Mobile simulator brings medical training to rural Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Improving medical care in rural Missouri communities, that’s the goal of a Mobile Simulator from the Missouri School of Medicine that came to Sikeston on Thursday, May 4.

The almost real-life patients inside the training unit make all of the difference.

The mannequins say phrases like “I hurt all over” and “I want to go home,” things a patient in the emergency room might say.

On Thursday, they were plugged in and ready to teach.

”You can do anything to a mannequin that you can do to a real patient,” Megan Crane said. She’s the simulation coordinator.

The mannequins breathe, they talk and they even move. Crane said they have a lot to offer.

”They have vital signs, they have pulses, you can listen to their heart and lung sounds, you can also intubate them,” she said.

On Thursday, they were parked outside Missouri Delta Medical Center.

”Not everybody has the opportunity to use all of these tools and resources on a regular basis,” Keri Barclay said. She’s a registered nurse and also a part of the Missouri Hospital Association, which is hosting the training.

Barclay said it’s a vital tool for medical professionals.

”Most nurses and EMS are hands on people and hands on learners, so it really helps bring it all together and hopefully provide much better care to our communities,” Barclay said.

The training is designed to help hospital staff prepare for any incident that would overwhelm their emergency room.

”The more rural you are it doesn’t take as many patients,” Barclay said.

The simulation lab and its realistic patients are a crucial part of the training.

”Instead of just going in and performing the skill, you get to really see how that would interact and impact their patient care,” Barclay said.

The goal of the simulator in rural areas, is to bring the training to them.

”Want to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to provide the best and safest care possible for their community,” Barclay said.

Nurses from all over southeast Missouri came to participate. Barclay said they hope to hold more trainings with the simulator in the future.

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