Simulation and Skills Lab

  • PA students with Sim Man
  • Nursing students practcing with IV
  • Nursing students with Sim Baby
  • Nursing student with older patient

 
The Western Michigan University Simulation and Skills Lab physical layout accommodates various learning areas and stations according to the needs of the students. Three simulation rooms feature 20 technologically advanced mannequins complete with identification bands and dressed in hospital gowns. Many of the mannequins have Sim Pad capability which allows for realistic blood pressure measurements, pulse points, variable breath sounds and heart tones, and voice response. Each mannequin features interchangeable genitalia, wounds for assessment and care, stomas, and IV access with realistic blood return.

Each bed area is equipped with an over-the-bed tray and cabinet stand. Above each bed is a panel with realistic appearing oxygen, air, and functioning suction units. Hand-gel dispensers at every bedside serve to reinforce the importance of hand hygiene.

The school features a specialized high-fidelity Simulation Lab that houses SimMan 3G. This state of the art room has two private standardized patient exam rooms and a simulation center with an adjacent control room. Experiences in the high fidelity simulation room may be photographed, videotaped or audio recorded by faculty.  There are two separate debriefing rooms as well.

In addition to the Skills Labs, students utilize an Activities of Daily Living room complete with a working bathroom, bedroom, living room and kitchenette. There is also an Assessment Lab featuring 12 articulating assessment tables, wall mounted otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, privacy curtains, and individual sinks.

The “patients” with movable limbs and replaceable parts, are recipients of a variety of nursing interventions – repositioning, injections, intravenous catheters, nasogastric tubes, foley catheters, wound care, and oxygenation therapy. The intravenous volumetric pumps and feeding pumps enhance the “hands-on” learning. A sophisticated patient lift system allows for safe patient repositioning and transfers.