills. Simulation has been adopted into various fields as a method of learning. For example, pilots first learn to fly a plane on a simulator. Today, it is an essential teaching tool in various industries like aviation, military, and healthcare.

5 Things that Make it Better than Traditional Learning

There are many more benefits to simulation learning other than the fact that it provides the opportunity for hands-on learning. Here are 5 reasons why it is effective (and better):

It provides a safe environment and avoids risk to real patients

While simulation provides an excellent hands-on learning opportunity (theoretical learning isn’t enough for some skills), it does so in a safe environment. This means that students can explore. That they are free to make mistakes and are given the chance to learn from their mistakes rather than being reprimanded for them or the mistakes translating into real-life blunders. This is a rather important attribute of the learning process- the privilege to be able to make mistakes and learn from them. And when students feel free to explore, they inarguably learn better. On top of that, it means that real patients will not be put at risk, as it is when learners practice on real patients- one mistake and a lot could go wrong. Plus, not everyone is comfortable with being attended by a fresher-simulation also helps avoid that.

It builds team skills (among many others)

Usually, in the real-life clinical setting, professionals don’t work alone. A whole team of individuals and a whole lot of work goes into saving lives. Individuals must work together to make the best decisions possible in time to save a patient’s life and deliver optimal treatment quality. Apart from building skills like decision-making skills and the ability to think on your feet, simulation in healthcare training helps build communication and collaboration skills and the ability to work in a team. It also helps with team leading, team building, and crisis resource management skills. People don’t just start working together if placed in the same room; the ability to work efficiently as part of a team is important.

It builds confidence AND improves the quality of patient care delivered

By bridging the gap between theory and practice, simulation training is able to instill a kind of confidence in learners that enables them to go ahead and deliver excellent quality care as they step into the profession. And confidence is also directly linked to competence. A confident professional will be able to smartly deal with any situation- like when interacting with patients or their families, or when there is a tough decision to make. So when learners start to develop confidence, it becomes easier for them to start taking their own decisions and operating by their own autonomy.

It provides real-time feedback

Not only does simulation training and medical skills bridge the gap between theory and practice, through the use of lifelike simulators and trainers with monitors that display real-time feedback, it is made easier to assess the student’s performance. But this isn’t useful for the instructor alone. It means that the student can evaluate his own performance as he works on the patient (manikin or trainer) and evolve to make better decisions during the process. This is a benefit that is not present with the traditional training method. It is one of the things that makes simulation training so effective in healthcare.

It gives learners an idea of what to expect

While a simulated environment is exciting and comfortable, it also prepares learners for what to expect in a real clinical setting. With high-fidelity simulation, there are some distractions as would be in a real hospital. There may be too much noise, a bad smell, or a number of other big and small disturbances that can easily distract someone working on a critical task and result in serious procedural errors. It can also worsen performance and increase the number of attempts and the amount of time taken to do something. Being exposed to such distractions at an early learning stage can accustom the learner to think on their feet and perform better despite said distractions, effectively preventing serious errors.

With such obvious benefits, simulation training greatly outweighs the performance benefits offered by traditional learning alone, and is an indispensable asset in healthcare education.