Donna Manning Simulation Laboratories

As a nursing student in our program, you’ll gain on-campus clinical experiences in the Donna Manning Simulation Laboratories that will build your skills and confidence. The clinical scenarios cover inpatient and outpatient settings for pediatrics, maternity, behavioral mental health and acute care. 

You’ll see clinical situations and diagnoses that are common in the clinical setting and be exposed to conditions or situations that you might not see in your student role. The simulation labs are set up realistically using high-fidelity adult, pediatric and maternal manikins or simulated patients (trained actors).  

How are simulations structured?

Students apply knowledge learned in the classroom in the simulation lab with tested scenarios. Over the course of your nursing education, you’ll participate in approximately 24 simulation scenarios. In each scenario, you’ll complete preparatory materials prior to the simulation and reflect on the scenario afterwards as you apply new skills in the clinical setting.

The simulation scenario includes:

• Prebriefing: Students prepare for the lab in various ways including content from the classroom and specific assignments. In the lab, you’ll review simulation outcomes, chart materials and receive a nursing shift report. Faculty advise you of areas that will require you to suspend disbelief, for example the manikin representing a real patient.
• Simulation Scenarios: Nursing students, enrolled in the lab act as the nurse during simulation and can practice without risk to the patient. Case studies are brought to life for students as simulation facilitators create a realistic environment with high fidelity manikins who breath, have pulses, can cry and blink, or with trained simulation participants acting as patients or family members.
• Debriefing: Students reflect and share how they felt, ask questions and engage in discussions. A trained facilitator will help you identify performance gaps in a structured manner and provide recommendations for improvement in practice. You’ll identify what you have learned, what you would do differently and what you can take with you into clinical settings.

Clinical simulations include essential components to build your competencies:

• Psychological Safety: We begin with the basic assumption that all students are capable, intelligent and will do their best for the patient. Performance in the simulation lab is confidential so students can expand their skills knowing that they are in a safe space and cannot do harm to a living patient.
• Building Confidence: Simulations are a guided practice so that students can develop confidence in clinical decision-making, communication and teamwork — vital skills needed in nursing careers.
• Developing Clinical Judgment: You can self-reflect on your performance in the lab and adjust as you experience simulations with increasing complexity, simulating the stress and quick decision-making needed in the clinical setting.
• Communication and Teamwork: Students will interact with simulated patients or family members who are trained actors who provide students with feedback on their interactions with them. You’ll generally work in pairs in the simulation lab and with other disciplines and departments such as physical therapy or dietetics, or EMS. This provides you with real-world type experiences that you will need in practice.