Manitoba invests $12.5 million in simulation and training

WINNIPEG – The Government of Manitoba is spending $12.5 million to develop a simulated health and community services center at Red River College Polytechnic, providing more training opportunities for healthcare workers. Prime Minister Heather Stefansson (pictured) said at a press conference that the new center would hold equipment and technology to reflect and simulate real-world medical scenarios and prepare students for clinical studies.

“This new mixed-use facility will support 115 new nursing training seats, as well as other medical areas such as paramedics and advanced medical paramedics,” she said. “This will really help them with the practical side of their training and really set them up.”

The simulation center will hopefully open within the next two years, the prime minister said.

Melissa Ciurko, a nursing student at RRC Polytechnic, recently participated in a simulation of a patient experiencing a drug overdose, and said it was the “basic” of her learning.

“We have been able to tackle life-threatening acute scenarios in a space that supports learning without causing direct patient harm,” Ciurko said at a press conference.

“I now feel confident and competent when it comes to becoming a registered nurse. I face similar situations in real life.”

Last year, the state committed to adding 400 new nurse training seats across the state.

Stefansson said the number of seats announced Tuesday will exceed state promises.

The announcement came on the same day a Winnipeg doctor held a press conference to share how his emergency department was reaching breaking point, and for the first time, he considered quitting.

Kristjan Thompson, MD, emergency room doctor at St. Boniface Hospital and former president of Dr. You say you’re retired.

At that press conference, Thompson was asked about Red River University’s new nursing seats and simulation center.

Doctors welcomed the news, but said more needs to be done to retain the highly experienced medical workers who are leaving the field.

“Training and recruitment are very important steps, but emergency room nurses don’t grow on trees. It takes years,” said Thompson.

“This is a medium- to long-term solution that is very important and I applaud the government for their efforts. It is great to see, but we also need to focus on retention and We need to focus on the underlying causes: we know burnout is a workplace problem, an organizational problem, and we are looking to improve institutional barriers.”

Stefanson said he knows retention is just as important as training new nurses. Health Secretary Audrey Gordon added that a “very comprehensive plan” would be rolled out over the next week or so to address recruitment, training and retention.