A student in the UNMC College of Nursing’s master’s degree program and staff from Simulation in Motion-Nebraska collaborated to take training to school nurses in the Omaha area.
Since launching the SIM-NE project a year ago, 133 training events have been completed serving EMS and hospital professionals throughout rural Nebraska. This was the SIM-NE first training event with a school district.
Amy Steinauer, a case management nurse at Nebraska Medicine, led the effort as part of her project requirement for the UNMC College of Nursing’s master’s degree program.
The project, which spanned two semesters, was the culmination of an organizational assessment at Papillion LaVista Community Schools, including reviewing the structure, culture and processes, including nurses and those they interact with, to evaluate potential new opportunities.
She met with nine school nurses who serve in the district, two of whom serve medically fragile children, to discuss results of the assessment and get input about what training would be beneficial. She also met with Brian Monaghan, interim program manager, Simulation in Motion-Nebraska, and manager of Advanced Simulation Operations, iEXCEL, Sorrell Clinical Simulation Lab, to enlist his help with the training.
When the nine school nurses stepped into a SIM-NE truck last Friday at Papillion-La Vista High School, they experienced training like nothing else.
They practiced situations they may encounter at school including head injury assessment, drug overdose, tracheostomy emergencies and dislodgment of gastric tubes — in a simulated emergency room and ambulance and on computerized mannequins that talk, breathe, have heartbeats, and can react to medications and other actions of the learners.
“The nurses’ reaction to the training was incredible,” said Steinauer. “It was very rewarding to see their enthusiasm and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to put this program together.
“School nurses are in a unique situation where they may be the only health care provider in the school. This gave them an opportunity to practice and learn from the trainers, as well as a chance to problem solve with their colleagues.”
Two UNMC doctor of nursing practice students and interns at Nebraska Medicine’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Ashley Ulsh and Jaka Montange, were the content experts and helped Steinauer present materials.
Papillion LaVista school nurse Annette Jeanes, said continuing education in her job is critical.
“School nurses are not just band-aids and boo-boos and ice packs, it’s real-world care for students-young adults. Instead of us having to go outside to look for the education, it came to us.”
SIM-NE trainers provided emergency scenarios and feedback afterward.
“The participants really enjoyed the interactive, hands-on approach to learning and were very appreciative that they were able to practice the skills that they had reviewed in a safe and comfortable environment,” Monaghan said.
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