UNMC has provided training in the Simulation Nebraska (or SIM-NE) trucks to the first of 107 organizations across Nebraska who have requested it.
Doug Dekker, the SIM-NE program liaison, said 15 registered nurses and emergency medical technicians trained for about three-and-a-half hours at the Carl T. Curtis Health Education Center in Macy, Neb. They practiced simulated pediatric asthma attacks and heroin overdoses.
“The training went very well,” Dekker said. “All were very receptive and excited about the new things they learned that they could take back and put into practice. They hadn’t trained on simulation before so they were excited to get the training.”
Emergency medical service personnel from Wahoo Fire and Rescue were the second trained in the state. EMS Chief Grant Anderson said he requested the training to provide EMS personnel with the most realistic hands-on training available.
“It allows our staff to train for high acuity cases in a venue that comes right to our department. It gave us the ability to focus on low-volume critical skills in a setting that allows for mistakes to occur without consequences and helps improve our EMS providers’ skillset.”
The customized trucks, funded by a $5.5 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, feature high-tech simulation and real-life training experiences. The training is free and targeted to rural emergency medical service agencies and rural critical access hospitals.
“It’s great to hear the trucks have been deployed and are accomplishing their primary mission,” said Paul Paulman, M.D., principal investigator of the grant and UNMC assistant dean for clinical skills and quality. “This program is an asset for Nebraska.”