University of Texas Arlington School of Nursing

The Challenge
Incorporating simulation and the use of a manikin that can breathe and talk into a nursing curriculum can be intimidating and time consuming for faculty. Instructors at the University of Texas at Arlington’s School of Nursing and Smart Hospital™ experienced these feelings as they started to confi gure their courses to incorporate simulation activities with their didactic lectures.

The Customer
The UTA School of Nursing is located in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Dedicated to excellence in nursing education, the school offers the full array of degree options: BSN, RN-BSN, MSN, Post-MSN and PhD. The University is part of the UT system and has emerged as a comprehensive education and research institution.

The Journey
The integration of simulation into the nursing curriculum started with a mandate from the Dean of the School of Nursing, Elizabeth Poster, PhD., that all clinical courses would have at least some simulation component. The faculty members started the integration by writing their own scenarios for use with the Laerdal® SimMan® and SimBaby™ simulators and were running them “on the fly.”

Faculty then received training from Laerdal Medical in the process of creating new scenarios. From this training, faculty began to see the possibilities of programmed scenarios and started to modify the pre-packaged ones. But, they wanted to delve even deeper in their understanding of the capabilities of simulation and ensure faculty and staff were knowledgeable in its implementation.

The Discovery
It was determined there was a need to integrate simulation across the curriculum. A Faculty Development Plan was designed to facilitate interaction among faculty, staff, students and administration – all with distinct and complementary skills and experiences.

The Solution
In response to this challenge and discovery, the Associate Dean for Research and Technology, Carolyn Cason, PhD., proposed the formation of a “Simulation Resource Team” (SRT). The team consists of a champion in simulation, Simulation Coordinator Mindi Anderson, PhD., as well as a champion in curriculum, Mary Lou Bond, PhD., with input from Dr. Cason and the Director of the Smart Hospital™, Tiffany Holmes, D.C. The team’s goal is to help faculty members improve their written scenarios, but also to assist them in utilizing the National League for Nursing (NLN) Simulation in Nursing Scenarios to ensure a consistent and standard delivery.

The Implementation
The SRT team is beginning its work with the structure of one course - the Nursing of Adults Medical Surgical course. A collaborative approach is being used, involving the Lead Teacher, course faculty, and staff of the Smart Hospital™ and members of the SRT.

The Results
The SRT will gain insights into the needs of one faculty team currently using simulation for teaching skills and will assess skills acquisition, remediation and evaluation. Based on the initial collaborative activities of the SRT and faculty from this one course, future directions for the work of the SRT will emerge to better assist in meeting the goals of the team. Holmes says this collaborative effort is expected to “be a huge step towards better utilization of simulation and the Laerdal products” currently being used. UTA is leading the way in advancing champions and bringing it all together.

The Smart Hospital™
is a 13,000 sq. ft simulated hospital environment complete with state-of-the-science equipment and furnishings. In this facility, nursing students interact with and provide care to a full array of simulated who occupy the Emergency Room, ICU, Labor and Delivery (LDRP) suites, pediatric unit, Neonatal ICU, adult medical/surgical beds and the large team training resuscitation room.

The students learn utilizing simulation technology including full body interactive patient simulators, such as SimMan and SimBaby, computerized scenario-based programs and individual trainers for specific skills. Learn more by visting their website at http://www.uta.edu/nursing/simulation/smart_hospital.php