Archive for the ‘Healthcare’ Category
Kathy Huffman, EcO15 Jefferson Co. Coordinator
For three days, Ivy Tech Community College-Madison Campus was the training ground for thirty healthcare professionals and educators from Southeastern Indiana. The world’s leading expert in simulation, Dr. Pam Jeffries, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, led the Healthcare Simulation Institute.
EcO15, Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015, is investing grant funds to develop high fidelity simulations. These simulations use specialized mannequins that can be programmed to present a wide range of medical symptoms and conditions.
Gene Ann Shapinsky, Nursing Department Chair, Ivy Tech Community College, stated, “Simulation opens a wide variety of doors for clinical experiences for nurses, medical assistants, and EMT students by exposing these students to real-world scenarios that they otherwise might not get to see first-hand in their clinical experiences.” A nursing student may not see a choking patient during training but the simulation mannequin, or Sim Man, can be programmed to simulate a penny lodged in a child’s throat. Other examples of scenarios could include: allergic reactions, heart attacks, and trauma patients from car wrecks. The simulations are limitless. “Simulation also allows the area hospitals to complete competency checklists for current medical staff, such as doctors and nurses. These simulation labs will be used by all Southeastern Indiana area hospitals to conduct skills test for their current employees,” said Shapinsky.
According to Jim Battin, EcO15 Healthcare Coordinator, “The benefits of using simulation in healthcare education are significant. Students and healthcare personnel have an opportunity to practice procedures and gain confidence before performing in a clinical setting. As a result, patient safety and care will be improved.” Battin adds that, “we are limited in designing simulation scenarios only by our imagination.”
Participants in thesimulation training will help develop a library of simulations that will be available to medical educators throughout the ten county EcO15 region. This is a significant contribution to healthcare education because, as experienced by the Ivy Tech nursing staff when creating their first simulation module, the time required to create a module is 40 plus hours. The library of simulation modules to be shared among the region will save thousands of hours of behind the scenes work and over-time pay for the schools and hospitals. The participants are essentially the experts that will share the knowledge gained from this institute with their colleagues, students, and the community.
Ivy Tech, Hanover College and King’s Daughters’ Hospital and Health Services are part of this Regional Clinical Simulation Collaborative. The collaborative will allow schools and healthcare employers an opportunity to upgrade professional skills and improve patient care.
Celeste Sutter, Environmental Health and Safety officer/Technical Coordinator for Sciences at Hanover College said, “Attending the healthcare institute has been a wonderful experience. Learning from Dr. Pam Jeffries, the world’s leading expert in simulation, has opened the door for project-based learning not only for Hanover College students but for King’s Daughters’ staff, Ivy Tech students, and local high school students as well. Local high schools, post-secondary institutions, and the healthcare industry will be able to work together collaboratively to focus on pre-health careers and will have a huge impact on healthcare education for our community and the Southeastern region of Indiana.”
The Republic-
The Issue:
Adjusting to international migration.
Our Position:
Cutting educational funds for ESL students will cost communities much more in the long run.
Locally, Bartholomew County hasexperienced a growth of 5 percent between 2000 and 2008. In numbers that translates into 3,925 more residents.
Not surprisingly, the greatest gain came from a natural increase — more births than deaths.
But it is when the incidence of international migration into Bartholomew County is factored into the equation that the changing face of the community becomes apparent.
International migration alone pumped up the local population by 2.27 percent during that eight year period.
That’s double the state’s average and ranks it below only five other Hoosier counties in international migration.
Even those stunning statistics might not reflect reality. Su Casa President Stephen Franz believes the actual numbers are much higher with the Latino population growth more than doubling to over 7,200 in that eight-year period.
Whatever the actual numbers, the effect of these changes is dramatically evident. The new citizenry is changing life in Bartholomew County and it’s important that the community be prepared to deal with it.
Unfortunately, many members of the Indiana General Assembly and Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration are not on the same page.
Faced with a difficult financial picture for the foreseeable future, Hoosier leaders have been forced to propose drastic cuts in a number of important programs.
One of the early targets was the English as a Second Language program for Hoosier schools. In early budget proposals, lawmakers were considering a plan to more than halve the previous expenditure of $7 million to $3 million.
Obviously, that might not have as great an impact in communities that have experienced little international migration.
Jennings, Decatur and Brown counties, for instance, have experienced almost insignificant international growth.
But to cut those funds in Bartholomew County, which has had to accommodate a much higher number of students for whom English is their second language, could not only impair the education of those children but affect the entire school corporation.
There are no stereotypes for this particular immigration. While Hispanic growth is the greatest, there has also been a significant increase in immigrants from India, for instance — many hired to work in technology positions with local corporations.
They all are part of the Bartholomew County that is emerging during this period of change and their needs must be addressed, not only for their benefit but for that of the entire county.
There is a new addition to the EcO15 web site….it is a page devoted to career pathway development in Healthcare Services. There will be a healthcare career quiz soon! Please go to the following page and don’t forget to check-out the video. The video is a demonstration of the 3rd generation of simulator we hope to obtain for the Southeastern region of Indiana:
http://www.eco15.org/healthcare.php
Thanks for your continued interest and support of the EcO15 Initiative.
STAFF REPORTS- The Republic
Columbus Regional Hospital and Schneck Medical Center in Seymour were honored this week among the “Best Places to Work in Indiana.”
The annual awards, presented by Indiana Chamber of Commerce, ranked CRH 19th and Schneck 26th for companies with more than 250 employees.
CRH was honored for the fourth consecutive year. Ten other companies have made the list every year since the rankings began in 2006.CRH ranked fourth last year, sixth in 2007 and fourth in 2006.
“This is another proud moment for Columbus Regional Hospital and a tremendous way to highlight our committed and dedicated work force,” said Jim Bickel, CRH’s chief executive officer.
He said CRH was recognized for the extraordinary commitment it made to employees by keeping them on the payroll and providing benefits during the five months the hospital was closed after the flood. “We know that being a best place to work is important to provide the best patient care,” Bickel added. Schneck applied for the award for the first time.
Additional honorees
Other companies with offices in Columbus that were honored: Edward Jones, second. Harrison College (formerly Indiana Business College) 27th.
Rankings for companies with 25 to 249 employees: Employment Plus, 22nd. Milestone Contractors, 29th. Blue & Co., 34th.
The awards recognize businesses for a work-place environment that values its employees. Companies are selected based on employer reports and employee surveys. The selection process is completed by Best Companies Group, which handles similar programs in 19 other states.
State Chamber President Kevin Brinegar said the companies understand how important it is for the success of a business to have a culture that values and respects its employees.
Shiel Sexton, an Indianapolis-based construction management company, and Performance Services, a design-build engineering and construction firm in Indianapolis, ranked first.
The EcO15 Healthcare Initiative consists of three major areas:
1. Advancement of Clinical Simulation practices throughout Southeast Indiana hospitals and Educational institutions
2. Support for the Bachelor Degree of Nursing Program at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus
3. Development and coordination of healthcare Career pathways through secondary and post-Secondary educational institutions in Southeast
Indiana
In July 2008, the EcO15 Healthcare Committee was formed representing hospital, education, and community leaders in Southeast Indiana. Members
include:
• Julie Abedian– Columbus Regional
Hospital Foundation
• John Burnett– EcO15
• Jim Helms– Ivy Tech Community College
(Region 11)
• Jay Howard– IUPUC
• John Hogan– Ivy Tech Community College
(Region 10)
• Dick Johnson– Columbus Learning Center
Management Corporation
• Pete Resnick– Dearborn County Hospital
• Dr. Tom Sonderman– Columbus Regional
Hospital
A 23-person Clinical Simulation Taskforce was named shortly after the Steering Committee was formed and represents hospitals and secondary, post secondary
educational institutions through Southeast Indiana.
The taskforce met July 23rd at Margaret Mary Hospital in Batesville to review the EcO15 Healthcare initiative. In
addition, a summary of literature research on clinical simulation was presented and discussed. An outcome of
the meeting was agreement to conduct needs assessment, starting with a current inventory of clinical
simulation equipment throughout the region and forecast of future equipment needs.
Once the inventory was determined, interviews were conducted with each taskforce member to follow up with more in depth questions on needs of organizations.
A summary of the needs assessment was reviewed by Pam Jeffries, Associate
Dean at the John Hopkins University School of Nursing. Pam is
considered one of the world’s leading experts on the use of Clinical Simulation in Nursing. She indicated
that the taskforce was asking the right questions and that the overall approach was sound. She suggested
that the next phase of research and planning might take longer than originally thought.
On October 28th the taskforce met to observe a clinical simulation exercise at Ivy Tech Community College.
The group also decided to develop a strategic plan and a schedule of implementation.
In early January, 2009, the Steering Committee will review the outcomes of the taskforce meetings.
The goal is to implement the plan by August 2009 and begin serving students with clinical simulation technology in fall semester classes.