Apollo students gain more 'life-like' experience

Precious Grundy, The Lima News, Ohio
·2 min read

Nov. 30—LIMA — Students preparing for the medical field received a couple of extra tools from Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center.

Apollo Career Center invited medical staff from St. Rita's to see what their donation provided for the students. The center purchased a new manikin for students and a sit-to-stand patient lift.

"We donated to Apollo to invest in health care careers to invest in their students and back into the community," Chief Nursing Officer Cory Werts said. "The donation was made, and they had the opportunity to choose which equipment they wanted to purchase. They purchased some equipment to allow them to learn different contexts of patients to take care of, to learn different body mechanics and a very basic level of patient care."

The students demonstrated the new tools Thursday morning at the career center.

"It is exciting to see the next generation truly learn that next level of patient care before actually seeing patients," Werts said. "It will allow them to build their competence, so when they can take care of real patients, they are prepared to do so confidently."

The new manikin weighs a total of 100 pounds. The career hopes to train students for the actual weight of the patients they care for. The Apollo staff members also said it helps students learn how to move and dress patients while they are in bed.

"We chose the two simulations that we did from Mercy Health's donation," Health Science Instructor Megan Conner said. "We chose a gentleman that weighs roughly 100 pounds and simulates 350 pounds. We chose that so that we could show more real-life simulations when we are going out into the facilities.

"The other thing we purchased was the 'Sara Stedy.' We purchased what a lot of facilities are using to assist patients so they do not fall when they're moving from the bed to the chair. We wanted to make sure we are using real-life simulations in our lab so that our students are more next-ready or prepared for the workforce."

Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.