Nurse Susan Zarges was attending her patient in his hospital bed when he began coughing. She asked if he was OK, but all she got for an answer was more coughing. Quickly determining that he had a throat blockage, Ms. Zarges called for a suction tube. The tube was successfully inserted, the blockage was cleared, and the patient began breathing normally. Crisis averted. Almost. “You weren’t quick enough taking out the tube,� said Kathleen Ashe, Zarges’s instructor. “It only needs to be in for 10 seconds.� Lucky for Ms. Zarges, she was not in an actual hospital, and her patient was a lifelike computerized mannequin named SimMan. Ms. Zarges, of Worcester, is a student in the Licensed Practical Nursing Program at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School.

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