The Sister Alison Bush AO Mobile Simulation Centre pulled into Mudgee this week, offering education and training to nurses in the Western and Far Western NSW Health Districts.
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The centre travels to rural and remote communities around the state where there is no easy access to ongoing training and education and provided this education to nurses in these area.
Mobile Simulation Centre educators Jaime Coello and Pauline Webster provided four days of situation- based training to local nurses in Mudgee.
“We hope that the outcome of this is there will be better patient outcomes,” Mr Coello said.
The $1.5 million the education centre on wheels is unique in Australia and possibly the world.
The simulation centre is equipped with world-class training equipment including a simulated man, woman and baby and various simulated body parts.
The simulated man “George” is used to train nurses and hospital staff on how to deal with real life emergency situations.
George can cry, breathe, sweat, have seizures and talk depending on the simulation being run at the time.
“George can represent a whole range of clinical situations in a safe and controlled environment,” Mr Coello said.
“He’s designed to be interactive, offering a dynamic learning environment to the staff we help train. He provides total immersion in the scenario.”
Mr Coello said that a big part of working in a hospital was communication and being able to work as part of a team so that real life situations are handled calmly and correctly.
Next year, the centre will take delivery of a “sim-mum” and a “sim-newbie” that will expand the family of simulation mannequins on board.
“The female mannequin will be able to give birth which will allow us to move into obstetrics and maternity simulations as well,” educator Pauline Webster said.
Sister Alison Bush was the first Aboriginal midwife to be based at a major maternity hospital in NSW and had a career spanning more than four decades by the time of her passing in 2010. She became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1999 and in 2002 received the Centenary of Federation medal, which recognised her dedication and contribution to the nursing profession, in particular the area of midwifery and Aboriginal health.
