Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Imagine that you are a new nurse, fresh out of college, working in your first emergency room. A patient is brought in unconscious with an unknown medical problem, and you must make the correct decisions to evaluate that patient’s condition and help him get well. Would you know what to do?

Thanks to the new Howard D. and Audrey Holden Naylor Nursing Simulation Lab, graduates of West Virginia Wesleyan’s School of Nursing will. “Simulation learning in itself is not new,” said Dr. Judith McKinney, director of the School of Nursing and professor of nursing. “What is new are the high-fidelity mannequins that are programmed and driven by technology to replicate conditions that are generated in a clinical setting, be it a hospital, physician’s office, or healthcare clinic. Simulation gives students an opportunity to learn and deal with changing situations in a safe environment where they can think through situations. If they make a mistake, they can learn from that.”

Through the generosity of the Naylor Family Fund, The School of Nursing was able to purchase two high fidelity mannequins and fund a complete renovation of three of the nursing education rooms in Middleton Hall. One room will be set up to replicate a clinical environment, such as a hospital or physician’s office. One will be an observation room, and a third will serve as a debriefing room.

In the clinical area, the mannequins will lie in beds or on stretchers.  These high fidelity mannequins will imitate living beings. They breathe. They have heart beats. They can vocalize. They are responsive. The faculty member running each simulation can, using a computer, program the mannequins to present symptoms of different diseases and conditions. A camera will record two or more student nurses as they work through a scenario in this room for 25-30 minutes at a time, treating the situation as if they were caring for a real human being. As realistic as the mannequins appear, the students will not have to use much imagination to immerse themselves in the experience of patient care.

In a separate room, behind a mirror, the faculty member running the simulation will observe the action. The instructor can, using the computer equipment, change the response of the mannequin based on the treatment that the nurses are giving.

When a simulation has reached its end, students and faculty will gather in the debriefing room, where they will spend time discussing the situation, assessing what was done, and evaluating what might be done better next time.

McKinney pointed out that the new lab will be of great benefit not only to Wesleyan students, but also to the Buckhannon community. The School of Nursing is partnering with community health care providers, including Holbrook on the Hill and St. Joseph’s Hospital to meet the needs of Wesleyan’s student nurses, as well as nursing professionals working in these institutions. “Our simulation lab will help extend learning opportunities to other community health care providers as well,” McKinney said. “My hope is that all of the nursing students will learn and experience a variety of nursing care situations, and that they will be excited about those learning possibilities.”