Hal, Noelle, and Harvey are staying at the Regina General Hospital (RGH); and since 2012, they have seen more than 16,000 health-care providers.

But don’t be alarmed - Hal, Noelle and Harvey are patient simulators. They are some of the teaching tools at the Dilawri Simulation Centre that give health-care providers and students the chance to develop and hone their skills in a safe and realistic environment. These interactive mannequins were brought to RGH thanks to a significant donation to Hospitals of Regina Foundation from the Dilawri Foundation. With their arrival, medical education in southern Saskatchewan changed forever.

The Centre opened in 2012. It was conceived when the health region realized an increasing number of health- science students completing their training in Regina. This increase created a need for a local, innovative training centre, which included hands-on learning for medical students and health-care workers. The goal in developing the Centre was to accommodate this training but also to help attract and retain health care professionals, in all disciplines, here in southern Saskatchewan. So, the Centre was established.

Imagine being able to train in an environment with life-like mannequins who react like live patients, or to have the ability for a medical team to rehearse their skills before beginning the actual treatment. At the Dilawri Simulation Centre, health-care providers learn in an environment that realistically simulates a hospital setting. Each of the interactive mannequins replicate patient scenarios.

Noelle is a mannequin that simulates a patient giving birth. As the students perform care, she talks and reacts similar to a real patient. Instructors in the control centre can change her physiology and reactions based on the inputs from the students. Hal is another mannequin that simulates cardiac and respiratory problems. One moment he is having difficulty breathing and, with a few control inputs, he is having a heart attack. The students learn to modify their treatments in an emergency, to ensure the best outcomes for patients.

Thanks to Hospitals of Regina Foundation’s partnerships with community groups, like the Dilawri Foundation, our local health-care professionals are well trained and able to provide high-quality services and improved patient care. Since the Centre opened, more than 16,000 people trained on site along with many more who learn when the tools are taken off site, into the wards.

Learn more about the Dilawri Simulation Centre by watching this short video.