Hands-on Nursing Simulation Labs
Nursing simulation labs are an essential part of Utica University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. They are where students receive face-to-face instruction from professors and apply what they are learning in their online courses to real-life scenarios. Hayley, Megan, and Hunter are three such students who describe their experiences in the labs.
The simulation labs are paired intentionally with the online courses that students complete independently. Megan describes a memorable time where she and her classmates, “had two weeks of lab where (they) sat through scenarios of therapeutic vs. non-therapeutic.” The students were able to directly apply knowledge from their courses to real-life scenarios in simulation labs. In Hayley’s words, “they go hand-in-hand.”
Because students are in-person with professors for labs, it is a great opportunity for them to ask questions. Online professors are also available to questions and help, but it can often be helpful for an in-person instructor to walk students through the situation and help with questions during the simulation labs. For Megan, this is very meaningful.
“If there’s ever anything that is confusing or I’m not really grasping, they take the time in lab to sit down and explain it to all of us,” she says.
Simulation labs are also an excellent opportunity to prepare for real-life nursing scenarios without the risk of treating a real patient. Hunter describes a lab scenario where he treated a patient whose heart stopped. It would be very difficult to learn proper treatment for this with a real patient, but Hunter was able to treat a manikin instead to prepare for future situations with real patients.
“Now I’ll feel a little bit more comfortable when I’m in the hospital, because unfortunately, that probably will happen, and you have to know what to do,” he says.
To learn more about Utica’s nursing simulation labs and how you can jumpstart your career in nursing, complete the form on https://acceleratednursing.utica.edu/... to schedule a call with an admission representative