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Valerie Puig rushed to suit up in full PPE to treat a burn patient in isolation. It was her first time providing patient care with a physical barrier between her and the patient, however, she was determined to learn as much as she could knowing she had the support of her professor and classmates. Puig was a West Coast University Miami (WCU) student experiencing a burn unit simulation in the technologically advanced Simulation Center with instructor Larissa Lozano. “In simulation and nursing, your patient can become unstable very quickly and you’re forced to assess a patient and save someone’s life in a short time,” said WCU graduate Valerie Puig. “Instructors like Lozano taught me to think critically about the simulations which really helped the information stick after graduation.”
As a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic, Puig’s nursing school experience in the Simulation Center became all the more real when she was faced with treating highly infectious pediatric patients isolated from the world. Her simulated patient care experience ranging from emergency to routine equipped her with the skills and confidence to provide the highest quality of patient care during an unprecedented time in healthcare. “It’s a tough but rewarding profession, said Lozano. “In the simulation lab, there is always someone there to help and everyone truly cares about their success. If students keep that in the back of their mind and take accountability for their own success, it’s a match made in heaven.” The Simulation Center offers students a realistic patient care setting using high-fidelity manikins that mimic human responses and current healthcare technology. The simulations emphasize nursing processes, safety, infection control, therapeutic communication, collaboration, decision making, and leadership. During these nursing simulation sessions, students have the opportunity to problem-solve in situations that are true to life without posing any risk to real patients.
“The manikin would have vital signs and you can put a stethoscope on it and hear it breathing and see its pupils dilating,” said Puig. “I mean they are amazing and as realistic as you can get. With a lot of hospitals being as limited as they are right now for students to come in due to COVID, I think sim lab is the safest way to practice those skills.” WCU students also learn to build strong interpersonal skills and good bedside manners in the Simulation Center that help patients feel confident in a nurse’s ability and judgment. Reinforcing bedside skills and other routine skills like washing hands and checking identification at the onset of nursing practice and repeating them consistently during nursing simulation lab sessions build good habits that become second nature.
“By practicing those bedside skills during a simulated scenario, you get to learn the
emotional and psychological nursing skills that are important, aside from putting in an IV and administering medication,” said Puig. “It’s so critical because nurses are the faces you remember during patient care. The ones who were there for 12 hours.” West Coast University is dedicated to helping students like Valerie Puig experience realistic nursing scenarios that prepare them to step up during times like these and successfully care for patients. Even with social distancing guidelines limiting access to the Simulation Center, the university’s innovative virtual labs provide engaging and authentic learning opportunities similar to those in the center. With a combination of critical thinking and hands-on experience, students gain a competitive edge in their nursing careers.
West Coast University is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) 1001 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 402, Alameda, CA 94501510-748-9001, www.wascsenior.org West Coast University’s Nursing programs are programmatically accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, (202) 887-6791, http://www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE. WCU offers career placement assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The opinion is the individual’s sole opinion and not necessarily representative of that of the school, any instructor, or any student. Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the University has moved most of the on-ground courses into a distance education modality. However, as soon as the COVID-19 circumstances change, students will be expected to return on campus to complete their program onsite in the regular learning modality as approved by WSCUC and outlined in the university catalog.
