By ELLEN BROWN

Staff Writer

SEVIERVILLE — Several Walters State Community College nursing students provided a demonstration at the Sevier County campus Wednesday of the school’s new “Sim-Man,” an advanced nursing training tool that simulates a real person and can present symptoms of various illnesses.

Students can even feel pulses and listen to heart and lung sounds from the simulator, which also speaks.

“We knew this would be something that would help the nursing students,” said Henry Drinnon, WSCC vice president for Advancement. “We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve received.”

The Sim-Man, which cost around $50,000, was provided through community donations. Major donors include Emily Kile, Josephine Burchfiel, Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center and the Robert F. Thomas Foundation.

Basic Sim-Man simulators have been placed at WSCC’s Morristown and Greeneville campuses, while the advanced simulator is at the Sevier County campus. Drinnon said the total package of the simulators and software cost around $100,000.

Clinical nursing students performed a scenario in which the Sim-Man was a 33-year-old female with severe asthma. Desiree Masse lent the patient’s voice; Ted Johnson portrayed the doctor; Crystal King, the sister of the patient; Tatiana Dukas, the respiratory therapist; Tammy Hughes, the secondary nurse; and Corey Cleland, the primary nurse.

“They had to do a quick assessment of the patient,” Associate Professor of Nursing, Donna McGaha explained. “Her heart rate was very high. We try to make it very real.”

Students made decisions by what appeared on the monitor and what the Sim-Man did, she added. If medicine is administered that causes the heart rate to drop in a real person, the heart rate will drop in the Sim-Man.

“It’s been very helpful,” Cleland said of the new teaching tool. “The beeps and other sounds stressed me out at first, but then I just became used to it.”

WSCC director of Educational Services Ronnie Taylor was impressed at the poise the students displayed while performing the demonstration.

“They knew exactly what to do — there was no panic.”

Debbie Dowling of the Robert F. Thomas Foundation congratulated the students, telling them, “We’re thrilled you chose this profession.”

“I don’t know if we’ve ever been able to see philanthropic dollars at work like this,” she added.

Cheryl McCall, head of the college’s nursing program, hopes to expand the use of the Sim-Man to other academic programs at the college, including the paramedic program and the respiratory care program.

WSCC has been named one of the nation’s top 100 providers of nurses, with nursing graduates consistently having first-try pass rates of more than 90 percent.

ebrown@themountainpress.com