NFC Foundation Board of Directors tour Kate Ireland Nursing Simulation Laboratory
New Patient Simulators Ensure Advanced Training Opportunities to Area Students
MADISON, FL (January 6, 2021) – The North Florida College Foundation Board of Directors received a special tour of the College's newly named Kate Ireland Nursing Simulation Laboratory and a presentation of patient simulation training equipment purchased through a generous $100,000 donation from the Parker Poe Charitable Trust. The tour took place prior to the Foundation's November Board of Director's meeting and took board members into the Nursing and Allied Health Department's simulation training area located in the NFC Career and Workforce Education Center.
During the presentation, NFC nursing faculty showed off their department's new patient simulators that realistically imitate a wide variety of symptoms and scenarios, including birth, and can communicate with students through software programmed by nursing instructors during training exercises. "Lucina," NFC's new state-of-the-art human patient simulator, can be programmed for a variety of obstetric occurrences including cephalic birth, breech birth, shoulder dystocia, and 29 other obstetric situations.
"Though we expected a realistic obstetric simulation from the Lucina pregnancy profile simulator, the technology applications are incredibly realistic and interactive," said Judy Lundell, Director of Resource Development at NFC. "Everything from the dilation of Lucina's eyes, the feel of her skin, to the birthing contractions expressed in the voice inflections from the expectant mother, which are also monitored on the computer, provide the nursing students with situational learning experiences."
Lucina is a very realistic birthing simulator that responds to student interactions and treatments, even responding physiologically to administered oxygen and medication. Her baby "Luna" can be programmed and interact in the same way.
"This is a very important piece," said Dr. James D. Holland, NFC Associate Dean for Nursing and Allied Health. "Allowing the student to give an incorrect medication or an incorrect dose can show the impact and consequences of that action. This will hopefully prevent future mistakes and deaths."
The new simulation equipment ensures that NFC continues to offer the best and most advanced training opportunities to area nursing students.
"The high-fidelity birthing simulator is an answered prayer because it is sometimes very difficult to gain access to maternal child areas of the hospital and our students have very limited time and exposure to those areas," said Holland. "The versatility of the simulator can be incorporated into courses throughout the nursing education curriculum."
Lucina can also be converted into a non-pregnant female patient simulator and used at other times when NFC is not teaching maternal health.
Other aspects of the pregnancy profile simulation include a pregnancy suit for nurses to experience some of what a pregnant woman feels, even creating pressure on the lower back to help students gain patient empathy. A simulation to demonstrate shaken baby syndrome and the fragileness of an infant's brain is also found in the Kate Ireland Nursing Simulation Laboratory along with a hospital-style birthing bed and nightstands; a pregnancy profile simulator; a pediatric crash cart with related medications and supplies; vital signs monitors; non-staining imitation blood; an obesity profile simulator; a chest tube management simulator; and tutorials and programmable scenarios for various student training simulations.
"Today we got to see the Kate Ireland Simulation Lab and it was amazing," said Danny MacQuirter of Allen, Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors. "The instructors are so well prepared to teach the students. I think we are going to be sending the best trained nursing students out of North Florida College nursing school. I am very proud of what is being done here."
According to Lundell, the current COVID-19 safety measures on campus have postponed a community open house, but the College is eager to show-off the lab and new equipment. "We plan to have an open house for the community as soon as possible," said Lundell. "We cannot wait to share the Kate Ireland Nursing Simulation Laboratory, the new patient simulators and advanced training equipment made available thanks to the Parker Poe Charitable Trust's generosity and commitment to the field of nursing and education."
"The new level of technology that we have been able to get through this funding has been amazing," said Jennifer Raulerson, NFC Coordinator of Allied Health Special Projects. "It's making North Florida College an exciting place to come to school. We have technology available now that the large universities may have, but for us to be a smaller school, to have the one-on-one attention that students have here, and still have the high-level of technology that we have been able to obtain is going to make a big difference in the lives of our students."
Kate Ireland (1930-2011) was a champion of education and advancing healthcare in rural areas. To this day, Kate's commitment to giving and helping others lives on through the Parker Poe Charitable Trust, established by Kate to fund deserving organizations and projects that make a profound difference.
"The NFC nursing department would like to thank the Parker Poe Charitable Trust for their donation," said Holland. "It will impact our students for years to come."
For more information on NFC Allied Health and Nursing programs or training opportunities, contact Dr. Holland at [email protected]. For more information on supporting NFC programs and training opportunities, contact the NFC Foundation at 850-973-9416 or [email protected]. More information is also available online at www.nfc.edu.
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NFC's Dr. James Holland and Jennifer Raulerson demonstrate how "Lucina," NFC's new state-of-the-art human patient simulator, can imitate a wide variety of pregnancy symptoms and scenarios through a high-tech software program.
NFC LPN Instructor Jennifer Raulerson, right, shows one of the NFC nursing department's infant patient simulators to NFC Foundation Board of Directors member Elouise Green. Green represents Lafayette County on the Foundation Board.
Taking part in the NFC Kate Ireland Nursing Simulation Laboratory tour are left to right, NFC Dean of Administrative Services Micah Rodgers; NFC Associate Dean of Nursing and Allied Health Dr. James Holland; Danny MacQuirter of Allen, Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors; NFC RN Instructor Ashley Bell; NFC Foundation Board of Directors members Hal Thomas (Lafayette County) and Jim Witt (Suwannee County); NFC Director of Resource Development Judy Lundell; NFC Foundation Board of Directors member Elouise Green (Lafayette County); and NFC nursing faculty Brandy Plummer, Ashley Haynes and Jennifer Raulerson.
Plaque commemorating the NFC Kate Ireland Nursing Simulation Laboratory, Parker Poe Charitable Trust donation and memory of Kate Ireland.
An infant patient simulator that can demonstrate shaken baby syndrome and the fragileness of an infant's brain.