Medical residents participating in a simulation exercise.
In April 2020, the Foundation was ready to help support staff and physicians as they prepared and trained to fight COVID-19.
In an effort to support ongoing training and education at St. Martha’s, the Foundation provided $130,000, to purchase two new high-fidelity humanoid mannequins. These mannequins will remain at St. Martha’s to support inter-professional practice, physician residency training, and simulation-based education.
This isn’t the first time the Foundation has supported simulation-based learning at St. Martha’s. In 2016, we purchased the first simulation mannequin for SIM-based learning at St. Martha’s through our Hospital Help Day telethon. In 2018, we purchased a pediatric mannequin at a cost of $3,000, as well as over $10,000 in 2019 to support training and education for those team members working with the mannequins.
“We see so much value in supporting simulation-based training and education. In my eyes, it’s the way of the future. It’s a way to learn and grow, practicing and enhancing skills you may not use on a daily basis. This can only help to enhance the quality of health care services provided at St. Martha’s.
-Wayne Ezekiel, SMRH Foundation Chair
“Simulation based medical education is the way of the present and the way of the future. It is how medical schools are training medical students and residents, and it is how we are maintaining skills and promoting high performance teams for practicing physicians. This is what we know- and what new physicians thinking about rural practice know. Having simulation-based education and training at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital positions us to attract physicians committed to lifelong learning. It also attracts physicians who have an interest in teaching and academic scholarship.
Having a structured “high fidelity” simulation program at St Martha’s Regional Hospital is a privilege- it is a privilege afforded to us in part by a committed and forward-thinking Foundation. Our community, through their donations are supporting us to be ahead of the curve- moreover we at St. Martha’s are leading the charge forward. We continue to grow our simulation program and are very hopeful to transition to an independent and sustainable model. Our two newest mannequins are the most lifelike of our simulation family. They were instrumental in our COVID preparations and first wave success.
They have also supported me to secure a position training the entire fleet of North Nova Family Medicine Residents right here at St. Martha’s. That means residents from all across northeastern Nova Scotia will be coming through St. Martha’s to train in our simulation lab.
Yarmouth, NS is a great example of the importance of having medical students and particularly medical residents train in our communities. In the past two year, 7 of 8 of the family medicine residents practicing in Yarmouth chose to stay and practice in the area.
Our medical simulation program will allow us to bring up to 14 medical residents to Antigonish and St. Martha’s 4 to 6 times a year. This exposure and opportunity to meet and train with our local teams will be an invaluable opportunity to build relationships.
Thank you for investing in the St. Martha’s and You…the Time is NOW! Campaign. Thank you for investing in our local hospital and the staff and physicians that work there. I look forward to seeing what these recent investments in simulation will do for our hospital. I’m confident we can expect big things!”