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Skills Laboratory

Click to email the Project Manager, Skills Lab

or call
(310) 434-3495

  Site Under Construction. Please check back regularly for site updates

Introduction and Description

Classes are taught in a safe, non-threatening and friendly environment. One of the best ways to learn is by discussion and debate. The lab provides a comfortable atmosphere for students to talk with peers and more experienced practitioners about issues and dilemmas in patient care.

The Skills Lab also provides TV monitors and computer access to view course related multimedia resources (videos, CD's, etc.)

Pictures of students and faculty using lab

 

 
 
 
Skills Lab Hours

Skills Lab Computer Hours

Virtual Tour

 

Lab Materials

Lab Orientation

Meet the lab staff

Lab Videos

Sign Up Calendar

 

 

 
Funding for this project provided by the State of California's Governor's Nurse Education Initiative WIA 15% Discretionary Grant.

 

 

© 2003 Santa Monica College

 

Individual Practice Time

The Skills Lab is equipped with numerous anatomical models. The models are accessible to the students at all times and they are used extensively during individual and group study sessions or tutorial sessions

 

 

 

 

IV Skills

Virtual IV practice will help you develop or keep your touch.  Intravenous insertion is a skill that takes time and practice to learn and is quickly lost if not used on a regular basis. 

Take advantage of this state of the art simulator to practice your IV skills.  See any member of the Skills Lab staff to schedule Virtual IV practice time!

Auscultation Manikin

Learn the Sounds of the Body with SAM
 
Are you challenged by heart sounds, breath sounds or abdominal sounds?  What is normal?  Where do I find them?  Take time to meet SAM. a Student Auscultation Manikin. 


As a learning tool, SAM:

  • Presents heart, breath, and bowel sounds at correct anatomical sites
  • Presents carotid pulse timed with onset of systole
  • Presents carotid bruits
  • Allows lower lung sounds to be diminished

SAM is designed for both individual and group practice of more than 60 different sounds of the heart, lungs, and bowels.
WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE?  

The Nursing Skills Lab houses a variety of equipment and supplies to assist students in learning and mastering nursing skills and knowledge.  Students are encouraged to use instruments to practice physical examination (blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, tuning forks etc), mannequins to practice psychomotor skills examinations of the ear, eye, breast, prostate, pelvis; dressing changes, urinary catheter insertions, enema administration, injection pads etc), videotapes, CD-ROMs and other media, journals, reference materials.  Sim Man and Vital Sim are computerized mannequins used for various adult health simulations and assessment exercises.

WHY GO THERE?

Practice:  The Nursing Skills Lab is a place for students to practice beginning and advanced nursing skills while supervised by instructors and the skills lab staff or other students.  Although the lab is coordinated by an experienced registered nurse, the Department hires student assistants to assist with instruction and skill validation.

Use multi-media:  While at the lab, students can view videotapes, computerized clinical simulation, and other multi-media that have been assigned or recommended by faculty.  This can be done alone or in small groups.

Competency verification of clinical skills: Students are required to have their competency in performing certain skills validated.  Students first receive instruction in the skill by their instructor.  Students can practice the skill at the lab.  Appointment times are listed on the bulletin board, Skills Lab windows and at the nursing office front desk. Students are asked to call if they are unable to keep their scheduled appointment.

Supervised Tutoring:  Many students take advantage of tutoring that is available by the Project Manager:  Nursing Skills Lab. Flyers are posted with dates and times of tutorial seessions. 

Camaraderie:  One of the best ways to learn is by discussion and debate.  The lab provides a comfortable atmosphere for students to talk with peers and more experienced students about issues and dilemmas in patient care.

 

Borrowing Equipment & Reserving Labs

  1. To reserve a lab for your class, please download a reservation form (Word) and e-mail it to the Simulation Lab office.
  2. To borrow equipment for your class please download a request to borrow equipment and manikins form (Word) and e-mail it to the Simulation Lab office.

Sim Lab Photo Gallery

Our 24 simulation labs at our Baltimore campus are broken down as follows:

Go to the Photo Gallery »

 SimMan, a product of Laerdal Medical, is high-fidelity simulator that provides simulation education to challenge and test clinical and decision-making skills during realistic patient-care scenarios.

Virtual IV is a comprehensive, fully interactive self-directed learning system for training intravenous catheterization.
 

Simulation Laboratory

Nursing student Wendy Jackson checks the pupils of a simulated patient at Fort Gordon’s Center for Total Access. (Ellen Gladden photo)The laboratory's centerpiece is a Human Patient Simulator (HPS) developed by Medical Education Technologies, Inc. The simulator is life-sized and fully interactive. Cardiovascular features of the HPS include palpable radial and carotid artery pulsations, heart sounds (normal and abnormal), 5-lead electrocardiogram, noninvasive blood pressure measurements, direct arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary artery occlusion (wedge) pressure, and thermodilution cardiac output. All measurements are made using standard monitoring instruments.

Other clinical features include breath sounds, and physiological and pharmacological models which direct simulated patient responses to drugs, mechanical ventilation, and other therapies. Virtually all simulator responses are automatic and dynamically determined by sophisticated physiological and pharmacological models.

Nursing Anesthesia Program Simulation LaboratoryThe HPS allows us to train students to manage emergencies in a safe, controlled, and replicable environment. It can be used to expose students to circumstances which they may see only rarely in the operating room, yet which require immediate and correct intervention. The simulator is also currently being used to teach such varied subjects as physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and basic and advanced anesthesia techniques. It is the first simulator in the United States which is owned by a School of Nursing.

In addition to the Human Patient Simulator, the Simulation Laboratory (EB-225) contains a variety of virtual reality and computer-assisted learning resources, as well as texts and journals related to anesthesia practice.

 

Faculty and Staff
The Nursing Multimedia Center (NMC) faculty and staff provides supportive services to departmental faculties and students in the educational components of the curriculum. The NMC faculty assists in providing limited guidance and instruction for students as they progress with assignments in the NMC. In addition, the NMC faculty serves as a resource for both faculties and students, and acts as a liaison between the NMC and individual courses in the curriculum. With input from the School of Nursing Curriculum Committee, the NMC faculty identifies resources appropriate to support and enhance the curriculum, and meet specified outcomes for students.

Integral to the functioning of the center, staff provides assistance in locating and using learning materials and equipment in the NMC. Staff assists in maintaining learning equipment and supplies, and assembles needed resources in setting-up lab experiences. In addition, staff also grades and posts tests, and maintains a test file record on each student. Both faculty and staff provide a formal orientation to the use of the NMC for new students in the School of Nursing.

The faculty and staff work collaboratively with departmental faculties and administration to provide coordinated efforts in meeting learning needs of students in the NMC. New technology and learning materials are identified and brought to the attention of all faculties as a result of monitoring and previewing media. Faculties participate in the selection process of learning materials for purchase and use in the NMC.

The Computer Support Staff assists students with the utilization and troubleshooting of assigned computer based support instruction/software, as well as other resources available to students on computers located in the NMC. She also works with the School of Nursing Computer Support personnel on hardware troubleshooting and updates.

Video and CD List (hyperlink)

At the University of Hawaii at Manoa, students at the SONDH utilize a simulation laboratory to learn basic patient care as well as gain exposure to critical care situations.  Through computerized simulation, a mannequin man and baby can reproduce health situations and medical conditions such as: cardio arrest, respiratory disorders and internal maladies.  "SimMan" and "SimBaby" can simulate up to 2000 different medical conditions as well as moans and cries.  The use of clinical simulations as an active learning strategy enhances the students' ability to engage in exploration, inquiry, critical thinking, reasoning and decision making without jeopardizing client safety.
  • Students' ability to engage in critical thinking is enhanced
  • The students' ability to respond appropriately in an emergency situation is improved
  • Valuable clinical time is more efficiently utilized with the use of simulations as teaching tool
  • Simulations allow students to work through realistic patient problems and allow them to make mistakes, learn and be evaluated without exposing a real patient to risk

    What's New?


     

    MEDS Publishing Programs

     Take full advantage of the MEDS Publishing programs Learning System RN (LS RN) and Dosage & Calculations Made Easy.

    LS RN is computer assisted instruction that will help prepare students at all levels to increase test scores, critical thinking skills and nursing knowledge.  LS RN is specially designed to build your students’ Critical Thinking skills.

     

    		 The LS RN Critical Thinking Pyramid demonstrates how building a solid foundation in critical thinking skills prepares students for NCLEX success!

    The features of LS RN include:

    • More than 2,000 randomized test questions

    • Complete rationales for both correct and incorrect answers

    • Over 1,000 medical terms and drugs in a “talking” glossary

    • Easy progress tracking Instant test review

    • Format that mimics the NCLEX

    The computer assisted instruction Dosage & Calculations Made Easy is visual medical math and  includes:

    • Medication Administration

    • Calculating Oral Medication

    • Calculating Injectable Medication

    • Calculating Powdered Medication

    • Calculating Parenterals

    • Calculating Dosage by Weight

    • Calculating Safe Dosage.

    Access to the LSRN software is available at the following links:

Learning Resource Center

 

The Learning Resources Center (LRC) includes a Nursing Skills Lab and a Computer Lab.  The skills lab provides a simulated clinical setting, simulation equipment, videos, reference books and other reference materials to support teaching and learning about nursing skills.  Classes and independent practice are both scheduled in the skills lab.  The computer lab is equipped with computers, printers, a copier, a computer simulation of intravenous therapy, numerous computer programs and nursing computer assisted instruction (CAI).

 

Visit the LRC web page for information and details about the LRC.

http://www3.uakron.edu/nursing/Resources/lrc.htm

 

Guidelines for use of the Skills Lab

1.            Enter and Exit the Skills Lab from MGH Room 110 main entrance

2.            No eating or drinking in the Skills Lab.

3.            Students must sign up for Open Practice twenty-four (24) hours in advance to assure equipment and staff availability.

4.            Equipment malfunction, breakage or damage during practice must be reported immediately to the LRC staff.

5.            Willful damage of equipment will be reported to the Director of Nursing Education and the University Office of Disciplinary Action

6.            Students may borrow equipment for home practice, classroom presentations and off-campus projects.

1)      Students will need their Zip Card to borrow equipment for practice outside the LRC Skills Lab.

2)      Students must return borrowed equipment to the LRC personnel in the same condition as when loaned

3)      Students must report any malfunction or damage to equipment.

4)      Students must return borrowed equipment on the agreed upon date.

5)      Willful damage to equipment will lead to loss of LRC borrowing privileges.

6)      Students will pay the College of Nursing for the cost of repair or replacement of equipment damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen.

7)      Grades and clearance for graduation will be withheld if items are not returned or payment is not made for replacement or repair.

8)      Last date to borrow equipment will be one week preceding final exams and returned by Monday of exam week.  Exceptions will be made in consultation with the LRC Coordinator.

7.            Students are responsible for cleaning up any area they use.

8.         Students are expected to use equipment and furniture properly.  (Do not sit on tables)

 

Guidelines for use of the Computer Lab (This is to be hyperlinked from the side

1.            Enter and Exit the Computer Lab from MGH Room 106.

2.            No eating or drinking.

3.            The LRC computer lab is to be used for Nursing-related coursework.

4.            Equipment malfunction, breakage or damage during use of the computer lab must be reported immediately to the LRC staff.

5.            Willful damage of equipment will be reported to the Director of Nursing Education and the University Office of Disciplinary Action.

6.            Students are responsible for helping maintain a quiet environment:  

1)            Keep voice volume low

2)            No cell phone use

3)            Pagers turned off

4)            No unauthorized people (children, spouse, friends).

7.            Copier use requires a Zip Card for access.

8.            Students may print one (1) copy of a document for Nursing Courses (8200).

1)            Second copies must be copied using the copier.

2)            Violators of the one copy rule will loose printing privileges.

3)            Course syllabi may not be printed from the LRC Computer lab.

 

9.            Do not save your work to or install programs on any of the hard drives.

1)            There is limited hard drive space available.

2)            The computers are checked periodically and unauthorized files, directories, and programs are routinely deleted. 

3)            Loading or installation of any software, programs, or games on the hard drive is prohibited. In addition, any alteration of system settings or configuration is prohibited.

10.        Students Data Storage.

1)            Use the University of Akron zip space to store data.  Directions for use of zip space can be found at

http://www.uakron.edu/its/learning/training/OnlineStorage.php.

2)            CD-RW drives are available on all of the computers.

(1)   Students may burn files.

(2)   Students are responsible for supplying their own CDs.

3)            A: drives are available on the computers.

(1)   Students may copy files using the A: drive.

(2)   Students are responsible for supplying their own disks.

(3)   Disks used must be in good condition, without bent metal, to avoid jamming in the A: drive.

11.        Students who do not comply with LRC guidelines for use of the Computer Lab will be asked to leave.

12.        Headphones are to be used to control noise and support a quiet environment.

13.        Students are responsible for cleaning up any area they use.

1)            This includes discarding scrap paper or printouts in proper recycling or trash receptacles.

14.        Log off when you are finished using the computer. 

1)            Failure to do so may result in someone else accessing your account without your knowledge.

2)            You are responsible for any violation of University policies that occur with your account, even when you did not perform the action.

 

Include NCLEX Questionof the week with hyperlink