Norfolk to be Home of New ‘Simulation in Motion’ Truck

Some of the most important, and under-facilitated, medical facilities in the country are those in rural areas. While hospitals in the bigger cities get the attention and funding, the rural hospitals are tasked with the care of a much wider area. Because these rural hospitals are few and far between, their training problems are magnified. However, the University of Nebraska Medical Center created a unique way to help solve that problem.

The Med Center created four mobile simulation trucks which will travel between medical facilities to provide on-site training and simulation.

Each truck is 44 feet long and packed with the latest training and simulation technology. The truck has the ability to simulate patent rooms, emergency rooms and an ambulance. They also come with computerized mannequins which are able to breathe, talk, bleed and more.

The truck’s versatility allows trainers to teach medical personnel from nurses to techs and even doctors themselves. The trucks hope to increase patient safety by implementing more consistent training scenarios.

“These four trucks are a realization of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, of Nebraska Medicine and of the University of Nebraska system at large,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold. “Because it’s a way of saying to the communities we serve ‘we hear you and we’re here to help you to keep the citizens of the local community healthy.”

Within a densely packed city, there are more opportunities for medical specialists. The amount of people living within the city limits create enough opportunity and profit for multiple medical professionals to occupy the same space. This just isn’t true in rural environments. Because of this, rural hospitals have to be prepared to deal with a wider variety of medical issues; this is why the need for consistent training is so important.

However, for as important as the need for constant training is for the rural environments, it’s not the most cost effective of solutions. By utilizing such a unique way of providing access to simulation technology, Nebraska’s medical facilities are going to continue to receive the training they need to help the far-reaching communities they service.

Source: http://norfolkdailynews.com/news/norfolk-to-be-home-of-new-simulation-in-motion-truck/article_224eb8d8-51d2-11e7-a4d6-4b4167bbb174.html