Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) is adding one of the world’s most advanced interdisciplinary patient simulators to its Health Care Patient Simulation Center.

The school is one of only two colleges in the Tri-State area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York to include the state-of-the-art HAL S5301 high-fidelity manikin in its student health-care labs.

The HAL S5301, purchased with funding through a Perkins Grant, features conversational speech enhanced by artificial intelligence, providing live interactions with students in addition to the ability to simulate stroke symptoms such as facial droop and robotic arm movement. The manikin has ultrasound capability.

The HAL S5301 model joins 12 other high-fidelity manikins in the LCCC Patient Simulation Centers at the Schnecksville, Tamaqua and Donley campuses.

The simulation labs at the main campus, in Tamaqua and Allentown, create learning opportunities for students in Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN Registered Nursing), Medical Assistant and Phlebotomy.

The Patient Simulation Center encompasses high- and low-fidelity patient manikins.

The manikins mimic the clinical setting and help build critical thinking by presenting students with situations they will encounter in clinical rotations.

The simulators can be pre-programmed with scenarios to mimic a wide variety of conditions, allowing students to learn about anesthesia, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, pediatrics and emergency medicine.

Low-fidelity simulators allow students to practice their skills to learn to take blood pressure, listen to heart sounds and take pulses. They learn skills in areas such as ostomy, gastronomy, tracheostomy and nasogastric tubes.

The labs connect classroom learning with real-life clinical experience and help students build confidence as they learn to interview and care for patients.

Nursing programs are accepting applications for 2024. The ADN , LPN to RN, and LPN application deadline for Summer 2024 is due by Feb. 1. The ADN and LPN to RN application deadline for Fall 2024 is due by June 1.

For information about the LCCC nursing program: Karen Clark, Director of Nursing, kclark@lccc.edu, or www.LCCC.edu

For details on the Patient Simulation Center: www.LCCC.edu/simlab