By Alexandra Macia
Special from UTPB
Pediatric Simulator ‘Hal’ lives in the Midland Health Simulation and Learning Resource Center at UTPB. Formally known as Pediatric Hal S2225, Hal is an advanced simulator. He helps UTPB nursing students work on their communication skills and recognize patient conditions. Ultimately, he teaches students how to treat a pediatric patient.
Hal is special, as he’s the highest fidelity mannequin between El Paso and Fort Worth.
Hal can cry, laugh, seize, urinate, have an allergic reaction, get his vitals checked, and so much more. He is equipped with the ability to act out a variety of pediatric scenarios and respond to questions if prompted.
“The students are assigned roles and given a report on the patient. They enter the room and operate in their designated roles to try and develop critical thinking skills. This allows them to have an opportunity to act as a nurse in a safe environment, where mistakes are not critical and are discussed and learned from after,” said Clinical Teaching Specialist Morgan Sanchez.
Sanchez says an example of this is using Hal to show the students what respiratory distress looks like in a pediatric patient. The students are expected to interact and treat him according to the scenario.
The mannequin has been available to students since Spring of 2023. Sanchez says simulation is an emerging and vital field in nursing education.
“It allows students to have exposure to scenarios they may never encounter or take many years to encounter in their practice,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez says they are grateful to Midland Health for helping to fund the simulation lab and collaborating with UTPB.
“It allows for the students to have high quality clinical experiences by making something more accessible. This is super important especially in the Permian Basin, with limited clinical placements available, it gives students a chance to encounter pediatrics in a different way,” said Sanchez.
