Nursing students and medical professionals-to-be at the Bermuda College will soon be working with cutting-edge medical training technology, in the form of talking, screaming, and symptom-exhibiting mannequins.

The Nursing Office at the college will launch a state-of-the-art simulation lab on Monday, the first of its kind for the college and for Bermuda, giving local students the kind of training offered in top hospitals across the world.

The new lab contains both a viewing classroom and a contemporary, clinical test bed where the mannequins will be used in clinical simulations.

The mannequins can be programmed to speak, exhibit various symptoms such as crying out in pain, and respond to various healthcare interventions to provide ‘real life’ training for those in the college’s Nursing Education Programme and in general healthcare on the Island.

“The quality of our nursing programme is enhanced through the Simulation Laboratory, while improving the confidence of both our nursing students and healthcare professionals.

“Students will be better prepared for clinical practice and more professionals will be given the opportunity to enhance both individual competency and their performance as members of the healthcare team,” said Nursing Coordinator, Kathy Ann Swan.

The lab has been developed in conjunction with the Bermuda Hospitals Board, Bermuda Fire and Rescue, and the Department of Corrections.