From Simulators to Smart Beds: COM Nursing Levels Up with $325K Grant

College of the Mainland (COM) has received a $324,916 Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to enhance nursing education. The grant funded advanced simulation equipment, including a MamaAnne maternal and birthing simulator, a SimBaby manikin, and 25 hospital beds with built-in scales and alarms.

With only 75 MamaAnne maternal and birthing simulators currently being used in the United States, COM is now the proud owner of two. Both the MamaAnne and SimBaby manikin can bleed, sweat, talk and even cry, simulating real patient behavior. Using MamaAnne, students can feel for contractions and assist in a simulated birth, gaining valuable experience in scenarios they may not encounter during clinicals.

“Even though our students do a labor and delivery rotation in the hospital, they don't always get to see a live birth,” said Rachel Fano, COM Nursing Program Director. “When our male students go into the hospital, the family or the woman may not want a male student in there. This allows them to still get that experience.”

The 25 new hospital beds are equipped with built-in scales to assist patients who may have difficulty getting out of bed, along with alarms to help prevent falls.

Beyond clinical skills, Rachel believes the new equipment also helps students develop interpersonal skills. Staying current with modern tools and technology allows students to build confidence and better connect with patients.

“It makes them a little bit more confident when they walk in the room because they already know how to do it with the latest and greatest technology,” she said. “They can focus on things like building relationships with the patient, making eye contact, developing soft skills like connection—instead of walking into the room and just being super task-oriented.”

Carla Burris, COM Nursing Simulation Lab Coordinator, assisted with writing the grant and selecting the equipment. Since its arrival, she has been tracking student usage, and nearly 90 students have already benefited from the additions. Other local schools have also visited COM to explore the new manikins as they consider purchasing their own.

In addition to nursing students, other COM healthcare programs will also be able to use the equipment through collaborative simulation scenarios.