The Rae Fawcett Simulation Centre, located in the Clinical Services Building at RIH, is providing the local medical team and students with a new level of health care training.

The Simulation Centre is designed to look and function like a real patient room in the hospital with the same equipment and tools available to care for patients. State-of-the-art patient simulators are used to make the training scenarios as realistic as possible. Controlled by the trainer from a separate room, the simulator “patient” can talk, breathe, accept medication and will react to treatment accordingly. A large monitor on the wall shows the simulator’s vitals to the team so they know how their patient is doing.

The Simulation Centre opened in 2016 with two simulators: an adult patient named “Alex” as well as a pediatric doll known as “Casey”. Since then, two additional simulators have been added: a pregnant simulator, “Victoria”, who can give birth as well as a smaller resuscitation doll “Annie” who can be transported to different areas of the hospital with ease to practice CPR and even mock codes. The simulators all provide users with a score on their CPR delivery and feedback for improving CPR. This is critical to patient care, as evidence has shown that high-quality CPR and early defibrillation are key to saving lives in a cardiac arrest situation.

“Simulation training also offers staff and students the opportunity to improve their ability to work as a team in a stressful situation, “ explains Chelsea Holmes, the Regional Knowledge Coordinator for the IH Simulation Program in Kamloops. “Communication between staff can be crucial when caring for a seriously ill patient and the simulations provide staff and medical students with a safe environment for learning.”

Rae Fawcett was thrilled to have the opportunity to support a new place of learning at RIH. “It is a great honour to have my name attached to the simulation centre. I know it will save lives.