Advanced hands-on learning and state-of-the-art simulation are on the horizon for LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing students, with the completion of the Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS) expected by fall 2023. Once renovations are complete, it will be a game changer for enhanced nursing education, allowing students to practice true-to-life clinical scenarios to prepare them for real-world practice.
“When the CALS is complete, students will have the opportunity to train in a simulated hospital setting that authentically reflects what they will experience in the clinical setting,” says Aimme McCauley, DNP, RN, CNE, Interim Director of the Nursing Skills and Technology Center. “To say that we are very excited to practice simulation in an innovative, state-of-the-art, dedicated and intentionally designed learning space would be an understatement! The space gives faculty the opportunity to suspend reality for the students due to the realism of the learning spaces. Also, the additional space will continue to support the School of Nursing’s growth and increasing enrollment for undergraduate and graduate students.”
Giving New Life to an Old Hospital
The CALS is being created in the Interim LSU Hospital, which closed when the University Medical Center opened. The project is taking a unique approach to reusing and repurposing space instead of building new. The existing medical facilities are being converted into corresponding training areas that include simulation labs, testing areas and academic learning spaces. Once completed, CALS will replace the current hospital lab and simulation rooms in the Nursing Skills and Technology Center.
“The beauty of this project is the seamless integration of the hospital environment into the academic environment,” Dr. McCauley says. “For example, the simulated emergency department is designed over the former hospital emergency department, and the Interprofessional Clinical Lab (replacing the School of Nursing’s Hospital Lab) has been designed over a ward-style unit.”
The School of Nursing has been collaborating with facilities and Health Sciences Center leadership throughout the majority of the construction phase, including initial planning and designing of the space. “The design team and facilities management have been dedicated to ensuring that the learning needs of our students and faculty are met,” Dr. McCauley says.
Designing Next-Gen Nurse Learning Space
Equipped to deliver a higher level of realism and technology to the nurse learning experience, the new CALS learning environment will increase student capacity by more than 50% over what the current Hospital Lab can now accommodate. “It will also feature BD Pyxis™ technology for medication administration, which has not yet been possible to simulate in our current learning environment,” Dr. McCauley says.
The nursing simulation section of the building was modeled after the Columbia University Irving Medical Center School of Nursing. It will feature:
- An interdisciplinary hospital skills lab and classroom
- Ten specialized simulation rooms and three debriefing rooms
- Expanded program and workstations
- Robust AV/IT capture technology
Spaces in the nursing simulation section of the building will be furnished with the same medical equipment found in inpatient and outpatient clinical environments. Students can practice care on diversified mannequins and use the technology to document their work into a simulated electronic medical record (EMR). CAE LearningSpace technology will record their interactions, and they can then watch those recordings to review their work and debrief with faculty.
“The CALS will provide all of the essential elements for the highest-quality simulation-based learning, and simulation is one of the most important methods to educate nurses,” Dr. McCauley explains.
Simulated learning environments are important in nursing skill development. It replicates a clinical environment where nursing students can practice skills they have been taught, helping them to integrate knowledge and develop experience in a safe learning environment.
“The impact of tailored, state-of-the-art, simulation-based learning experiences within a realistic care environment has evidenced long-range impacts on improving patient outcomes,” Dr. McCauley says. “Because we can offer our students this type of experience, they can enter practicum environments with high expectations of themselves, their skills and the outcomes they bring to patient care and safety.”
Elevating the School of Nursing’s Reputation
The CALS is an ideal facility for bringing students and clinical faculty across the LSU Health Sciences Center together and fostering interdepartmental collaboration and communication. When complete, it will also feature a wellness center, meeting rooms, a dining area with an outdoor terrace, plus a 250-seat testing enter.
“Just as a new hospital environment is attractive to prospective patients, the CALS will be a magnet for students and faculty who seek excellence and innovation in healthcare education,” Dr. McCauley says. “The CALS will continue to sustain LSU Health School of Nursing’s place as a premier leader in the art and science of nursing education in Louisiana and the nation.”
