Expansions to simulation labs in Harris College

Fort Worth, TX

11/3/2008

Simulation labs are an experience all nursing students should, and will, experience thanks to expansions in the labs dividing nursing anesthesia undergraduates from nursing undergraduates.

Students begin working in the lab during their second semester of sophomore year in conjunction with clinical internships. The simulation lab is a learning center outside of the classroom for students to gain hands-on experience in a controlled environment. It includes video recording capabilities, two adult simulators, a six-year-old child simulator and a maternity simulator—which actually gives birth.

Until recently not all students have had the opportunity to use the lab during their time as an undergraduate, because the simulation lab was shared by nurse anesthesia students, which made less time available for nursing students, but this summer the nurse anesthesia students moved to a new location on the third floor of Bass Hall and both labs expanded to allow all students more time in them.

Assistant director for dimulation, Mary Beth Walker, was glad to be able to expand the simulation lab to allow all nursing students to work in it during their time at TCU. The expansions to the nursing lab included adding an intensive care room and nurses station that mirrors an area hospital.

“The more you make simulation life-like and less pretend, the easier it is to suspend disbelief in students,” she says, and the expansions in the lab reflect that.

Simulators allow students to see and respond to the reactions of “patients” in certain scenarios. The simulators act as real patients—they breathe in oxygen, release carbon dioxide, their pupils dilate, and respond to medicine.

Simulation labs are coordinated to augment clinical internships.

“Although all students experience real scenarios in clinical internships, we cannot plan that they will see certain common situations such as an asthmatic child, complications from surgery or pneumonia,” Mary Beth explained. “But in the simulation lab we can control which scenarios students are exposed to in order to maximize their learning experience.”

Mary Beth is also excited for another new addition to the nursing simulation lab, a recent TCU graduate has returned to help her run the simulation lab.

Ashley Franklin ’03 completed her training at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, but decided to return to Horned Frog country and work at All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth.

“With Ashley’s background in intensive care and my background in women’s health, we can offer students a well-rounded experience,” Mary Beth commented.

The expansions to the labs and new faculty are providing nursing students with a wonderful foundation for their future in the nursing field.