SWCC demonstrates medical simulation

As a part of SWCC’s regular meeting, the board travelled from the conference room to the Allied Health & Science building for a demonstration from medical students and faculty on simulation equipment the board had approved in earlier meetings.

The sim lab has been in use since 2015, but has recently received new equipment and mannequin simulators from medical company Gaumard to keep medical students close to the services they are training and studying for.

As members of the SWCC board of directors entered the simulation room, a few were surprised the mannequin on the hospital bed was blinking at them.

The mannequins are meant to be highly realistic, lifelike models of real-world patients to give students experience in an environment where mistakes can be acceptable and corrected. Each mannequin is controlled by an instructor, controlling the scenario from a separate room and observing the students through a one-way mirror.

The instructor can control the mannequin’s pulse and other internal functions and can speak through a microphone into a speaker in the mannequin to let the mannequin character “speak.”

Three students helped demonstrate the sim technology. Nursing students Gavin Evans, Sophia Groumoutis and Kevin Kiprop performed a medical exam on a mannequin, named for the demonstration as Mary Jones. The students checked Jones’s pulse and lung airways, gave medicine to her and spoke to Jones to see the patient’s behaviors.

Tuesday’s demonstration was led by SIM Coordinator Dallas Stephens, who kept the students on their toes. Stephens, in-character through the mannequin’s speaker, explained what type of pain Jones was feeling. She mentioned swelling in her legs, and played a clip of her coughing. When Evans asked if she was having any breathing problems, Stephens, as Jones, said she was feeling a little short of breath.

When Kiprop took away the patient’s soda and chips, Jones wasn’t happy.

“My daughter brought me those chips and soda,” Stephens said, as Jones. “She knows how [I like] my snacks. Nurses here won’t let me have anything.”

“We need to keep you on a low-sodium diet,” Kiprop explained. He and the other students went on to justify the reasoning behind their choice, describing how the swelling in Jones’s legs was being exacerbated by high sodium retaining water in her body.

Board members were able to examine the mannequin, seeing how the equipment they approved was being used. Board President Dr. Tony Cass put on a stethoscope and checked the mannequin’s heart-rate himself.

Jones was just one of the many mannequins within SWCC’s sim lab. The board moved to a larger room and was introduced to a boyish mannequin named Hal, who is used to introduce younger students at local middle schools and high schools for career days. Transport of Hal is easy and a bit grim; he could be folded into a suitcase and carried to his next destination.

“He’s so lifelike,” Nursing Instructor Maureen Weaver said. “His fingers, they can do blood sugar readings. He cries real tears, and he can speak to them.”

As a part of the college’s OB sim, one mannequin is used to give birth. Students help deliver and monitor with two different mannequins, a mother and her newborn. The specificity of these mannequins help create an environment where real experience can be taught to students.

“Nursing continues to be our flagship program here at Southwestern,” SWCC President Lindsay Stoaks said during the meeting.

In other SWCC board news...

The board moved to approve SWCC’s participation in the Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Created by Union County Emergency Management, the Hazard Mitigation Plan lays out proactive plans for various Union County institutions in reducing risk and avoiding hazard events. The last plan was approved in 2018.

Stoaks gave her President’s Report to the board, including new information on spring enrollment. The spring reported 1,564 students were enrolled at SWCC for the semester, down 19 students from last year. Credit hours for spring was detailed at 14,316, a decrease of 137 credit hours from 2024.

Board representative for Community Colleges for Iowa Sue Stearns gave an update to SWCC on a recent meeting. The organization has created a questionaire for trustees of Iowa community colleges to receive feedback and information around a planned trustee handbook the organization is creating. Stearns discussed with the board different governance models, including the strength of the board’s current Carver model.