The use of a simulator from
METI at our facility posed a few problems.
With limited space available, we first placed the simulator in a spare
hospital bed in a training room in the administrative building, and set up
the monitor and laptop on counters and cabinets.
This created an unsafe tangle of cables, air hose, and simulator umbilical,
all impeding easy bedside access for trainees. The wave monitor sat too low
to be visible when multiple people were around the bed, and the instructor's
laptop sat where it was visible to students and also in danger of getting
pulled off the counter by its cord. Worse, the location outside the main
hospital building proved problematic, since instructors and trainees are
most often in the hospital and have little time to arrange training in other
buildings.
The solution was to keep the simulator in a spare room in the hospital.
However, it had to be easily moved in case the room was needed for a
patient. With all its required components the simulator was simply not
easily moved around. And, we still had the issue of tripping hazards and
inconveniently placed monitor and laptop. Finally, a solution was proposed
by the same creative mind responsible for the hospital's
new front desk: the use of a surplus metal gurney
to create a self-contained, easily portable platform for the simulator. The
end result joins the gurney, parts from an old rolling computer stand, and
an aluminum channel salvaged from a vertical blind set. Nothing was
purchased for this project. All parts were recycled from unused/obsolete
equipment in the maintenance and IT departments. Assembly included cutting,
drilling, bolting, and cleverly combining disparate components to form an
integrated unit.
The completed SimGurney2009© has the black box and an integrated power strip
on a shelf under the bed. The simulator umbilical coils under the bed
without getting in the way. A pole at the head of the bed holds the wave
monitor where it is easily visible yet out of students' way. A shorter pole
at the foot of the gurney supports the instructor's laptop, allowing the
teacher to run scenarios without bedside students being able to see what is
being done. Both trays pivot over the gurney for more compact storage and
for ease of movement, and the entire gurney can be moved without removing
any hardware. Cables are routed through the posts and the channel,
minimizing the clutter. To use the SimGurney2009©, one only has to plug in
one power cord at the head of the gurney, and route the air hose to the
black box. Everything else is ready to go.
 The initial setup and orientation with the simulator on a hospital bed |
 Location of the black box and control computer created a snarl of wires |
 The surplus metal gurney and other pieces at the ready in the shop |
 Drilling holes for the posts |
 Instructor's computer on its stand |
 Both posts and channel installed |
 The completed gurney in place and with wires routed through channels |
 The black box neatly tucked away, with air hose and cables plugged in |
 The fully operational SimGurney2009© being put to use |