USC students get real-world medical experience with ‘Sim Man’
The patient presented all of the usual symptoms of a heart attack for a 50-year-old male with shortness of breath, excruciating pain and the feeling of a heavy weight crushing his chest.
But Denny, lying on a gurney at the front of a classroom in Upper St. Clair High School, was never in any real danger. The high-fidelity human simulator mannequin is designed to teach the students of Laura Marks’ honors organic chemistry class about the role of a pharmacist in an emergency.
Denny blinked, breathed, had a heartbeat and could talk, telling the class his health history and his symptoms. Five students assumed roles in a simulation Feb. 10 that could save Denny’s life. Two emergency medical technicians, a doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist all hovered over Denny, reading lines provided to them by University of Pittsburgh pharmacy students running the simulation.
“We are the most ubiquitous health care professional out there,” said Shannon Ye, a Pitt pharmacy student whose mother teaches Mandarin Chinese at USC.
But despite their prominence, what pharmacists actually do often remains a mystery.
Marks, who started the organic chemistry course at USC four years ago, teamed up with the Pitt’s Rx Ambassadors to bring Denny into the school and shed some light on the roles a pharmacist plays in the community, in a hospital and in an emergency situation.
“I think this is going to be very good,” Marks said before the simulation,” because sometimes students ask what a pharmacist does.”
Addie Brown, a 2012 Upper St. Clair graduate studying to be a pharmacist at Pitt, doled out white coats and scripts to the five students participating in the simulation as the rest of the class looked on.
“Look at you all, donning your white coats,” Marks said with a smile.
The students took turns tending to the patient. First, the two EMTs described Denny’s condition and gave a brief medical history, with Denny chiming in to answer questions about his health, his occupation and how much pain he was experiencing.
“Denny’s in bad shape,” Marks said.
The student playing the role of doctor took Denny’s pulse and listened to his breathing. The mannequin had both and students gathered around to feel the pulse through his silicone skin. A nurse administered medication prescribed by the would-be pharmacist. Denny responded, his condition improving.
Until one incorrect dosage of too much Heparin, a common blood thinner, had Denny bleeding out all over the floor of the classroom. The thin fake blood dripped from his synthetic vein.
“Should we help him?” one student asked.
The simulation ended with the botched prescription.
Denny’s ultimate fate was left up to the imagination of students who no longer have to imagine how it feels to be working in the medical field.