The Clinical Simulation Center in the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital has two simulation suites with full-scale electromechanical mannequins used primarily to train medical students and anesthesia residents.
The mannequins are hooked up to a heart monitor and can breathe, sigh, blink and simulate conditions ranging from a collapsed lung or a heart murmur to an acute heart attack. An instructor controls the symptoms via a computer in an observation room. The mannequin is designed to respond accurately to treatment, or the instructor can override the computer system if the right treatment is being provided but the mannequin does not detect those actions.
The goal of the center is to implement immersive training programs that increase the skill and competence of medical students, physicians and health care professionals in patient care settings.
The 1,600-square-foot center also had an additional mannequin and a conference room to prepare students for training and to evaluate their performance afterward. Becky Snider, RN, is the administrator of the center, which is located on the third floor of Barnes-Jewish Hospital.