Nursing Reflective Essay

As a first year college student, I have had the privilege of experiencing many new and exciting technologies. All of which seem to aid in the learning process substantially. The technology that has just recently been introduced to me is definitely one that has caught my eye. Human Patient Simulators (HPS) are not an idea of the future anymore. They are here, and they are being used. Medical students across the world are being given mannequins with numerous life-like characteristics to practice on. What an exciting time to be in nursing school! I got to experience, firsthand, the amazing effects of learning through the use of this incredible technology. Although I have not yet had much time with them, I have much to say. When I was first introduced to the technology, I was shown a baby mannequin. After being told his name was Hal and that he was 10 months old, it hit me that these simulations were not taken lightly. They are made as real as possible. After being introduced to Hal, we went over what was wrong with our patient, including the signs and symptoms of whatever his condition entailed. Of the symptoms, the main ones that pointed out his condition were: lack of appetite, severe dyspnea, high temperature, high respiration rate and

The first I think of is obvious, like running through a simulation of a patient having a heart attack. However, there are many other scenarios that nurses will have to face. These could include angry family members, screaming or thrashing patients, and possibly even getting mistreated as the nurse. I think all of these scenarios have the potential to be applied to human patient simulation in nursing because they are situations I believe we need to be prepared to face professionally and mentally. Hopefully, with the help of these mannequins and simulations, we will be made ready for all situations that our jobs may throw at us in the