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venango college
Simulation lab gives hands-on experience
Venango College of Clarion University’s School of
Nursing and Allied Health Simulation Lab officially
opened with the beginning of the fall semester.
The $1.3 million, state-of-the-art School of Nursing
and Allied Health Simulation Lab was funded largely
through external gifts and grants. It offers practical,
hands-on training for nursing and respiratory care
students.
The facility uses mannequins to simulate actual
medical emergencies and prepare nurses to handle them.
“It’s much more realistic
than having a student just read
a case study about what they
would do if they were in the situation .
but in a simulated experience,
they have to actually respond
as if a patient is having a
heart attack .”
Angela West
“The mannequins are built to resemble real patients
as much as possible,” said Mary Terwilliger, nursing
faculty member and coordinator of the lab. “The patients
can cry, sweat, blink, have difficulty breathing, go into
cardiac arrest and even flatline, or cease to breathe. But
like real patients, they can also respond to treatments and
recover.”
“The mannequins are so high tech that within a few
seconds you forget that it’s not a real patient,” Terwilliger
said. “The benefit is that it allows our medical students
to take care of patients and learn without having to worry
that they’re going to harm a real patient.”
“We believe the greatest benefit of having the
Simulation Lab is that it is so much closer to real-life
experience,” said Angela West, faculty member and chair
of the nursing department. “The literature is clear that
the best way for direct care providers to really become
competent is in simulated experiences. It’s much more
realistic than having a student just read a case study
about what they would do if they were in the situation.
But in a simulated experience, they have to actually
respond as if a patient is having a heart attack.”
The facility will also be made available to community
organizations.
4 CLArioN ANd beyoNd | NOVEMBER 2012
Nursing students check vital signs on a mannequin in Venango College’s new $1.3 million
School of Nursing and Allied Health Simulation Lab.
All-class reunion
Nearly 100 guests rekindled old friendships,
reminisced and enjoyed each other’s company at
the Venango College 50 th Anniversary All-Class
Reunion Sept. 8. Many remembered the first days of
the campus with only one building, a dirt parking
lot used for gym class and the need for students to
create their own entertainment and fun.
“I love Venango Campus,” said Priscilla
rexford (’63). “The memories that I have and
the friends that I made, I will have with me for a
lifetime. It was – and is – a blessing in our lives.”
Alumni, students, faculty and staff enjoyed
a tour of the campus’ five classroom and
administrative buildings, new nursing simulation
lab and five student apartment buildings. The
reunion was the culminating event in a year-long
celebration of the campus’ anniversary.