Nursing students taste reality in Staples simulation project
CENTRAL LAKES COLLEGE
STAPLES - Central Lakes College nursing students recently inaugurated a simulation scenario on the Staples campus designed to foster collaborative practice for future practical and registered nurses.
In two days of simulated scenarios, 37 licensed practical nurses and associate degree nursing students collaborated in 20-minute periods to provide nursing care for five different "hospital patients" and one "patient's mother."
In teams of four, with registered nurse and LPN students together in each team, the students were required to assess and monitor their patients and implement appropriate responses within their respective scopes of practice.
The simulations were in the new Staples campus nursing lab, but the teams were told to work as if they were in a hospital. Each bed with a patient in it was considered a separate room for the exercise. Evaluators were stationed near each bed.
Hannah Whalen, an emergency room nurse at St. Joseph's Medical Center, Brainerd, played a patient with a kidney infection during the hospital simulation at Central Lakes College in Staples. Calista Peterson (right), an associate degree nursing student from Crosby, was "on duty" and instructor Vickie O'Brien observed and evaluated Peterson.
Submitted Photo
Volunteers played the role of patients. Among them were working nurses who took time from their jobs to be "patients" or provide student evaluations.
Playing patients were CLC students Randi Want of Crosby, Dustin Voss of Onamia and Carrie Kremers of Upsala, and community volunteer Ron Meyer of Deerwood and Hannah Whalen from St. Joseph's Medical Center, as well as CLC instructor Pat McCormick of Merrifield and clinical lab assistant Kari Springer of Brainerd.
Evaluators included CLC instructors Shirley Lofquist, Nancy Meyer, Mary Marquardt, Vickie O'Brien and Kathy Halbert, as well as Ed Ott, Kristiana Holmes and Kris Tollefson of St. Joseph's Medical Center and Amber Noble of Lakewood Health Systems.
Students praised the exercise, which featured a 20-minute preparation time for each group, as well as 20 follow-up minutes in the debriefing supervised by instructors Darci Goeden, Connie Frisch and Gayle Nielsen.
After students completed each scenario, faculty met with each team to debrief, an essential component of the simulation experience. During this reflection phase, the students and instructors identified whether decisions made in the simulation were appropriate.
Area RN students participating included: Kristen Danzl, Jean Hasskamp, both of Aitkin; Alysia Abel, Shawna Reed, Cathline Helstom, Bryan Kavanaugh of Brainerd; Angela Burton, Browerville; Calista Peterson, Crosby; Tammy Swanson, Anita Gerking, Milaca; Liana McCoy, Motley; Jill Hanneken, Pierz; Jessica Mudgett, Pillager. Area LPN students participating included: Jessica Gangestad, Cara Johnson, Jay Brockpahler, Heather Brady, Mary Teske, Amber Havemeier, Ashley Hendricks, Carna Linn and Christina Biermaier, all of Brainerd; Jennifer Gillette of Crosby; Tina Schneider of Isle; Angela Johnson, Maria Archer, both of Little Falls; Gin Georges, Milaca; Celeana Brown, Nisswa; Julie Austin, Pierz; Chelsea Turnbaugh, Pillager.