Teaching students health science and medicine has become increasingly complex, especially with the move to “day case procedures” where the patients come into the hospital, get treated on a day case basis, and they leave the hospital. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is attempting to augment and plug the gap that modern medicine has created by more patients being treated in the home setting.

Super Tory is a tool designed to help train doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals gain the experience to respond to medical emergencies. As such, Super Tory will be used as a neonatal care training tool at the RCSI to give students a taste of working in the health care profession. Students will train in practical workshops to practice their medical skills. They receive hands-on training to gain clinical experience and hone their skills.

Super Tory is very realistic which allows students to immerse themselves in a scenario and practice a number of lifesaving techniques. She simulates limb movements, cries, supports ventilation and real patient monitoring, is completely wireless and can be controlled by software on a tablet. These features allow Super Tory to simulate a variety of ailments and respond to interventions with unparalleled realism.

Super Tory was designed with these features in mind because they are important cues babies use to communicate distress since they cannot speak. Medical professionals use these cues to help them diagnose babies, so they must receive extensive training to pick up on these cues. As such, Super Tory can provide RCSI’s students with an immersive and lifelike tool that helps them build their diagnostic skills.

Considering that health care in Ireland is increasingly shifting to a home setting, developing precise diagnostic skills is vital to the next generation of medical professionals. These professionals will have to pick up on subtle cues that might be a sign of serious trauma in the short time before the patient is discharged from the hospital. Without honing these skills, a patient could be discharged only to suffer serious injury or death because they were improperly diagnosed or vital information was missed. Practicing on a simulator allows the students to hone their diagnostic skills, so they become second-nature.

Students also gain clinical experience through training with Super Tory. Before they are confronted with the chaos and stress of treating a patient during an emergency event, students at the RCSI can practice on Super Tory, so they gain the knowledge and confidence to deal with a variety of ailments and quickly choose the correct course of treatment.

The RCSI’s decision to include simulation as a part of their medical program shows great forethought considering that the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) reported that half of traditional clinical hours could be replaced with training done on nursing simulators. Through their new simulation lab, the RCSI is giving their students every opportunity to have a well-rounded education. These students will be prepared to tackle every emergency situation presented to them in the real world.

To watch the full report of Super Tory at the Royal College of Surgeons, click here. To learn more about Super Tory, the world’s most advanced newborn simulator visit the Gaumard website or click on the link.