Medical/Surgical Clinical Simulation Lab
The Medical-Surgical Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility that functions as a skills and simulation laboratory. Students are able to build personal confidence through hands on experience to apply into the senior year residency program. A hands on practice approach to using actual hospital equipment is an essential part of the laboratory experience and patient simulators are provided to facilitate clinical skill competency.
Students are provided with the opportunity to learn basic nursing skills in the laboratory during the first year of nursing school. Throughout the second year, students acquire the skills to perform a health assessment, administer medications, and learn patient safety principles. The junior level labs become more advanced as they require students to analyze a patient history, evaluate physician orders, and provide appropriate care when assigned to a patient simulator such as SimMan or a Health Care Theatre Student. Patient based scenarios requires students to incorporate best nursing practice and past course knowledge as both SimMan and Health Care Theatre Students can reproduce various medical conditions that requires students to assess and plan care.
Through multiple scenario based laboratory experiences students are able to improve decision making, delegation, and teamwork skills while gaining the principles of technical skills. Within the laboratory there are seven hospital beds and a health assessment lab with nine exam tables designed to closely replicate a hospital environment. These areas are stocked with state-of-the-art supplies and hospital equipment for students to practice both basic and advanced nursing technologies ranging from administering medications to assisting in a code situation.
Students are required to attend laboratory sessions that provide hands on demonstration prior to high stakes test out. In addition to scheduled laboratory sessions, the laboratory provides open lab hours for any nursing student who feels they need improvement in a particular nursing skill.
