Sim Lab Experiences

We have done two simulation labs during this semester so far and I have definitely enjoyed them. The first Sim Lab was a patient with a sudden cardiac arrest, so my team and I started performing CPR on our patient. It took too long for us to start CPR the first time doing the simulation and this showed me that in a cpr situation like the one we were in you need to get rolling so the person doesn't die on you. Once we did the simulation for a second time we did everything much better and established much more of a leadership role with each person which made the operation much smoother, which thus allowed us to save the patients life! What I learned from this first Sim Lab was that establishing good communication between team members is essential for a situation like CPR. To go along with that, being assertive is necessary for success. Using good communication skills will be important in all phases of life and doing CPR training definitely helps with that.

The second Sim Lab we did was on a patient named Eileen. She had recently twisted her ankle at lacrosse practice the night before which caused swelling and pain. This then led to her falling and getting a laceration in her arm. We had to use the SOAP note method when treating Eileen. We had to first establish roles to start and establish trust with our patient so she felt like she was in good hands. We did a variety of tests palpations. The skills that were needed during this sim lab were all communication and SOAP note based which we will be using throughout the rest of the semester and again, communication is the key to most success in clinical settings. I feel like I could improve on these skills, but that is why I am at CAPS!