Mannequin patients set to transform nurse education in Thailand

A delegation from Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has visited Northumbria University, Newcastle, to see how the University is using simulated patient mannequins to educate its nurses.

Almost 80 nurse educators from colleges across Thailand are spending two weeks at Northumbria learning how to use the mannequins, known as ‘SIM patients’, as part of healthcare teaching. On their return home they will share the knowledge they have gained at Northumbria with their own nursing students and nurse educators.

SIM patient mannequins of adults, children and infants are frequently used in healthcare teaching. The mannequins breathe, have pulses and can display altered heart and lung rhythms. They can be programmed to display a range of conditions, including heart failure, stroke, asthma attack, collapsed lungs, septicaemia and blood clots.

Students can then practice and perform many core skills and emergency procedures on the SIM patients in this safe environment, ensuring they are competent, safe and confident to deliver high quality care.

Professor Kath McCourt CBE, Executive Dean for Northumbria’s Health and Life Sciences programmes, said: “Northumbria’s international reputation as leaders in simulation and healthcare education is growing at an increasing rate. We already undertake significant partnership work in South East Asia and previously we have welcomed healthcare professionals from Norway and Finland, as well as this large cohort from Thailand.

“As a professional university with a practical focus, we frequently work with leading healthcare organisations worldwide to help them to develop the skills of their own staff. Today’s visit by representatives from the Thai Ministry of Public Health is further recognition of our high quality provision.

“The Director of the Ministry of Public Health was impressed by the professional warmth and commitment to work in partnership with the Ministry and believed new education and research activity would be developed in the future.”

Student Viliporn Runkawatt from Nakhon-Ratchasima in north east Thailand said: “My college has 600 nursing students and one SIM model so this will be a great help for us. I’ve enjoyed the teaching very much and have had big support from the lecturers.”

Northumbria’s nursing programmes have the highest student satisfaction ratings in the UK, according to the 2013 National Student Survey. The University was recently voted the UK’s Nurse Education Provider of the Year (post-registration) by the Student Nursing Times for the third year running.

For more information on nursing programmes at Northumbria, visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/nursing