UM-Flint Nursing Celebrates 40th Anniversary with New Simulation Lab

The latest medical technology is part of the new Clinical Simulation Center (CSC) that was officially opened Wednesday, October 1 as part of the University of Michigan-Flint Department of Nursing's 40th Anniversary celebration.

The new 2,900 sq. ft. CSC, located in the William S. White Building (WSW), will be used to teach obstetric, pediatric, medical-surgical, psych/mental health, critical care, community, and nurse practitioner skills. The CSC is designed to closely simulate an actual clinical environment. Students in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs will have learning experiences in the simulation lab, and will develop team building and leadership skills while working side-by-side with students in other UM-Flint health professions programs such as physical therapy and radiation therapy. Additional inter-professional team members will also be incorporated, including physicians, social work, nutritionists, and pharmacists.

Among the distinguishing features of this simulation center are video conferencing and the capacity for distance learning. This CSC can link students throughout the United States and Michigan to the simulation experience. The classrooms in the CSC provide a unique HD video conferencing ability that helps inter-professional teams co-create, implement, and evaluate healthcare projects together. This results in a seamless exchange of ideas between team members across the table or across the globe.

Simulations will range from case studies based on electronic health records to full-scale nursing, physical therapy, medical, and emergency procedures complete with sounds, textures, sights, smells, and life-like human patient simulators.