Simulation Centers
Center Highlights
Highlights of the centers include:
- Skills lab with four exam tables, two stretchers, and four patient beds
- Assessment suite with three exam rooms
- Apartment suite with stairs, full kitchen, and full bath
- Prep lab
- OR/procedure suite
- Two radiography imaging suites
- Three simulation control rooms
- Four simulation bays
- Two conference rooms
- SIM commons area
Fun Facts
- Smile, you’re on camera. In Oak Brook, active simulations are live-streamed into our conference rooms and/or our skills lab to allow for real-time observation of non-participating students.
- Ouch! You don’t have to practice blood draws on your peers! We have eight phlebotomy task trainers that students can use to practice proper vein palpation techniques. Students can repeat IV catheter insertion into a puncture arm that will supply simulated blood return!
- We’re #1! Oak Point University purchased the first SimMan 3G PLUS in Illinois.
- Talk about feeling realistic. The Simulation Center in Chicago was once a functioning ICU unit.
- How do we make the fake stuff? We use chicken soup for vomit and chocolate pudding for stool.
- Bad hair day? We have various wigs that allow us to change the look of our manikins.
- All in the family. We have a range of manikins across the lifespan, from infants to geriatrics.
- Practice, practice, practice. Community Health Simulation occurs in 5th week of every term. The 4th-floor SIM Center is transformed into a disaster scene. The SIM Team, University faculty, and staff play the roles of the injured.
Task Trainers
Using task trainers in nursing education is an effective way to provide hands-on training for students to develop and refine their clinical skills. Task trainers are anatomical models that allow students to practice essential skills such as wound care, IV insertion, catheterization, and injections in a controlled, safe environment. Repeated practice helps build muscle memory and confidence in performing these procedures.
Anatomage Virtual Dissection Table
The Anatomage Table is the only fully-segmented, real human 3D anatomy system. Users can visualize anatomy exactly as they would on a cadaver. Individual structures are reconstructed in accurate 3D, resulting in an unprecedented level of actual anatomy, dissectible in 3D. The table allows for exploration and learning of human anatomy beyond what any cadaver could offer. The University owns two Anatomage tables, one for each campus. An example of a way the table can be used to teach a group of students is to view a normal leg, a fractured leg, and the radiographic image taken of the injured leg, complete with the pins were used to repair it.
The Manikins
Between the two campuses, we have 17 mid- to high-fidelity manikins that can perform several realistic functions, such as breathing, crying, blinking, and talking.
But wait, there’s more.
They can:
- Sweat and cry
- Bleed and return urine
- Cough, scream, and moan
- Vocalize with prerecorded vocals or via a Simulation Specialist
- Convulse
- Give birth
- Dilate pupils to light
Have assessment/monitoring/procedures performed:
- Vital signs measured, including palpable pulse
- Defibrillation
- EKG monitoring function
- Receive infusion of fluids or needle injections
- Have chest compression performed (CPR capable)
Sim Centers In Action
Radiography
Our radiography instructors and students use the X-ray table and wall-mounted receptor, portable radiography machine, digital and computed image acquisition stations, Fuji workstations, and numerous phantom body parts. After using the X-ray machines to X-ray the phantoms and produce radiographic images, they view the images and analyze them for quality. This practice allows students to learn and master proper positioning skills before working with actual patients at our clinical sites. Classroom instruction includes students learning positioning skills before taking didactic examinations that helps with visual understanding. Students also utilize low-fidelity manikins for various simulations and skills training, such as patient transfer and portable examinations.
Undergraduate Nursing
Patient simulators are essential in providing student nurses with safe, risk-free training that will result in mastery of crucial skills in clinical settings. SimMan 3G PLUS, SimMan Essential, and Nursing Anne continue to offer students training in our adult health, pediatrics, and health assessment courses. For instance, SimMan Essential is used to listen to abnormal heart and lung sounds. SimBaby, Nursing Baby, and SimMom allow for skills acquisition and education in pediatrics and obstetrics.
Graduate Programs
Nurse practitioner candidates use the Oak Brook Simulation Center for their skills intensives. The number of days required varies by the program and pathway (i.e., MSN versus Post-Graduate Certificate). Additionally, graduate students participate in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and can practice a patient-centered approach within a realistic healthcare delivery environment while using current equipment to support them as they train for the highest level of care.
Interprofessional Education Scholars Program Simulations
- Our BSIT and BSN students learn to collaborate in a setting mirroring real-world work scenarios.
- Students learn to provide safe patient care while utilizing collaborative teamwork to work through communication challenges.
- The training experience of our multidisciplinary patient care teams exposes students to the roles and responsibilities of other disciplines.
Simulation Center Support Services
Students are welcome to work on their skills independently or work with a Simulation Educator to better their hands-on skills and critical thinking.
Open Lab // Independent Student Practice Time
During these self-led sessions, students work independently or with a partner during open lab. SIM Specialists assist with manikins and supplies but do not give feedback.
Open Lab Session // Educator Facilitated
During these self-led sessions, students work independently or with a partner during open lab; a Simulation Educator is available to provide assistance and feedback as needed.
Resource Center Practice Lab at Oakbrook Campus
The Resource Center Practice Lab is an extension of the Simulation Center. Within this practice lab, you can practice many of the skills you have learned in your courses or seen during your clinical rotations.
The Benefits of Simulation Learning
Simulation manikins have revolutionized nursing education by providing students with a safe, controlled, and immersive learning experience. These manikins are life-like replicas of human beings, which simulate real-life scenarios and enable nursing students to practice their skills in a safe and risk-free environment. The use of simulation manikins in nursing education has several benefits:
Safe + Controlled Learning Environment
Simulation manikins allow students to practice complex procedures and interventions without risk to actual patients, reducing the likelihood of medical errors, building confidence in students, and improving patient safety.
Realistic Scenario-Based Learning
Simulation manikins can simulate a wide range of medical conditions and situations, from simple to complex. Scenario-based learning enables students to develop critical thinking skills, make clinical judgments, and practice decision-making in a controlled environment.
Practice Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Simulating real-world healthcare environments illustrates the critical importance of teamwork and communication in creating better patient outcomes. In Oak Point’s IPE Scholars Program, nursing students work alongside radiography students to provide coordinated care to simulated patients.
Enhanced Learning Outcomes
Studies have shown that simulation-based training can improve clinical skills, increase confidence, and reduce stress levels in nursing students. Improved student learning can lead to improved patient care and better patient outcomes.
Standardized Education
Standardized education ensures that all students receive the same level of training and are prepared for the same challenges. Standardization also makes it easier for employers to assess the skills of new hires and ensure that they meet the required standards.
Resource Center Practice Lab
Oakbrook Campus
The Resource Center in Oak Brook is home to Manny, the Task Trainer, and the Simulation Center Practice Lab. Available for up to five students during Resource Center hours, the Practice Lab offers another way for Oak Point students to practice their clinical skills.
