Elevating Education at the Leduc Community Hospital

How “Annie” is making a difference

In 2023, the Leduc Community Hospital Foundation funded the purchase of a Resusci Anne QCPR AED Full Body Manikin for educational use at the Leduc Community Hospital. “Annie”, as it is known, is a full-body, customizable, high-performance manikin that provides real-time, quantitative feedback to hospital staff who are learning, practicing and improving their resuscitation skills.

"Education is such a motivator for staff,” explains Heather Hillier, Clinical Nurse Educator at the Leduc Community Hospital. "In a time when many healthcare workers are experiencing burnout, education serves to revitalize and encourage, restoring staff’s enthusiasm for their profession."

Heather goes on to say that having state-of-the art equipment like Annie also increases the quality of education that can be provided. The life-like experience Annie provides has created a big difference in the training environment as there are clear benchmarks and data for users to compare from previous attempts.

Since arriving at the hospital in June 2023, Annie has educated multiple departments and more than 130 staff. It has been central to the following courses:

• Cardiac Event Management: This one-day course has been part of the standard orientation curriculum since September 2023, teaching learners how to apply and operate emergency equipment during a Code Blue situation.
• Cardiac Care Course: A three-day program designed to equip the Emergency Department and experienced nurses with the skills to manage cardiac emergencies effectively.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS): An internationally-recognized curriculum provided by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

In addition to these courses, Annie has appeared at simulations, been used in one-on-one teaching and it has even made some PR appearances, but her impact extends even further.

“It’s so rewarding to see staff master skills in simulation and be genuinely excited to bring those skills back to their next shift,” adds Heather. “These education opportunities create more confident and competent nurses, resulting in better patient experiences and better patient outcomes.”

Although Heather concluded her tenure at the hospital on July 12, 2024, she still expressed her gratitude to the Foundation for supporting staff education.

Thank you to the donors and the Foundation for everything they have provided our education department, and our hospital in general, during my years here. I brag about our Foundation all the time. We are lucky to have you.

Donate today. Your contributions help the Foundation to fund more initiatives like this that support healthcare in our community.