PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Construction is underway in the Northern Maine Community College healthcare professions wing to bring students an educational simulation as close to the real world as possible.
The college is completely renovating existing lab space and updating it to represent realistic patient rooms, as found in a clinical setting. The update is not just cosmetic, but an advance in technology-based education.
Angela Buck, RN, MSN, FNP-C, of the Nursing and Allied Health Department, said the lab will model unfolding scenarios that start at low complexity. As complexity increases, the “patient” will move to the higher-level unit, or simulation center. The simulation center will consist of three simulation rooms, complete with interactive mannequins, and have a control room dedicated to each room. Instructors can record events that occur in each room and debrief the students after each simulation.
“Our goal has been to provide the highest quality clinical experience for our students that is possible,” said Buck. “However, due to changes in modern medicine that has led to short length of stays and high patient acuity, we sometimes face inconsistent learning experiences, which has provided significant challenges in nursing education.
“By providing the students with high-fidelity simulation,” she said, “we can replicate many patient situations and the students are able to develop and practice their nursing skills (cognitive, motor and critical thinking) in an environment that does not endanger patients.”
Buck added that NMCC is considering purchasing five high-fidelity mannequins — three adult, one newborn and a pediatric — to provide a wide scope of educational possibilities.
Emergency Medical Services Department Chair Andrew Gagnon is excited for the opportunities the new simulation center holds, not just for students but the community as well.
“The simulation center can also serve as a regional training center for Aroostook County, as it will offer the ability for healthcare providers of various disciplines to learn in a realistic environment and practice high-risk, low volume procedures and patient interactions with no risk for patient harm,” he said. “This center will also allow nursing, EMS, and all allied health departments to work collaboratively together in a manner that is very similar to what occurs in real life.”
As for the students who will benefit from this modern technology, nursing student Nikki Bouley said it makes her envious of the people just starting the program.
“With NMCC’s investment in the simulation lab and the most modern technology, it will provide students a better understanding before going out into the clinical field,” said Bouley.
“Nursing students will be able to take less time getting to know the hospital and more time getting to know and assess the patients. To be able to practice a skill and have it feel real with the safety of being in lab is a major benefit. To be able to put a Foley catheter in and get actual return of urine to know placement is accurate makes a major difference and also helps with the nerves out in the field,” Bouley said.
Another nursing student, Janelle Pottle, is also excited about the educational opportunities the new technology will bring.
“Our instructors will be able to put us in life-like scenarios where we as the students need to figure out what is wrong with our ‘patient’ and how we are going to fix the problem,” she said. “The new simulation lab will make us think critically through these scenarios and use our skills to save our ‘patient.’”
“We will have state-of-the-art equipment and I am excited about how this will help improve our nursing program,” said Buck. “This will provide the students with a more consistent, efficient and proficient educational training as future healthcare professionals.”
The project is funded through a variety of sources through the NMCC Foundation.
