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NEW AI MANNEQUIN HELPING STUDENTS — Brooke Scharfenberg, Kaylee Sandy and Daelynn Cordle, all seniors in the health technologies program at Jefferson County Joint Vocational School, are learning some valuable life-saving skills with the new Hal 3000 patient simulator. The interactive mannequin is very realistic and can be programmed with a variety of ailments for students to diagnose and treat. Instructor Tammy Sismondo said Hal was funded through an estimated $65,000 grant from the Mary Jane Brooks Charitable Trust and further enhances her students’ education to become better clinicians.
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BLOOMINGDALE — Students in the health technologies program at the Jefferson County Joint Vocational School have another state-of-the-art tool to help perfect their life-saving skills.
The program gained a $65,371 grant from the Mary Jane Brooks Charitable Trust and acquired a Hal 3000 nursing patient simulator in the spring.
The mannequin is wireless, tetherless and provides a realistic glimpse of health care treatment. Hal is so realistic that it blinks, speaks and is responsive. It can be programmed for students to diagnose and treat, with issues such as anaphylactic shock, arterial defibrillation, a broken leg, bleeding disorders, trauma and respiratory ailments.
Hal is utilized to practice EKG, blood pressure, pulse, CPR and other procedures.
Instructor Tammy Sismondo said students were enthusiastic about the equipment and it is a major benefit to the program.
“The Hal 3000 simulator has already made a significant impact in our classroom,” Sismondo said. “Its life-like features and interactive capabilities have transformed our curriculum into a more engaging and dynamic experience.”
“Our students are excited and motivated to work with Hal, and the hands-on component of their training is proving invaluable,.” Sismondo continued. “They are not only learning essential skills but are retaining knowledge in ways that traditional methods alone could not achieve.”
The health technologies instructor noted she was grateful to the charitable trust, which previously provided another $71,000 grant to acquire an Anatomage table for the lab in 2022.
The 6-foot-long table features a dual touchscreen surface which gives students a 3-D view of the various organs and system functions of the human bod.
Users can view more than 1,300 clinical cases from brain aneurysms to tumors, X-rays and virtual autopsies. It includes quizzes, games and images of animals that can be used for instruction in the animal science program.
Officials were able to acquire a large television screen to project the images. The equipment features curriculum in which to aid instruction, Sismondo said.
As for Hal, she commented it was another useful way to prepare her students for work in the health care field.
“The students absolutely love him,” she exclaimed. “He operates with artificial intelligence and is very interactive and user-friendly. I needed something where students would have hands-on training, so before they went out and worked with people, they had the ability to work in a controlled environment.”
Students agreed it was a great learning tool and offered a real-life experience so they know how to respond during an actual situation.
“I like the new technology that offers us hands-on learning experience,” senior Brooke Scharfenberg said of the program’s newest equipment. “I think it’s neat for the class.”
“I am excited to work with it,” added Kaylee Sandy, a senior in the program. “It’s a new experience.”
“I love it,” agreed senior Daelynn Cordle. “Hal does a bunch of different scenarios like you see in hospitals, so it teaches you a lot of life skills.”
All three students say they plan to continue with a career in the health care field.
Scharfenberg said she is looking to work as an emergency room nurse, while Sandy and Cordle are hoping to become travel nurses upon completing their schooling.
Sismondo stated by training with Hal, it will help to give the program’s students a distinct advantage.
“Hal is invaluable to the curriculum,” Sismondo concluded. “The students can learn to respond in a situation and hopefully they will be able to become better clinicians. I’m very grateful and thankful to the Mary Jane Brooks Charitable Trust for investing in our students. Most of them will give back in our communities and work at the hospitals.”
“Not only is this helping our students, but it’s helping to improve the quality of health care for our community,” she said.