Oct. 12--The "patient" in the new employee learning center at Schuylkill Health will give hospital staff a new perspective on saving lives.
The human patient simulator, a new technology from Medical Education Technologies Inc., is a life-size, realistic human mannequin that will allow nurses and other healthcare providers to get more hands-on experience in caring for people with various health conditions.
The medical model is just one of the many tools and educational resources available in the hospital's most recent addition, the Judge Joseph F. McCloskey Employee Learning Center, located on the second floor of the hospitals's School of Nursing Building, South Jackson Street, Pottsville.
The center was completed in August and dedicated in September, said Stacia Visgarda, the hospital's director of development.
McCloskey was a board member of the Pottsville Hospital and Warne Clinic for 32 years, chairman of its board for 21 years, and currently the board chairman of the newly-merged Schuylkill Health.
"The learning center will allow us to provide more opportunities for continuing education and training to our staff, which in turn will enable us to provide better care to our patients," Visgarda said.
The room is equipped with a medical library, a conference classroom equipped with SMART board technology, computer stations where staff can access tutorials, take certification tests, and do research.
"We're making it easier for our staff to complete their continuing education requirements by bringing it all together in one place," Visgarda said.
It will also be home to the "METI man" human patient simulator, and other state-of-the art technology and learning tools, said M. Michael Peckman, the director of public relation for Schuylkill Health.
The technology was recently donated to the hospital by Pottsville and Schuylkill EMS, Peckman said.
Once the simulator's computer software package is installed, staff will have the opportunity to observe and diagnose dozens of patient conditions, from trauma to cardiovascular diseases.
The model can breathe, run a fever and even have a heart attack or stroke. Staff can take its blood pressure and vitals as they would a real patient, and the instructor can program a condition and have students diagnose and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
He can mimic countless human diseases and conditions, and he will even die if the correct measures are not taken to ensure his wellbeing.
It all adds up to improving better patient care and outcomes, said Karen Fabrizio, a nurse practitioner in the hospital's education and VA clinic.
"Education is never done in the field of healthcare. You're always learning," she said.
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