At RRC Polytech, students train in a ‘high-fidelity’ environment, using lifelike manikins that breathe, sweat, cry and respond like real patients, to perform procedures such as inserting IVs and catheters to build confidence and skill.Supplied
As Manitoba’s largest applied learning institution, where theory meets practice, RRC Polytech is a leader in health-care education. President and CEO Fred Meier says meeting industry demands requires close collaboration with health authorities and government to deliver programs that respond to community needs across the province.
“Having these very strong relationships – [and] being nimble and reflective of the needs of our partners – is incredibly important for us, and deeply embedded in our DNA,” says Mr. Meier. The polytech’s strategic plan reinforces this commitment, along with advancing truth and reconciliation and expanding access to integrated learning opportunities for students in urban, remote and Indigenous communities.
The opening of the $12.5-million Interdisciplinary Health and Community Services Simulation Centre last year further strengthens that mission. With 1,600 students enrolled in more than 23 health science programs, the centre provides cutting-edge, real-world education that bridges classroom learning and clinical practice, says Mr. Meier, who adds that the polytech has created an “interdisciplinary space featuring AI and VR [virtual reality] technology, incorporating a system-wide approach that enhances students’ experiences and their impact once they graduate.”
The new 16,630-square-foot facility, located at the Notre Dame campus, “builds in elements of Indigenous culture and wellness. It’s a beautiful space,” he says.
“The incorporation of traditional medicines and traditional languages nods to the validity of both western and traditional medicines in a meaningful way,” says Meagan Allardice, director of the Simulation Centre. Each debriefing room is named after an Indigenous medicine and identified in Indigenous languages.
“We want to make it clear this is a space for everybody. That’s an intention we take seriously. And we’re taking steps to go further, embedding an anti-racism, culturally competent curriculum,” she explains. “These social innovations, combined with state-of-the-art equipment, create immersive experiences that mirror real workplace challenges.”
Students train in a “high-fidelity” environment, using lifelike manikins that breathe, sweat, cry and respond like real patients, to perform procedures such as inserting IVs and catheters to build confidence and skill.
“If they make a mistake, no one is harmed. It’s a safe and powerful way to learn,” says Ms. Allardice, noting that hands-on learning is just one aspect of RRC Polytech’s broader approach, which also emphasizes collaboration across disciplines.
Many of the most effective simulations bring together students from diverse fields to build communication and teamwork skills essential to patient-centred care, she adds. “It’s integral to ensuring our graduates can hit the ground running.”
This spirit of collaboration guides how RRC Polytech “engages with the wider community, building partnerships and adapting programs to meet Manitoba’s evolving health-care needs,” says Dr. Tamara Chambers-Richards, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Community Services.
An example is the Diagnostic Support Worker program, developed with northern Manitoba’s health agency, Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Inc. (KIM), to address staffing shortages. In response, the college created an applied certificate program offering four micro-credentials leading to a digital badge.
Delivered largely online and offered across 23 First Nation communities, the program includes an on-campus lab component. “There’s been high uptake in this tremendously successful program,” says Dr. Chambers-Richards.
With campuses in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Winkler, Steinbach and the Interlake (including Selkirk, Peguis First Nation, and Fisher River Cree Nation), RRC Polytech extends its reach even further through mobile training labs.
“We take the education to the community,” she says. Most recently, one of the fully equipped 950-square-foot classrooms on wheels rolled into Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, offering health-care aide training so residents can “stay, gain an education, and serve in their home community.
“When we talk about innovation in education,” notes Dr. Chambers-Richards, “it’s not just about high-end equipment, but the novel ways we deliver curriculum – through hybrid models, specialized modules and flexible learning pathways.”
These approaches, she adds, support RRC Polytech’s strategic priorities of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility: “It means being creative in how we design and deliver education to ensure RRC Polytech makes a difference in the communities we serve.”
Advertising feature produced by Randall Anthony Communications. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.