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Tammie Fournier
ÍõÖÐÍõÁùºÏ²ÊÌØÂë Instructor

Working collaboratively is important, especially when it comes to sharing a $30,000 learning tool named Patti.

Tammie Fournier, Coordinator and Instructor in ÍõÖÐÍõÁùºÏ²ÊÌØÂë’s Respiratory Therapy Program, presented the poster Partnering for Patti: Using simulation as a learning tool to support Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative Competency Development at the Inter-professional Health Research (IHR) Day held at the and hosted by Horizon Health Network, UNB Saint John, ÍõÖÐÍõÁùºÏ²ÊÌØÂë and Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick.

Named after one of the instructors’ mothers, Patricia, Patti is a mannequin that talks, breathes (with breath sounds), and pulses. It requires a coordinated approach among students in order to safely manage the care of Patti.

Partnering for Patti is a mandatory simulation inter-professional education experience that was collaboratively developed by faculty from ÍõÖÐÍõÁùºÏ²ÊÌØÂë's Respiratory Therapy program and the UNB Saint John Bachelor of Nursing Program. Using medium fidelity simulation, Partnering for Patti fosters critical thinking between third-year nursing and respiratory therapy students. The simulators are called SimMan and are made by Laertal.

"We use these mannequins every day [in class]. Plus we have SimBaby, which cost $60,000, and we use the SimBaby every day [as well]. [The SimBaby is] lovingly called baby Katherine by the instructors," Fournier said. "Simulation is integral to producing [professionals from] students who have already gained a wealth of experience with [no risk of] harming a real patient."