Medical residents who are in training at Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach had a chance Tuesday to get some education in front line emergency work. STARS brought its medical education unit to the hospital, complete with its high tech mannequin and medical equipment, and went through simulated exercises such as dealing with a patient who has attempted suicide by overdosing on drugs and is having a heart attack. Troy Pauls and Brent Bekiaris are two of the STARS personnel who lead the training. Paul says their specially-outfitted motorhome enables them to do high-level training.

"The nice thing about the mobile education unit and the mannequin is that we can make that mannequin whatever patient we want it to be. Today happens to be cardiac day for the residents here in Steinbach, so we tailor the cases based on the needs of the facility. Today's cases are specific to cardiac to meet the needs of their learning objectives."

One simulation involved dealing with a patient who has attempted suicide by overdosing on drugs and who is having a heart attack.

Pauls says STARS personnel are able to give these medical students a unique perspective.

"It's critical care transport concepts that we teach. So, a lot of the patients that we see in the cases are extremely unwell. Interventions have to be timely and appropriate and then their transport decisions to definitive care or how they are managing that patient, has to be done on the fly and what we call a lightly-stressed environment. We try to create as realistic an environment as we can to make the patient appear very unwell."

Pauls notes medical residents at rural hospitals don't get a lot of opportunities to do simulated education because most of the simulation facilities are located in Winnipeg so the STARS unit is a big benefit to them. He adds STARS also exposes the upcoming physicians to some less common situations.

"It's things that we don't see every day, so it's nice to practice them in a simulated setting. It puts that knowledge and that muscle memory in the back of your brain, so when actually see it for real, you can anticipate it and know what to do."

Pauls says the residents handled the simulations very well.