SKILLS LABORATORIES 

The Clinical Skills Labs serve as an additional learning resource for the students in our nursing program. They are set up to mirror patient rooms in a hospital and long-term care facility. Nursing students participate in a variety of mock case scenarios that help strengthen their assessment, critical thinking and decision making skills. These skills help the students gain confidence in their techniques, especially prior to their clinical rotations.

The Skills Laboratory encompasses three separate areas.  Two are located on the second floor and one is on the ground floor. The second floor area has two rooms with four beds each, allowing students to practice skills using a static mannequin (low fidelity simulation). The ground floor lab provides students with the opportunity to work with a Vital Sim Nursing Anne basic simulator (moderate fidelity simulation) that has the capacity for normal and abnormal heart, breath, and bowel sounds; instructor controlled blood pressure arm for realistic auscultation; and medication delivery for parenteral medication administration.

First year students have scheduled clinical time in the first two courses to work with Skills Lab faculty to learn and practice basic skills. Additional unsupervised Open Lab practice hours are posted. Scheduled appointment time is available for focused needs and/or Skills Laboratory prescriptions.

Course faculty led skills lab sessions are incorporated into the remaining courses as refresher segments to foster retention of previously learned skills.