The Haven Magazine Spring 2018

Connections + Innovation = Opportunity
LHU partners with Penn Highlands
Clearfield to develop state of the
art nursing simulation center
Penn Highlands
Clearfield and Lock
Haven University
Clearfield have partnered
to create a new Simulation
Center to enhance the
learning experience for LHU
nursing students. Students,
like junior nursing major
Lauren Butler, will benefit
from the hands on learning
opportunities the new
center provides. “The LHU
nursing program has a great
reputation, but this new
partnership makes it even
better,” said Butler. Adding,
“with the new center we
are able to work in an actual
hospital setting and learn
in an environment that
provides realistic scenarios
for patient care.”
The hospital and university
worked together to relocate
simulation equipment from
LHU Clearfield’s clinical
simulation laboratory on
campus to the hospital’s
former Intensive Care Unit.
This equipment, along
with the relocation of the
hospital’s clinical simulation
equipment, have been
combined to form a new,
more realistic, hospital
setting for student and staff
training.
“Lock Haven University
is proud to be preparing
the next generation of
healthcare providers,
managers, and educators,”
Dr. Donna Wilson, interim
president at Lock Haven
University, said. “We are
very pleased to be able to
partner with Penn Highlands
Clearfield on the Simulation
Lab to enhance the
preparation of our students
and the lifelong learning
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Penn Highlands Clearfield in February, officially marking
the partnership with Lock Haven University Clearfield for the new Simulation Center in the hospital.
Shown from left, are Dr. Donna Wilson, LHU Interim President; Mark Norman, chief operating officer
at Penn Highlands Clearfield; Dee Hanna, nursing instructor and Sim Center coordinator; Jennifer
DellAntonio, chair and associate professor of the LHU nursing department; and Rose Campbell, Penn
Highlands Clearfield chief nursing officer. Photo credit: The Clearfield Progress
In this photo provided by The Progress, Lock Haven University Clearfield nursing student,
Josie Graff, checks the vital signs of one of the simulators at the Penn Highlands
Clearfield Simulation Center.
of healthcare professionals
at Penn Highlands. This is
exciting teamwork.”
Life-like adult, child, and
infant patient simulators
that talk, breathe, and
blink are programmed
to have symptoms that
need attention. Patient
care procedures such as
catheter insertions, dressing
changes, blood pressure,
pulse, and listening to
lungs and heart can be
practiced by students using
the lab, which opened on
September 24, 2017.
“The new simulation lab
gives our students the
opportunity to learn how to
handle a variety of situations
in a safe environment and
develop critical-thinking
and decision-making skills
required in our profession,”
said Jennifer DellAntonio,
DEd, MSN, RN, CNE, chair
and associate professor,
LHU Nursing Department.
“A community partnership
for the simulation center
has been a goal for the
university for many years,”
said Darlene Ardary, PhD,
RN, CPN, CSN, simulation
lab coordinator. “This is a
wonderful opportunity to
provide real-world education
to not only nursing students,
but healthcare providers in
acute and primary care, as
well as community based
agencies.”
16 SPRING 2018 THE HAVEN LOCK HAVEN UNIVERSITY