Facilities

Multipurpose Skills Laboratories

The Multipurpose Skills Laboratories at both the Bendigo campus and Clinical Teaching Building in Bendigo are used for a range of research and teaching purposes across several disciplines.

This laboratory spaces give our exercise science and exercise physiology students hands-on experience build understanding and skills around motor control and learning. Specialist equipment includes electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which is used to measure proprioception and muscle and neural activity.

Our physiotherapy and occupational therapy students also use these spaces. These labs mimic realistic clinical settings for neurological rehabilitation and musculoskeletal and cardiovascular physiotherapy. These labs provide the ideal environment for students to practice assessment and intervention skills with other students or simulated patients before working with real patients on clinical placement.

Simulated Residence

The Simulated Residence at the Bendigo campus enables our occupational therapy and paramedic students to practice their skills in a realistic home environment. This facility includes:

• A simulated bedroom with single bed and bedroom cupboards
• A simulated bathroom with (non-functional) toilet, bath, sink, and shower
• A simulated kitchen with kitchen benchtops and cupboards, stove, oven, and fridge
• A lounge and entry space with couch, chairs, coffee table, and sideboard
• A wall mounted television screen hooked up to the computer system in the paramedicine simulation lab

Ceiling mounted cameras and microphones are integrated into the Simulated Residence so that staff and students can record and playback scenarios and skills sessions, giving students detailed feedback on their performance.

Splinting Laboratory

The splinting lab located within the Clinical Teaching Building in Bendigo is a purpose-built environment where occupational therapy students learn to design and manufacture thermoplastic splints for upper limb conditions.

This room includes all equipment commonly used in occupational therapy practice. Simulated practice using these facilities allows our students to develop their splinting skills before working with real clients requiring upper limb interventions during their placements.

Speech Pathology Laboratory

The Speech Pathology lab is based at the Clinical Teaching Building and is home a broad range of manual, electronic and computer-based equipment for the assessment of speech, voice, hearing and swallowing problems.

Using this lab gives our speech pathology students an introduction to using high quality equipment to assess communication and swallowing problems. Our researchers use this equipment both locally and as part of our global citizenship research project based in Cambodia.

La Trobe Rural Health School's clinical learning environments provide a centre of excellence for innovative approaches to teaching and learning and research.

These specialist facilities are located across the Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Mildura and Shepparton campuses. The Bendigo facilities are at both the Flora Hill and Clinical Teaching Building sites.

These learning spaces replicate those encountered in real clinical settings, so that we can provide collaborative, experiential approaches to teaching and learning for nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy students.

Simulation is a key educational modality used to deliver subject content, linking theory, practice and critical thinking skills to support students’ transition into the clinical environment.

State of the art equipment

The clinical learning environments feature:

• Hospital electric beds
• Linen, medication and dressing trolleys
• Piped oxygen and suction system
• Intravenous infusion, syringe drivers, feeding pumps, epidural and patinas controlled analgesia pumps
• Portable and in-situ ventilators
• C-PAP and BiPAP machines

Our simulated birthing suite includes:

• Birthing bed
• Resuscitator
• CTG machine

We use a wide range of high and medium-technology manikins and simulators including:

• Sim man 3G- High-tech simulator features rise and fall of chest, venous and arterial bleeding, sweating and provides high quality computerised feedback
• Sim man Essentials- High-tech simulator
• SimMOM- Birthing manikin
• Sim Newbie- New born high technology manikin
• Nursing resuscitation manikin for advanced and basic life support
• Nursing Anne

• Albury-Wodonga
• Bendigo
• Mildura
• Shepparton

Dental Simulation Laboratories

Our purpose-built Dental Simulation Laboratories provide students with a world-class, modern, interactive environment where they can develop both periodontic and restorative dental clinical skills.

Each of the two laboratories has 30 simulated dental manikins, so each student has hands-on access throughout each teaching session.

Feedback and critique of technical performances are key to skill development. The built-in technology in these labs allow students to use a smart phone or tablet to record their performance at any time. They can save it to their online portfolio and review it whenever they like- alone or with peers/staff to see where they can improve.

Prosthodontic and Anatomy Laboratory

This flexible teaching space is used for prosthodontic and anatomy teaching, practical and laboratory exercises.

The space is equipped with multiple LCD overhead display screens and 28 student workstations, each with a laboratory straight handpiece and an individual suction unit.

Simulated Dental Clinic

Students get a taste for real-world dental and oral health practice in our Simulated Dental Clinic. This teaching space has 8 fully equipped dental chairs and a clinical grade sterilisation area.

Students get carefully supervised real-world practical experience in this authentic clinic environment.

Skills and techniques developed here include infection control procedures, non-invasive dental procedures and other procedures such as x-rays using dental manikins.

Exercise and Conditioning Laboratory

Our exercise science students use this laboratory to learn how to assess exercise capacity and prescribe exercise, working with our on-campus partner, Bendigo Academy of Sport. Our exercise physiology students use the space for simulated learning.

Cameras are embedded throughout the laboratory so that teaching staff can monitor from a distance and our students don't have someone looking over their shoulder.

This laboratory consists of a main strength training and aerobic conditioning area, a private consultation and assessment room, and a small kitchen, which is used by our post-graduate students to investigate the impact of exercise after meals on metabolic health.

Exercise Physiology Laboratory

Biomechanics Laboratory

In this laboratory, our exercise science, exercise physiology and physiotherapy students practice their skills in collecting, analysing and interpreting motion data from exercises such as walking, jumping and squats.

It houses an 8-camera system that tracks full body motion in the same way as motion capture rigs on actors for computer generated characters in movies. We also have two force platforms to provide information on impact forces.

Muscle Function Laboratory

In this laboratory students assess muscle function and body composition, using equipment like isokinetic dynamometers, ultrasound probes and electromyography, to determine responses from acute and chronic exercise training.

Researchers use the densitometry system, which enables us to determine changes in bone density, fat and muscle mass, to discover the best rehbailitation practice for people with osteoarthritis.

Paramedicine Practical Laboratory

Our Paramedicine Practical Laboratory is a key teaching space for paramedicine students to establish their clinical skills.

The space is fully equipped with industry-standard medical equipment as used in ambulance services around Australia.

Simulated crash area

This outdoor space allow students to develop and test their paramedic skills in realistic simulated motor vehicle accidents (MVA) and other outdoor incidents.

The space consists of an open concreted area bordered by high concrete walls and two to three non-registered motor vehicles. Real emergency vehicles are also able to access the space via the carpark, to assist in the MVA scenarios.