Nursing gets hands on |
Kayci Combs |
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Graduate and undergraduate students in the nursing program will get hands-on experience thanks to a new $500,000 psychomotor skills laboratory that simulates a hospital environment. The nursing department installed the laboratory in January, making SIUE the first and only university in the state to use this technology. The centerpiece for this lab is the human patient simulator, which includes two human models, an adult and child, hooked up to a computer that simulates human behavior. Students can give the models drugs to see the effects and to determine how long the drugs actually last. There is no real medicine in the lab, but students inject water into the models and bar codes tell the computer what medicine is being received. The models breathe, have a pulse rate and are programmed with responses to certain stimuli that mirror human responses. Students are able to check pulses, check pupils, listen for heart murmurs and monitor breathing. Instructors may choose from more than 70 different medical scenarios, allowing students to be aware of how human bodies react. It simulates all clinical, hospital, emergency room and intensive care settings. Wendy Nehring, an assistant professor in the nursing department, said: "I think it will tremendously benefit the program. It is offering a state-of-the-art environment and will provide students with the ability to learn the skills to practice and think critically." Dean of Nursing Felissa Lashley said, "I think it'll give the students a better chance to practice their skills in a controlled setting." The model will be used in each of the fields of nursing study: obstetrics and pediatrics, and intermediate and advanced search. No hours in the lab are definite, but a required time for each nursing student will be set up by next year. | |