Seattle-based medical simulator manufacturer, Simulab, hosted a group of twelve high school juniors from the STEM program at Seattle Public Schools for an entire week.
This event was part of the Job Shadowing program, where students get the opportunity to learn firsthand about job skills and careers. In return, Simulab gets the chance to introduce talented students to the unique world of medical simulation.
STEM Students’ Experience with the Healthcare Simulators
Several of the students chose Simulab because they have plans to go into the medical profession. They were particularly excited when they got to do some actual hands-on suturing and surgical techniques on the simulators.
“I thought the instruments were really cool,” states an aspiring veterinary student. When asked if getting some hands-on experience feeling the patient simulator’s inflating and deflating lungs made him more excited to pursue a career in pediatrics, another student beamed, “For sure!”
Each student was matched to a mentor within the company with a job similar to that student’s own career goals. In addition, each of the company’s management team shared his or her own educational and career path—how did they get to where they are now—and what advice would each offer his or her 17-year-old self.
“Our team has been very excited for this opportunity to spend an entire week mentoring these future stars of STEM careers,” states Doug Beighle, President of Simulab. “This Job Shadow Program allows businesses to reach out to students. One of our company’s core principles is ‘to have a positive work environment’—and mentoring these great kids has added to our positive culture.”
Giving SIU Students Exposure to Hands-on Healthcare Training
The SIU School of Medicine and the Memorial Medical Center, located in Springfield, IL have designed a program for high school and college students as well as community members interested in learning more about a career in healthcare.
The program, Hands-On Healthcare, provides the participants an opportunity to engage with current healthcare professionals and explore different paths available in a healthcare career. The program aims to motivate and inspire the young students who have shown an interest in medicine and provide them with real-life experiences.
The recent curriculum included the simulation of a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Simulab was proud to have the Universal Surgical Abdomen Team Training System used in this educational opportunity.
Constantly Pushing the Bounds of Human Realism
Simulab has been described as a practical engineering and manufacturing company—with a bit of mad scientist thrown in for good measure. Their goal over the past 20 years has always been to create flexible, portable, affordable, and clinically relevant substitutes for both animal and human subjects used in medical training.
By consistently updating their portfolio of realistic simulators, they are able to provide medical institutions with the best learning resources. Just a few years ago when Simulab first launched its realistic airway management training system, AirwayMan™, it was well-received by the emergency physicians who reviewed it.
They commented that AirwayMan’s head feels properly weighted and lifelike. The strong jaw moves fluidly and mirrors complex soft palate alignments found in patients when they are prepared for intubation.
As a significant number of airway training models contain latex, which can create health concerns for users, many were relieved to discover AirwayMan is completely latex-free. Others who reviewed the model were enthusiastic about AirwayMan’s modular design in that it opens the door to creating more challenging airway training components in the future.
For more information on Simulab’s simulation solutions, visit our page at bmec.asia/my/simulab
More Information
Simulab | STEM Students Learn that Working with Medical Dummies Takes Real Smarts | New Complete Airway Management Simulator Appeared at ACEP17
Simulab Corporation
