Continued: Manikins
More than 12,500 student hours of lab time will be logged by the nursing students at Carolina this fall.
“The manikins are vital in an era of nationwide nurse shortages,” said Hewlett, a leading expert on the nursing workforce. “They are being utilized to close the gap between the need for baccalaureate nursing graduates and the still-acute nursing faculty shortage.”
In a traditional hospital setting, one faculty member oversees the training of eight to 10 nursing students for basic and advanced clinical skills. But in the simulation lab, dozens of students can learn from a faculty team.
“This helps our students to become better prepared and more confident during their first experiences in a hospital or clinic,” she said. “Clearly, the simulation lab is vital for nursing education, and it also can be used by students in other health profession majors.”
McKinney said the CSL is invaluable for nursing faculty members who quickly adapt to this “student-centered” teaching style and become very creative in lending reality to the scenarios to make the experience as life-like as possible.