PEORIA, Ill. – Meet Peoria’s newest resident. He stays at the Illinois Central College Peoria campus.
“My name is Hal. I’m the most advanced patient simulator in the world.”
Unlike other patient simulators, “Hal” – a part of ICC’s Health Careers Program – is the only one used by a community college in the state, and only one of four used in all of Illinois right now.
Hal has Artificial Intelligence technology that can simulate almost any time of medical procedure, problem, and need a real patient would have.
“The key is, for those programs, the ability for the students to learn how to interview the patient, ask questions of the patient, remember the responses, follow up on questions…those types of things…and get them comfortable talking to the patient,” said Greg Love, Coordinator of Simulation and Skills Labs for ICC’s Health Careers program.
Beyond that, students can learn everything from how to stick an IV, to how to do other procedures, in addition to how to have a conversation with a patient.
“He can demonstrate a patient with a gunshot wound. Hal can be put on a ventilator, and will do most of the conditions that the students would find when they’re using a ventilator. So, our Respiratory Therapy students can have a great time with him,” said Love.
Hal can be used in virtually any setting, for any medical class on the campus. ICC’s Health Sciences programs are exclusively on the Peoria campus.
As for the use of artificial intelligence, Love says it will not be a bad thing, and will continue to learn more conditions and feelings, and will continue to be valuable for students.
“The artificial intelligence that Hal is using is not going to take over the world,” said Love.
Hal was purchased by the college with a Workforce Development Grant. It was on display at an open house Thursday. For the purposes of Thursday’s demonstration, Hal had a headache and other body pain that had been bothering him for a few days, so he just wanted checked out. Hal said otherwise, he felt fine.
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