A new simulation suite for student nurses has opened at the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at St James’s Hospital campus which will enhance nursing education. The opening of the new simulation suite took place at the closing ceremony of Trinity’s School of Nursing and Midwifery 21st year celebrations.
Students can now practise clinical skills under the supervision of nurse tutors in a wide variety of fields, including mental health nursing, midwifery, and operating department practise. Student sessions are monitored through an observation room and are recorded for student self-assessment.
Speaking about the new simulation suite, Clinical Skills Manager Freda Neill said: “Our new simulation suite allows us to combine the highest standards of education with the latest innovation in clinical training for all healthcare professionals. It provides nursing students with a valuable learning experience, combining theory with practice.”
“They are able to gain experience in skills or procedures that would otherwise be difficult, such as managing emergency situations and resuscitation. This not only builds our students’ knowledge, but also their confidence,” Neill explained.
Speaking about the new resource for student nurses, Professor Mary McCarron, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences said: “Twenty-one years ago Trinity introduced the first degrees in nursing and we gather here today, celebrating the contribution of all our staff, students and graduates, both past and present, to nursing in Ireland and all over the world. We continuously strive to improve nursing education, and today’s opening of the Simulation Suite is yet another milestone in doing so.”
The Trinity Centre for Health Sciences , St James’s Hospital Dublin aims to provide nursing students and midwifery students an environment to develop their clinical and psychomotor skills and improve their verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Simulation suites are a recent innovation in health science education. Simulated mannequins and live streaming video debriefings allow students to practise clinical skills in a structured environment and are designed to replicate real hospital and community settings. Human patient simulators are equipped with a number of responses including breathing and blinking and can mimic heartbeat and bowel sounds.
