The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing will soon add a new, childlike member to its team to prepare future nurses to care for pediatric patients.
A Nursing Kid Simulator is a skills-based, child-size manikin designed to train nursing students for the care and management of a variety of pediatric patients. The simulator represents a 6-year-old child and will allow nursing students to practice numerous skills, including IV insertion, tracheal and nasogastric suctioning, and wound assessment, among others.
The current pediatrics manikin, known as Pedia, has several cords that connect to a control panel to program various scenarios and can be used only in the simulation lab. Nursing Kid is a standalone manikin that is portable and controlled by a computer tablet.
“We want our faculty to be able to bring simulation-type experiences into the classroom,” said Dr. Megan Lippe, assistant professor and simulation specialist at the Capstone College of Nursing. “The new simulator will provide us more teaching flexibility and opportunities with our students.”
Being able to provide ample training opportunities for those who want to go into pediatric care is vital because many pediatric units limit what nursing students can do during clinical rotations. Nursing Kid will allow UA nursing students to hone their skills before joining the workforce.
“Pediatrics is a very specialized field,” said Jessica Johnson, clinical instructor at the Capstone College of Nursing. “While a lot of the skills translate from adults to children, the way they are implemented is very different. I feel that Nursing Kid is going to allow our students to experience that and prepare them for what they will see in the future.”
According to Johnson, about one-third of each nursing class wants to pursue a career in pediatric care. One key advantage of Nursing Kid is that it will allow more students to cycle through to practice various skills.
“Nursing Kid is designed for rapid-fire clinical techniques and it will allow us repeat skills for multiple students,” said Johnson.
The Capstone College of Nursing will capitalize on an upcoming Universitywide crowdfunding event to help raise money to purchase Nursing Kid to meet the needs of nursing students. The College hopes to raise more than $6,500 during Bama Blitz, an inspiring online fundraising event for alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends to come together and support The University of Alabama.
Beginning at noon April 10 and ending at 8:31 p.m. April 11, Bama Blitz will celebrate UA’s founding year, 1831, with one day, eight hours and 31 minutes of giving.
Those wanting to support the College’s efforts can make a gift online at Bama Blitz’s website.