Crossing the Line: A New Level of Excellence Eastern’s New State-of-the-Art Nursing Lab By Michael Thomas, MBA '18, PsyD J U S T A C O U P L E O F M O N T H S AG O,
the walls and flooring changed to resemble
my 5-year-old daughter, Lucy, was admitted to
a modern hospital.
the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for 3 days. Understandably, my wife and I were anxious—but the medical team at the hospital made all the difference. They thoughtfully and competently helped us every step of the way.
“Once they cross this line,” Dianne said pointing to the change in flooring, “students are entering a clinical area as a nurse.” These visual markers help student nurses make the mental transition to their professional identity,
I was especially impressed by the top-notch
reinforcing the importance of caring for others
nursing staff. They even had a team of Nurses
with excellence and focus.
and Child Life Specialists whose entire job was to educate Lucy about her condition in language that she could understand.
I was most impressed by the simulation rooms. These spaces look like hospital rooms to the naked eye, but are equipped with multiple
What a beautiful picture of a nursing staff
cameras, a fully functioning human patient
caring for our daughter (and us) in a time of
simulator, monitors, and a one-way mirror
stress. Our little family thanked God every day
to a control room.
for competent, confident nurses who cared. These are the kind of nurses Eastern is shaping. I recently had the opportunity to tour Eastern’s new Nursing Resource and Simulation Lab with Dr. Dianne DeLong, Chair of the Nursing Department. With Eastern’s classic maroon and white walls, the space was beautiful. As I turned the corner to enter the clinical area,
Expert faculty can monitor a student’s work through the glass with multiple camera angles, and are able to speak to the student directly through an overhead PA system or, amazingly,
This training encourages student nurses to own
through the human patient simulator itself.
the room rather than rely on faculty to guide
Yes, the faculty member can act as if they are
them through. Confidence and competence can
the patient and even respond to medication
develop more quickly.
(changes in breathing, heart rate, etc.).
“Simulation helps students in their decision
“Once they cross this line,”
Dianne said pointing to the change in flooring, “students are entering a clinical area as a nurse."
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making and critical thinking,” Dianne shared. “It is a safe environment. Scenarios are in place and faculty look to see how students respond. Faculty are able to give feedback on strengths, and when errors occur, they can be identified in real time.” All in all, using these simulation labs as an added element of training better prepares our nursing students for their clinical rotations