Sentara simulates doctor's visit for service dogs

Head tilted and ears perked, a yellow labrador retriever named Maple looked curiously as a nurse ripped the velcro blood pressure cuff off Jon McIvor’s arm. 

The two-year-old service dog and her handler, McIvor, who works with the Virginia Beach Fire Department, were taking part in a simulated doctor’s visit at the Sentara Simulation Center in Chesapeake, Va.

“We train and educate clinical staff to make sure they’re comfortable with the equipment and policies before they go into the hospitals to take care of patients,” said Debra Gillis, manager of the Sentara Simulation Center. “When Mutts With A Mission reached out and asked if we could help create a clinical experience for the dogs, we were very excited.” 

Founded in 2008, Virginia Beach-based Mutts With A Mission is accredited by Assistance Dogs International and provides service dogs for active military, veterans, and first responders.

The dogs are trained for two years by puppy raisers, and they meet their new owners during a two-week long Transfer Camp.

This is the first time Mutts With A Mission has partnered with a health system to help the dogs and their handlers feel more comfortable and confident in a medical environment. 

Maple rests her head on McIvor's lap as a nurse checks his blood pressure.

“This seemed like such a perfect partnership for us. These handlers have medical anxiety, they’ve got this new dog who they’re learning how to trust,” said Jo Ofeldt, puppy raiser and office manager at Mutts With A Mission. “We want them to know these dogs are well-trained and this will give them a lot of confidence for future doctor’s appointments.”

Part of the simulation was to have the service dogs and their handlers go through a mock check-in process and sit in a waiting room. 

They then went into a patient room where the nurse took the handler’s blood pressure, listened to their lungs, and had them squeeze their hands. 

“This has really made us aware of the noises and movements we take for granted when we are treating our patients,” said Gillis. 

The magic of a service dog

When Jamey Hebert retired after 20 years of military service, a few doctors recommended that he get a service dog, but he resisted because of the stigma. 

“It’s like wearing a sign that says, ‘you’re hurt, you’re messed up.’ That’s what it felt like to me at the time,” said Hebert, a former bomb disposal expert in the U.S. Navy. “But after talking with some people, meeting the dogs, seeing what they could do, obviously I caved.” 

Jamey Hebert and Yeti in the simulated waiting room.

In 2018, Hebert got his first service dog, Amelia, a 160-pound English Mastiff who was trained to go get help, give medication reminders, and help Hebert up and down stairs. 

Sadly, Amelia passed away in 2023 from cancer. That’s when Hebert began training Yeti, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, to be Amelia’s successor. 

Kyle Cozad, CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, met his dog Neo, a black labrador retriever, three days before the simulation.

“This is our first time out of the training facility, so a lot of different distractions. And it's great for the dogs, but also for me,” said Cozad, a retired two-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy. “It just validates how well-trained and disciplined these dogs are, how they pick up on the little cues, what they get distracted by, or what they don't get distracted by.”

Cozad and his wife traveled all the way from Florida to Virginia to get Neo and said the clinical experience was a “super confidence builder”.  

The Sentara Simulation Center team with Kerry Kendrick (far left) and Jo Ofeldt (center) who hold Flynn and Vatra, Mutts With A Mission service dogs.

“You don’t realize how magical these damn dogs are. It’s ridiculous,” said Hebert. “It didn’t ever dawn on me that a connection could feel like this.”

Gillis said this clinical simulation not only helped the owners and their dogs, it also helped clinical staff better understand the needs of patients with service dogs.

“The most important part to me is paying back to the service community, for the veterans and for the first responders,” said Gillis. “It just shows that there are so many aspects of healthcare and the human being.”  

Gillis said Sentara and Mutts With A Mission plan to continue this partnership in the future.