Even veteran nurses need to shake the rust off every now and then, and when it comes to saving lives, it’s best to be as prepared as possible.

B.C.’s Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) was in Merritt this past week providing simulation training to local clinicians.

“It’s very valuable, you can always learn something new,” said registered nurse Leah Fraser who has worked at the Nicola Valley Hospital for 10 years.

Thursday (June 16) was a day of education that included training of staff from the local hospital and paramedics.

MMU clinical educator Jesse Sheridan told the Herald they ran through four different simulations at the request of the hospital — trauma, sepsis, anaphylaxis, and a cardiac-related scenario.

Fraser said these types of scenarios were the focus because they are life threatening and cases come in from time to time.

“You have to know what to do instantly,” she said.

While she’s had plenty of training like this before, Fraser said it’s still valuable to take part because as a nurse, it reinforces what you know.

Simulated scenarios were conducted on both pediatric and adult high-fidelity training dolls, which Fraser noted as being best to prepare for the real thing.

“Practice on a dummy so that when the real person comes in you know what to do,” she said.

However, the high fidelity medical doll, which is known as Meti-Man, is no one’s dummy.

Meti-Man, the high-fidelity training dummy at the mobile medical unit, who talks, cries, and blinks. (Inset) The unit is packed with training resources. Michael Potestio/Herald

Meti-Man, the high-fidelity training dummy at the mobile medical unit, who talks, cries, and blinks. (Inset) The unit is packed with training resources. Michael Potestio/Herald

This doll has a variety of interactive features such as a pulse. If you shine a light in his eyes his pupils even dilate.

“If this were a real person, they would be able to see and assess what’s going on, but in the case of Meti-Man we can simulate a lot of these operations. He does breathe, he does talk, he blinks, he cries, he does all that,” said Sheridan.

“The nice thing about this is that as clinicians they can stay focused on the education around the patient and as an operator we can actually stand back and be out of the picture, which is ideal in an education situation,” he said.

The exercises, known as the Interior Health Rural Mobile Simulation Program, was new to the MMU’s deployment to Merritt this year.

The MMU?is a state-of-the-art mobile medical facility owned by the Provincial Health Services Authority in partnership with the regional health authorities.

It is always ready to be called upon in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency and to provide education and outreach.