91原创 School of Nursing simulation center: youtube.com/watch?v=-JW_es2o3bo
Nursing simulation center recognized
Photo and video by Ashley Barnas January 13, 2022
The 91原创 School of Nursing鈥檚 simulation center gets international accreditation
Inside the School of Nursing鈥檚 dedicated, state-of-the-art simulation spaces, 91原创 nursing students are performing tracheotomies, delivering babies 鈥 often with complications during birth 鈥 and treating patients who suffer from seizures or schizophrenia.
鈥淎ll of a sudden you may hear screaming and banging on the walls, and you're like, 鈥榃ow!鈥 That simulation is so real, so powerful,鈥 said Elizabeth Speakman, senior associate dean in the School of Nursing.
The School of Nursing鈥檚 Center for Simulation Innovation, Interdisciplinary Education, and Entrepreneurship (CSIIDEE) and , a collaboration between the College of Health Sciences and the are designed to provide students with experiential learning opportunities in a safe, but immersive environment, one where they can make mistakes without those missteps costing a patient his or her life.
鈥淚n simulation, we practice for the untoward events so as future healthcare providers, our students have a plan, a roadmap of what to do in the event that a potential life-threatening issue arises,鈥 said Speakman. 鈥淧racticing on a simulator allows for the 鈥榙o overs.鈥 Simply put, you can make an error on a simulator that you cannot in practice when caring for patients. Practicing skills on the simulator gives students the opportunity to re-do and gives the faculty the opportunity to say, 鈥極K stop, what went wrong, let鈥檚 try that again.鈥 鈥
It鈥檚 these real-life experiences that led the CSIIDEE to achieve full accreditation in Teaching/Education from the (SSH).
Accreditation is rare and a significant feat. Just 230 programs across the world have been fully accredited, according to SSH.
鈥淭his accreditation recognizes the important experiential learning occurring within our cutting-edge simulation program,鈥 said Kathleen S. Matt, dean of the College of Health Sciences. 鈥淥ur faculty have been very innovative and thoughtful in developing this exceptional learning environment for our students. The students are benefitting from the ability to practice their skills in real-world settings, but in a safe environment that allows for mistakes and corrections. This training then prepares them to take on their professional roles in healthcare delivery and become future healthcare leaders.鈥
The School of Nursing鈥檚 accreditation application was so thorough that after site visitors submitted their report, the board had no follow-up questions for the team.
鈥淭hey thought that everything we put forth was pretty exceptional,鈥 said Heiddy DiGregorio, assistant professor and director of simulation and interprofessional education.聽
Speakman called the work in CSIIDEE, with its certified simulation faculty, a 鈥渄iamond in the rough.鈥澛
鈥淲e are truly lucky to have the talented faculty and staff who provide our students with this outstanding opportunity. The role of simulation is vital to nursing education. We have to be ready and able to provide all types of learning opportunities that may not be available in the live clinical environment,鈥 said Speakman. 鈥淭he difference that it makes in a student's growth, capability, and comfortability is just amazing.鈥澛
CSIIDEE鈥檚 accreditation application included a significant achievement 鈥 30,000 hours of teaching in simulations.
鈥淭hey thought it was incredible that the staff that we have could achieve that number in two years with four faculty members,鈥 said DiGregorio.
Speakman added, 鈥淭he work that is done there 鈥 there鈥檚 by far none better in the country.鈥澛犅
Faculty in the simulation center were forced to pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, students demonstrated bed bath skills on stuffed animals and dolls via Zoom while the Healthcare Theatre program went virtual in telehealth mode, impressing the accreditation board.
鈥淲e didn't miss a beat 鈥 not at all,鈥 said DiGregorio. 鈥淚t really says a lot about our staff and faculty that we were able to still get accreditation having gone through a COVID time.鈥
Hannah Solon, a senior nursing major who took part in the accreditation process, called the simulation center and Healthcare Theatre programs the most beneficial part of 91原创鈥檚 nursing program.
鈥淵ou can learn whatever from a textbook, you can memorize, but you really don鈥檛 get your skills down until you鈥檙e practicing it hands-on,鈥 said Solon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a safe place鈥very nursing instructor tells you before you go in: 鈥楾his is the place to make mistakes and to try new things and to learn, and it鈥檚 OK to mess up, and we鈥檒l talk about it after.鈥欌
Both Solon and Alice Woods, a senior nursing major, who also took part in the accreditation process, have friends in nursing programs at other colleges and universities that don鈥檛 have simulation and healthcare theatre.
鈥淭he healthcare theatre part 鈥 they think that鈥檚 really amazing,鈥 said Woods. 鈥淭hey don't get that added experience of having Healthcare Theatre patients and theatre students who can give us feedback right away about how they felt in our care.鈥
Speakman said there鈥檚 a direct correlation between time spent in simulation and learning. Our alumni consistently tell us that simulation built their confidence as a student and prepared them well for clinical practice.聽聽
鈥淵ou had the experience in the simulation center of talking to patients,鈥 Solon said. 鈥淚 think I would have been very nervous if I was going into my first clinical rotation sophomore year never having even said 鈥榟ello鈥 to a patient. I definitely think that prepared me from a confidence standpoint.鈥澛
This past summer, Solon was a tech at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she was given an opportunity to help with the catheterization of a patient.聽
鈥淲e learned how to do that in simulation,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 definitely would have said 鈥榥o.鈥 If I had never practiced that on a mannequin before, I would not have felt prepared.鈥
The School of Nursing鈥檚 simulation center team will be recognized at the SSH鈥檚 President鈥檚 Diamond Ball in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 15.
Contact Us
Have a 91原创aily story idea?
Contact us at ocm@udel.edu
Members of the press
Contact us at mediarelations@udel.edu or visit the Media Relations website
