School of Nursing

Simulated Learning

by Nina M. Riccio

Eileen Spenard '07 recalls the first time she worked on SimMan(R), a computerized patient simulator mannequin that arrived in the School of Nursing lab last spring. "It was a little intimidating," she admits. "Here was an almost-real patient with a name, a health history, and a heart beat. He had abnormal breathing sounds and a Foley catheter, and we were expected to perform a full patient assessment on him right in front of the class."

Prior to SimMan's arrival, students worked from case studies in a book; now those case studies have a chance to come "to life" through role playing among nursing students and faculty. The technology behind creating this simulated learning experience is quite sophisticated, explains Dr. Suzanne Campbell, assistant professor and Learning Resource Center project director, who compares it to the Oz-like "wizard behind the curtain" experience faculty have when operating SimMan behind the mirrored wall of a state-of-the-art control room.

SimMan is one of those rarities - a $35,000 single-item gift with the potential to make a direct impact on so many. The donor, second-degree nursing graduate Olivia Weeks '05, wanted to leave a gift to the nursing lab where she had spent so much of her time. Dr. Campbell predicts that fully integrating SimMan into the nursing curriculum is a three- to four-year project. "It's highly labor-intensive," says Dr. Campbell, "but when SimMan is part of every nursing course, this one gift will dramatically impact the classroom experience for all our nursing students."