News

BRCC, students simulate mock hospital for emergency training

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 19, 2024

Health care students at Blue Ridge Community College and Wingate University experienced the reality of patient needs in a variety of bustling health care settings thanks in a comprehensive simulation exercise held Friday, April 12.

The schools transformed the first and second floors of the Health Sciences Center in downtown Hendersonville into a mock hospital including an emergency room, medical-surgical unit, operating room, inpatient and outpatient pharmacy and two urgent care units, and even simulated the transport of patients to the facility.

“We have a unique learning environment here in Hendersonville with a variety of programs and learners,” said Michelle Chaplin, associate dean of academic affairs for Wingate’s Hendersonville campus. “Combining them all into one simulation exercise is hugely beneficial for their personal development and growth, and it helps to prepare them to work as a team in treating patients in real life scenarios after graduation.”

“Simulation is a tool that can encourage student confidence by letting them rehearse all of the knowledge and skills learned at the didactic level within the safety of a controlled environment,” Blue Ridge associate degree nursing instructor Robyn Dixon said. “There is no risk to the patients, and any mistakes can just be part of the learning experience.”

The three-hour exercise included Blue Ridge’s nursing and surgical technology students and Wingate’s pharmacy and physician assistant students, as well as 25 “patients” played by student and volunteer actors. Each patient suffered from different illnesses or injuries, and the health care students responded in the same way that would be required of them in a real life-saving scenario.