Mercy hospital nurses come second in SIM Stars contest

Mercy University Hospital (MUH) Centre of Nurse Education achieved second place in the Sim – Simulation Stars 2023.

The winners were announced recently at the Assert Centre, Brookfield Health Science Complex at University College Cork (UCC).

Five teams from across the South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) designed a simulation scenario encompassing this year’s theme of communication.

All five teams displayed their work in the simulation suite in the Assert Centre, with Cork University Hospital (CUH) winning.

Director of the Centre of Nurse Education at MUH, Ann Cummins, said: “It is a fantastic achievement to reach second place out of five exemplary finalists, from the original 17 Sim Stars 2023 entries in the South-Southwest Hospital Group (SSWHG) awards.”

The subject of the MUH Centre of Nurse Education simulation was the use of a structured framework titled VERA: Validation, emotion, reassure, and activity.

The VERA Communication framework is a tool that provides a step-by-step approach to effective communication in dementia care, underpinned by compassion and kindness.

The VERA framework helps staff remember the core elements of person-centred communication and incorporate them into practice when interacting with a person living with dementia.

“Mercy University Hospital and Centre of Nurse Education simulation integrated the VERA framework very successfully. It was teamwork and communication at its best,” said Ms Cummins.

The MUH Sim simulation team members included director of the Centre of Nurse Education (CNE) Ann Cummins, nurse tutor at CNE Siobhan Buckley, specialist co-ordinator at CNE Elizabeth Myers, specialist registrar at MUH Dr Paul Claffey, and advanced nurse practitioner of dementia at MUH Sharon Maher.

Thanking her fellow Sim simulation team members, Ms Cummins said: “It has been an incredible and enjoyable journey. We had invaluable support from Dr Rónán Ó Caoimh, consultant in geriatric medicine; Corina Naughton, professor of clinical nursing in older person’s healthcare; Margaret McKiernan, director of nursing, MUH; Stephanie Ryng, simulation coordinator S/SWHG and Dr Rory O’Brien, clinical lead in paediatric emergency medicine, CUH.”