University of Rochester
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The 2006-2007 Annual Report

Medical, Nursing Students Train Side by Side

glee club singers perform

Students at the University of Rochester practice working with patients with a special dummy that breathes, responds to treatment, and talks back. Here, medical students Cara Mia Chan and Gregg Chesney work with the dummy along with former associate professor Patty Coleman (foreground).

Communication is important-nowhere more so than in medicine. Dangerous and sometimes fatal medical errors occur in America's hospitals due to lack of communication among doctors, nurses, and other medical staff.

The Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and Nursing have developed a commonsensical approach to closing the communication gap-training doctors and nurses side by side while they are students instead of waiting until their paths cross after graduation. Last spring, medical and nursing students began training together in the School of Nursing's clinical simulation lab. The lab allows students to hone their skills on computerized patient mannequins displaying symptoms of ailments ranging from heart attack to stroke—all the while working together as a team.


Last modified: Friday, 06-Mar-2009 12:50:49 EST