Simulation suite provides nursing students real-life patient experience

Working with a simulation manikin

Simulation education catapults the baccalaureate nursing students in the McAuley School of Nursing to the head of the class with its ability to create real-life hospital and healthcare environments in which they can learn.

The Simulation Technology Electronic-Informatics Preparatory System (STEPS) provides students with actual healthcare experiences that teach them how to use the Cerner electronic health record system for informatics literacy and a hand-held personal data resource (I-touch) device for point-of-care reference purposes. Additionally, they develop familiarity with distance-care coordination, called tele-health technology, and most importantly, they interact with a computerized patient-simulation manikin.

Students determine how to care for the simulated patient, who is programmed with a healthcare diagnosis and is fully interactive with them. The simulated patient can talk with the students, answering their questions and is programmed with all the cardiac, respiratory and bowel sounds a person would have. The simulated patient also has pulses, blood pressure, inflatable lungs and intravenous access.

The class becomes a medical team taking turns providing the care a student nurse would give during a clinical experience. They discuss what the care-of-the-day should be. If the student does not realize that the head of the patient's bed is too low, the patient becomes short of breath prompting the student to react accordingly. Some students represent family members, which gives them the opportunity to discuss the patient's care with sensitivity and to learn to be a patient advocate.

"We digitally record the 20-minute simulation and use it in a debriefing for class discussions," says Suzanne Guzelaydin, coordinator of the Simulation Center/STEPS Project. "We have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and a lot of 'aha' moments."

During the debriefing, the students note where they need improvement and discover what they overlooked. Guzelaydin burns a DVD for them so that they begin building an e-clinical portfolio. As the students progress through the baccalaureate nursing program, the STEPS program will challenge them by simulating eight to 10 patient scenarios that will unfold with level-appropriate content.

The STEPS simulation suite control room, behind one-way glass.

A three-year Nurse Practice and Retention grant of $1,027,795 from the Health Resources and Services Administration Division of Nursing made it possible to build and implement STEPS. A newly renovated space on the second floor in the Health Professions facility houses the suite, which is the first nursing program in metro Detroit to offer these four technology strategies. The space includes two simulation rooms with a control room in-between equipped with one-way glass mirrors. Currently, a fully constructed adult patient room is in full operation. In August, a room equipped for pediatric and OB patients will be furnished as Guzelaydin plans to acquire a birthing simulator and an infant manikin to diversify the students' experience.

While it's not Grey's Anatomy, it is the closest thing to real drama that the McAuley School of Nursing can provide; and the best part is that it coaches students through the very important steps of providing safe and effective care while communicating with their patients.