13 Jun, 2022
Wilmington, Delaware – Avkin creates, manufactures, and sells technologically advanced wearable simulators to the healthcare education market, releasing the ONLY automated, wearable birthing simulator in January of 2022. Amy Cowperthwait, Founder, and CEO of Avkin has made it her mission to make simulation more realistic for participants. Starting her journey at the University of Delaware, she found the current offerings lacked “the human factor” and was determined to put out superior products that allow learners to actually learn how they will practice. Avkin was established in 2015 and has been selling into the North American markets since 2016. The need for quality healthcare education is a worldwide phenomenon and Avkin is thrilled to announce it is extending its reach into the United Kingdom and Ireland through a strategic distribution partnership with MDT Global Solutions . Cowperthwait and the Avkin team have worked with the team at MDT Global Solutions on a variety of other initiatives, and they are confident this quality partnership and overwhelming enthusiasm for wearable simulators in the UK is a giant leap forward to improving health outcomes globally. Cowperthwait commented, “You want to work with people that have the same passion to improve healthcare education through simulation and have the respect within the global simulation community to share it with the masses.” MDT Global Solutions Ltd was established in 2013 by Rob Clark and David Halliwell. With a background in Pre-Hospital Education that spanned more than 50 years, reinventing simulation became a huge passion. The aim of MDT Global Solutions is to provide innovative solutions to clients. Rob Clark Co-Founder and Director commented, “The team here at MDT admire the ethos, innovation, and passion that Amy and the Avkin Team bring to the Healthcare education market, and are honored to have been selected to become a Distribution Partner here in the United Kingdom and Ireland.” Because of their mutual respect and historical relationship, MDT Global Solutions has been approved to sell Avkin’s entire product line in the UK and Ireland including, but not limited to, Avtrach, a wearable tracheostomy simulator with imbedded sensor technology that will change the way tracheostomy care is taught in the region. Megan Weldon, CHSE, Avkin’s Director of Education, commented “We do everything we can to make our products mimic actual bedside care. The most important thing is that learners can now safely practice realistic patient care before they provide care to a real person.” In addition to Avtrach and six other wearable products, Avkin released an automated, wearable simulator that mimics childbirth. Avbirth allows participants to interact with a real person, practice different birthing positions, and experience all phases of uncomplicated and complicated labor. “This product is a game-changer for nursing schools and midwifery programs” Weldon comments. The Avkin team firmly believes that it is essential to include themes of diversity and marginalization in the simulation setting, especially since this modality gives the patient a voice in the simulation and debriefing process. Because of this, each product is offered in three different skin tones. According to The Guardian , Black women in the UK are four times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth. This shocking number has everyone take pause and come together to do their part to improve education and address the disparity of care head-on. Avkin would like to extend our gratitude to MDT for this incredible partnership opportunity. We are confident this partnership will lead to improved educational outcomes that will quickly result in improved care for patients and their families across the UK and Ireland. Both companies are on a mission to create the highest-fidelity simulated learning environments for their customers. By adding a human-to-human aspect to regional simulation centers, the partnership will unlock new possibilities.
