For more than seventeen years that's been mission of the HEROES project. To help healthcare providers and students throughout the state of Nebraska become more familiar with the potential emergencies they may face, and the equipment and techniques that make responding to such emergencies safer, and that little bit easier.
The Mobile Simulation Unit (MSU) was introduced in the second year of the project and has since travelled more than 70,000 miles around the state.
The MSU provides access to an array of Human Patient Simulators and other equipment that can be used to enhance chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive or traumatic event exercises and training.
Our Human Patient Simulators include adult, pediatric and newborn high-fidelity manikins which can be programmed to display a wide range of symptoms. The manikins are approved to be transported by rescue squad or medical helicopter.
Previous activities we've conducted have included assessment or response skills emphasizing personal protection in a disaster or terrorism situation including: Mock Code; Intubation (ET Tube, LMA, Combitube); IV Start; Arterial Draws; Needle Decompression; Cricothyroidotomy; Chest Tube and Foley Placement (Male and Female)
We've also worked with more complex scenarios such as mass casualty incidents - integrating both human volunteers and manikin victims using trauma modules and special make-up. These tested responders with long term personal protective equipment exposure and team decision making while experiencing limited communication resources.
There is no charge for event planning through the MSU, however costs for a visit do include reimbursement for fuel expenses (estimates available upon request), and lodging (usually 2-3 personnel required for a visit) if travel from Omaha requires an overnight stay. Contact us for more information.
As they say, practice makes perfect.
Begin by contacting HEROES to express your interest in an MSU event.
The HEROES project co-ordinator will then begin working with you to fully develop the type of event you're looking for.
Upon arrival expect us to spend about an hour setting up equipment and familiarizing ourselves with your facility.
The event itself may start with some lecture content moving on to a split between several groups participating the same scenario, or one large group.
We're hands-on - everyone involved should expect to roll up their sleves and get stuck in.
After the scenario has played out, each group participates in a debriefing session to discuss how the scenario played out.
After the event we will provide the participants with a link to our online Evaluation form. Getting feedback from event participants allows us to constantly improve our approach to the education and training we provide. We greatly appreciate participants taking time to complete evaluations.