Clinical Simulation Centre Mildura

Clinical Simulation Centre

The Clinical Simulation Centre provides medical students with the opportunity to develop clinical competencies in a state-of-the-art simulated learning environment. The centre allows students to familiarise themselves with clinical equipment while learning safe and comprehensive clinical skills.

The centre uses high-fidelity mannequins in two laboratories. High-fidelity mannequins are computerised, interactive, life-sized patient models that can be programed to provide realistic patient responses and outcomes to interventions.  One laboratory provides a high acuity, ICU/ED environment housing SimMan3G; the second simulates a birthing suite housing SimMom, SimNewB and SimBaby.

Additional clinical rooms are used to teach and practise procedural skills with the use of low-fidelity mannequins and part-task trainers.

Take a virtual tour of the Mildura simulation centre

Skills focus for each year level

Year 3B

You will spend two hours per week in the skills centre to practising clinical skills and participating in simulated scenarios. The scenarios are designed to reinforce theoretical learning.

These sessions are the highlight of the week for most students.

Year 4C

In your first week in Mildura you will spend a full day in the skills lab reviewing and consolidating skills taught previously in Year 3B, eg cannulation, injections, and catheterisation.  Thereafter you will participate in fortnightly sessions (each of two hours duration) using high-fidelity SimMom, SimBaby and SimNeonate.  You will practice newborn resuscitation, paediatric interventions, and obstetrics procedures.

Year 5D

Students undertaking MED5102 in Mildura will spend a minimum of four hours per week in the skills lab participating in high fidelity simulations and practising a range of core clinical skills.

Additional sessions can also be conducted should students need them.

The aim is to prepare you to effectively deal with the common clinical conditions you are likely to encounter as interns.

Student testimonial

It was the first time I had ever used SimMan in my studies and our facilitators had rigged up some interesting (and rather complex) cases for us. This was part of our Patient Safety Med 5102 unit.

The case my group received concerned an elderly man with an exacerbation of COPD (likely infective), with a past history of atrial fibrillation that had now developed a rapid ventricular rate of 130 bpm. After we settled the ABCs, we administered nebulised salbutamol and ipratropium, IV antibiotics and an IV bolus of hydrocortisone. However, we were all distracted by the AF and attempted to control the rate with amiodarone since beta-blockers could not be used in existing chronic lung disease.

To my surprise, one week later I met a patient in the Emergency Department who presented very much the same way, atrial fibrillation and all. I noted that he was given a dose of IV digoxin, which was what we had been advised to do with SimMan. I was also successful in obtaining an arterial blood gas (which had also been taught to us in the Med 5102 workshop), which revealed a low PaO2 despite maximal oxygen therapy. 

A nurse told me that he thought this reflected a pulmonary embolism, since the patient's warfarin had been ceased for a surgery that morning. I was reminded again of the simulated clot lesson - and that not all blood clots are arterial. That was a remarkable experience, and I'm glad that I had SimMan show me the right (and wrong) way.  Youlin Koh, Year 5 2015