The new Nursing Building opened its doors to students in August. This semester marks the first full semester of nursing courses for the Professional Nursing Studies Program. For the past two years, pre-nursing students have been taking all their core and pre-required classes. The jewel of the new $3.2 million facility is the MU General Simulation Hospital. About half of the 10,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to the hospital—designed to replicate scenarios from the first moment a patient arrives to be admitted until they are discharged. The simulation hospital also includes a pharmacy, nurse’s stations, pediatric ward, critical care rooms, triage suite, and six simulated patients who range from an infant to adult, including an expectant mother. The patients—life-sized computerized manikins—can breathe, speak, have audible vital sounds, and progress through various medical scenarios from birth to death. The patients are not the only high-tech part of the hospital, either. Throughout the hospital, 41 ceiling-mounted cameras record the action so students can go back and observe, and ultimately improve their performance. The cameras are part of the Learning Space by Medical Education Technologies, Inc. (METI), which acts as the brain of the simulation. In addition to the hospital, the new facility features a 60-seat auditorium, classroom space, a computer lab, faculty and administrative offices, and a student lounge.
Clockwise from top, Student Brya Bradley prepares to put on a hospital isolation gown; Assistant Professor of Nursing lisa connelly instructs Arron Herring, carrie Green and Anchalem Alameyheu; Student Janet Smith; and one of the computerized manikins lies on a hospital bed.
Journeyh ThE METhODIST UNIVERSITy
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