Lake Superior College News Releases

Reprinted from the spring 2008 edition of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Magazine

“¿ Dónde le duele? (Where does it hurt?),” asked the concerned nursing student in Spanish, bending over the life-sized dummy lying in a hospital bed. The dummy moaned in response. “Me duele el estómago y la cabeza. También tengo escalofríos (My head and stomach hurt. I also have chills.),” he answered weakly and then vomited.

Much smarter than a typical dummy, SimMan is a computerized patient simulator primarily used by Lake Superior College’s nursing program. He has taken on a new role as Senõr SimMan, helping to teach health care students and professionals specialized Spanish language skills in a clinical setting. Senõr SimMan not only talks but has measurable vitals including breathing, temperature and blood pressure. He can be programmed to exhibit symptoms of varied illnesses and conditions.

There are 30 million Americans whose first language is Spanish, and by the year 2010, one out of four Americans will be of Hispanic heritage. “Clearly there is a growing need for professionals who work in life-and-death situations to expand or enrich their language and communication skills,” said Michele Keane, a Lake Superior College faculty member and Spanish instructor. “We’ve had health care professionals from all areas take this course. I’ve taught pharmacy students, nursing and EMT/fire rescue students, and even veterinary students,” Keane said.

During the semester-long course, students learn basic conversational Spanish and then move to specific medical terminology. Some students have studied Spanish before; others are new to the language.

“We learn basic anatomy, and then we move into more graphic terms like nauseous, dizzy or anxious,” Keane said. “This type of vocabulary helps health care workers get a better understanding of how a patient is feeling.” Once students have the language basics down, they progress to practice their conversational skills on Senõr SimMan.

Nicole Verdugo, a student training to become an EMT/firefighter, recently completed the course. “I hadn’t heard of SimMan before, so I was interested to see how he worked. I was nervous because now I had a ‘real’ patient, which meant that I had to check his pulse, watch and listen for respirations, and take his blood pressure. It made it more challenging that this patient was going to express his pains and feelings in fluent Spanish. Not only did I have to be an EMT, but I had to be a Spanish-speaking EMT.”

Students go “live” with Senõr SimMan, who is installed in an exam room separated by a viewing window next to a computer control booth. “The students would take turns talking to him. They didn’t know what I was going to have him say or do, so they had to be on their toes,” Keane said. “My students liked being tested on the spot. It really put them through their paces.”

“This hands-on approach worked for me in several ways,” Verdugo said. “It increased my retention of the language while providing me with a safe learning environment. I knew I could make a mistake and not worry about the possible consequences affecting a person’s life. I found this experience invaluable.”