THUNDER BAY — Students enroled in Confederation College's new standalone Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will learn their skills with the help of some updated equipment.
Changes in the college's health care simulation labs announced Wednesday include a newly-acquired manikin valued at more than $57,000.
Manikins allow medical students to practise clinical scenarios on anatomically correct models of the human body, and can range from high fidelity to low fidelity, which are terms that pertain to how realistic they are.
The new high fidelity manikin at the college mimics a five-year-old child, and joins the existing suite that includes two birthing manikins, each with a newborn exhibiting vital signs, a one-to-six month old manikin, two pediatric manikins, two high fidelity 3G manikins purchased in 2020 for $270,000 that replicate human responses, and a host of trainer manikins.
In collaboration with Superior North EMS, the college has also completed upgrades to the video equipment in its simulation suites.
It said these will allow faculty to monitor simulations from a control room, where the manikins provide real-time feedback.
Shane Strickland, dean of the school of Health, Negahneewin & Community Services, said the college is proud to launch its own Bachelor of Science in Nursing program with the latest in simulation equipment.
"Training the next generation of nurses not only empowers our students but also addresses the regional nurse shortage," Strickland said. "We are thrilled to to play a crucial role in shaping the future of healthcare in our region and leverage simulation to provide critical practice environments for our students."
Confederation received $15,000 donation from the Andison Family Foundation in support of the procurement of new equipment.
Wednesday marked the first day of classes in the four-year program, which was announced last year after a collaborative nursing degree program with Lakehead University was terminated.
All seats for the first intake for the college program have been filled.
Lakehead recently unveiled a new digitized manikin for its own nursing program.
