National Healthcare Simulation Week will be held Sept. 12-16. To celebrate, and increase awareness regarding the importance of simulation to healthcare, Southern State Community College will be hosting a variety of activities on their central campus in Hillsboro.
Healthcare Simulation Week, sponsored by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, is a designated time to celebrate professionals who use healthcare simulation to improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
New methods and technologies are emerging that present enhanced opportunities to improve patient care; as a result, it is an important field in which many healthcare professionals are finding a lifelong career.
At Southern State, students who enroll in a healthcare program will study in a state-of-the-art simulation center. The center mirrors a modern hospital setting and provides a safe, realistic environment in which students can comfortably practice caring for patients. It’s an environment where mistakes are OK, and learning is the goal.
Vanessa Rice and Racquel Browder are both currently enrolled in the nursing program at Southern State. The use of patient simulation has really helped them advance their skills and better prepare for nursing practice. “The simulation lab at Southern State has provided me with a more realistic experience of patient care,” states Rice. “The mannequins are so realistic and life like that they mimic patients with constantly changing conditions and health problems,” she says.
“These experiences have really prepared me for my clinicals with actual patients. I highly recommend the nursing program at Southern State. The instructors and patient simulators have helped prepare me with critical thinking skills to be successful as a nurse,” Rice says.
Unlike the clinical setting, SSCC can provide all students with the same learning activity rather than having to rely on the randomness of patients presenting for care. This is especially beneficial for those high-acuity, but low-frequency events that students must be prepared for.
Browder also credits the simulation lab for her growth in knowledge of the healthcare setting. “It has improved my critical thinking and hands-on learning skills as well as given me the confidence to care for real patients in the clinical setting,” she says.
Bruce Fugate, Associate Professor and Simulation Lab Director, says Southern State is at the forefront in facility training and equipment for its students. “Southern State was one of the early adopters in using simulation,” he comments.
“We have a partnership with A.T. Still University where we provide lab and simulation activities for medical students who are completing their education in our area. We have also done some simulation activities for nurses in the area,” Fugate says.
Plan to stop by Southern State’s central campus in Hillsboro on Sept. 14 or 15 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. to learn more about the college’s healthcare programs as well as tour the simulation lab, meet faculty, and more.
If you are unable to attend, but interested in learning more about health science programming, please contact Bruce Fugate, Associate Professor and Simulation Lab Director at 800.628.7722, Ext. 4530
