Jennifer Inocencio, MSN-Ed, BSN, NPD-BC, Manager, Staff Development at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center (SHMC) in Las Vegas, NV knows the importance of providing staff with realistic, hands-on training opportunities through simulation.

As a nurse educator with a former background in academia, Jennifer had worked in simulation labs that used high-fidelity simulation to create true-to-life training experiences. When she started her career at Summerlin Hospital, managing education for all service lines, she quickly saw a need for similar high-fidelity experiences at the hospital.

At that time, the staff were actively engaged in practicing mock codes using a CPR manikin torso. The manikin allowed the staff to get a hands-on approach to practicing critical skills. However, there were some tasks that needed to be verbalized because they couldn’t be performed on the manikin. This included using live electricity, pushing epi, and collecting vital signs.  Jennifer recognized the potential for enhancing the training experience even further.

"In thinking about adult learners, and how we actually learn – very specifically in nursing – we're very tactile," she explains. "We like to actually do things."

"Being as real as possible is going to give you the best outcomes for your patients. To give your patient a voice, to give your patient actual vital signs to collect and sounds that they can actually auscultate will help staff be better prepared for the real-life events."

- Jennifer Inocencio, MSN-Ed, BSN, NPD-BC
Manager, Staff Development at Summerlin Hospital

Jennifer started advocating for a high-fidelity simulator that would allow for the realistic learning opportunities she knew were crucial.

She wrote a justification letter explaining the importance of having a high-fidelity manikin that could replicate real life without leaving anything to the imagination. With persistence and determination, the justification was successfully approved after a few attempts.

She knew she wanted a manikin that would facilitate the most lifelike training possible. This meant being able to conduct in situ simulations, or simulations that take place outside the sim lab in the real work environment.

When she was in academia, she worked with Laerdal simulators. She decided to choose SimMan^® ALS for SHMC. This simulator would allow for comprehensive simulation scenarios, covering everything from basic assessments to advanced life support. It would enable clinical applications in airway management, cardiac care, vascular procedures, circulation diagnostics, and therapeutic skills, making it versatile for use in any location.

SimMan ALS would work with SimPad^® PLUS, a handheld device that captures and provides performance data for debriefing after scenarios. The data would include an event log and metrics on compression rate, depth, and ventilation. This was especially important to Jennifer because it would allow her to review CPR performance with the staff in real-time instead of relying on the instructor’s observation.

Once she received the SimMan, she decided to name him Riley Rescue.