Power of SUNY

ECC nursing, respiratory care students train on simulation technology

As they prepared to graduate in May, Erie Community College second-year nursing and respiratory care students worked together to apply all of the skills they’ve learned during a high fidelity simulation training exercise April 25, 2011 at the college’s state-of-the-art simulation technology training laboratory at its North Campus in Williamsville.
  
During this exercise, students actively participated in the direct care of a critically ill “patient” experiencing multiple health issues. In addition to the training laboratory at its North Campus, ECC has also developed a simulation technology training laboratory at the college’s facility at 45 Oak Street, which is adjacent to the city’s emerging Buffalo-Niagara Medical Corridor.

ECC currently has two SIM men, one SIM baby and a Virtual IV Simulator – all of which were incorporated into the nursing curriculum beginning in the fall 2008 semester. Since that time, more than 350 nursing students have been able to take part in simulation training exercises.

Simulation technology allows students in multiple health care disciplines to practice responding to a wide range of medical scenarios without affecting the health of live patients, ECC Nursing Professor Barbara Vickers said. 

As a result, graduates are better prepared for crisis situations they may encounter as new employees entering the workforce.