The campaign to set up a simulation lab for the Avondale University first-year nursing students is complete with the opening of a contemporary teaching space on campus.
The Nursing Simulation Centre will give students on the Lake Macquarie campus even greater hands-on authentic learning experiences before their clinical placements. Equipped with the latest technology and designed to reflect a hospital setting, the center “can simulate a range of healthcare scenarios, which allows our students to refine their skills in a safe and supportive environment,” said lecturer Hannah Kent during the opening and dedication on March 29, 2023. “Building competence builds confidence.”
Offering a teaching experience comparable to that in the nursing simulation laboratory on the Sydney campus, the center features new mannequins, beds, and equipment and includes capacity for recording of clinical skills via ceiling-mounted cameras and microphones.
Students are expected to simulate real-life nursing actions when taught, using the mannequins. Through this, they gain skills in therapeutic communication and learn about privacy, dignity, and patient rights, said Tamera Gosling, head of the School of Nursing and Health. “We’re teaching our students to be holistic carers. And that’s what makes our course different.”
Professor Paul Race, executive dean for Avondale, spoke of the nursing program’s no. 1 rankings, including for student satisfaction. “This space will go a long way towards maintaining our top rankings and keeping students satisfied.”
Donations and giving to the biennial Avondale offering—about AU$315,000 (approx. US$210,000) in total—funded more than 90 percent of the cost of the center. “We are sincerely grateful for your support,” said Kent, the face of an end-of-financial-year campaign in 2022. “Your generosity will make a significant impact on the education of our students.”
Gosling and Race also thanked the university’s executive committee, the school staff and professional staff in advancement, campus maintenance, and information technology for their support, as well as the tradespeople for their work.
Professor Kevin Petrie, former vice-chancellor, cut the ribbon to open the center. He spoke about the transformation of the space—a former graphic design studio—and how it will now transform the students who will use it.
The opening and dedication of the Nursing Simulation Centre marks the relocation of the School of Nursing and Health on the Lake Macquarie campus from the science building to the lower level of the Chan Shun Auditorium.
The original version of this story was posted on the Adventist Record website.