Dummies are at this hos
YOU COULD be forgiven for thinking it was the real thing – after all, that is the idea.
A Clinical Simulation Training Suite on the University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus has been created to look exactly like a hospital.
Designed in partnership with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (RBFT), it faithfully recreates a Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) ward, enabling medical students and NHS staff to learn within a space that looks and feels just like the real thing.
There are four beds, video link facilities, consultation spaces, and specialist equipment can also be used by RBFT employees, and healthcare colleagues in the wider community.
The suite is a joint collaboration between the University and RBFT, through the Health Innovation Partnership, and was made possible by a £2.63m grant from the Office for Students.
Newly installed equipment includes an anatomage table, which displays a three dimensional visualisation of a human body, and comes with virtual dissection tools for teaching anatomy and physiology.
Assembled from scans of a real body, its images enable students to explore all aspects of anatomy in as much detail as they require to support their learning.
Student Rakshitha Balasa said: “In lectures we learn theory, but the anatomage table is so much more interactive.
“We’ve been studying the knee recently, and it is so interesting to actually see the different muscles, and how they work.”
Student Ammara Javed agreed: “It’s so much better to work with, and more visual than text books and videos.”
Students Adam Cozens, Rabia Chaudhry, and Darch Patel were impressed by the simulated ward.
“It is surprisingly realistic, and that will help us to make the transition from university to actual placements,” Adam said.
“With this number of beds we can practice and learn together,” said Rabia.
Darsh said: “The ward has been created to help us experience what it’s like working inside RBH, and that will enable us to feel more confident.”
Professor Orla Kennedy, Strategic Partnership Director for Health at the University of Reading, said:
“The Clinical Simulation Training Suite will help address the urgent need for additional medical and healthcare training spaces in Berkshire, and help meet growing demand for the University’s Physician Associate and other allied health professional programmes.
“This specialist environment will help give our students an insight into what it’s like to work in a real hospital ward, helping to better prepare them for their future career in the healthcare sector.
“We are proud to have worked closely with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust to deliver this new training facility.
“It is just one example of how we are working together to improve patient care and clinical