The Discovery Foundation Donates to the LHSON
The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) is grateful for the investment from the Discovery Foundation in supporting the work of the nursing school to purchase one state-of-the-art R42 Bariatric simulator, one bed and one mattress. The Discovery Foundation has also graciously given the LHSON scholarship funds over the years.
The new bariatric simulator is aimed at enhancing women’s health through education of our future nurses on realistic simulators that reflect the population that they will serve. With these new simulators, students will be able to practice skills and communication techniques on simulators with high body weight to address this stigma in healthcare.
“We believe this simulator will be crucial in creating a culture in healthcare in which healthcare providers view skills on patients with high body weight as different versus problematic or anxiety-producing,” said Dr. Linda Plank, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, Dean, Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing. “The support of the Discovery Foundation will not only help us achieve our immediate goals but also contribute to long-term improvements in women’s health care.”
According to Simulation Collective, “the R42 Bariatric Manikin provides a state-of-the-art solution to address the critical gap in realistic training for healthcare professionals treating bariatric and obese patients. With a focus on inclusivity and realism, the R42 Bariatric Nursing Manikin (also known as a Simulator) ensures trainees fully prepare themselves to provide competent, empathetic care to a growing demographic of patients worldwide. In 2022, 1 in 8 adults—approximately 890 million people—lived with obesity, while 2.5 billion were considered overweight. As these numbers are expected to rise, healthcare training tools like the R42 Bariatric Manikin become more essential than ever.”
Historically, students have trained on simulators that have a simulated body weight of 150-180 pounds. However, 30 percent of U.S. women weigh over 180 pounds. The first-time students practice skills on a patient with high body weight is in the clinical setting on live patients and we wish to change that. The R42 Bariatric simulates a 145kg (320lbs) patient and accommodating beds will allow students to practice skills needed to provide care to women with high body weight, aid in the conduction of research on weight bias, and help educate students on the impact of weight bias on women’s health outcomes.